Which company sponsors the most H1B visas in North Carolina?

IBM Corporation is by far the largest H1B sponsor in North Carolina with 4,993 petitions filed in FY2024-2025, more than nine times the volume of the next closest employer, Lowe's Companies.

What is the average H1B salary in North Carolina?

H1B salaries in North Carolina vary by sector. Merrill Lynch reports the highest average prevailing wage at $153,401. Trane Technologies is at $146,947. IQVIA comes in at $144,072. Banking and pharma roles tend to pay the most, while university and school district roles pay considerably less.

Is North Carolina good for H1B workers?

Yes. North Carolina combines Charlotte's major banking sector, the Research Triangle's technology and pharma cluster, and a lower cost of living than most coastal states. IBM, Bank of America, and Duke University are all major, reliable H1B sponsors.

Does Bank of America sponsor H1B visas in North Carolina?

Yes. Bank of America N.A. and its affiliate BofA Securities together filed 939 H1B petitions in FY2024-2025 with a combined approval rate above 99.5%, making it one of the most reliable large employers in the state.

H1B

Top H1B Sponsor Companies in North Carolina in 2026

June 22, 2026 Alex Atkins

IBM filed nearly 5,000 H1B petitions in North Carolina in two years, which is more than nine times the volume of the next closest employer. Lowe’s, the home improvement giant headquartered in Mooresville, came in second with 553 filings. That gap alone tells you something important: North Carolina’s H1B market is not really competitive at the top. It is IBM, and then everyone else.

UP Next: Top H1B Sponsor Companies in Florida in 2026.

Why H1B Applicants Are Paying Attention To North Carolina Right Now

North Carolina has quietly built one of the more interesting H1B markets in the country, and it is not built around one industry the way some states are.

Charlotte is a genuine banking powerhouse, second only to New York in concentration of major financial institutions. Bank of America, BofA Securities, Truist Bank, and First Citizens Bank are all headquartered or have massive operations here. Meanwhile, the Research Triangle area around Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill has built a deep technology and life sciences cluster, anchored by IBM’s enormous regional presence, plus Duke University, NC State, and UNC Chapel Hill.

Add in a strong pharmaceutical and clinical research presence through companies like IQVIA, PPD Development, and Laboratory Corporation of America, and you get a state with real diversity across finance, tech, pharma, and academia.

The cost of living advantage here is significant too. Charlotte and Raleigh are both considerably cheaper than New York, San Francisco, or Boston, while still offering serious corporate salaries. Merrill Lynch’s average prevailing wage of $153,401 in North Carolina goes a lot further than the same number would in Manhattan.

What The Numbers Actually Show

Here are North Carolina’s top H1B sponsors ranked by total filings for FY2024-2025:

IBM Corporation – 4,993 filings, 4,951 approvals, 42 denials, 99.2% approval rate, avg wage $116,288
Lowe’s Companies Inc – 553 filings, 540 approvals, 13 denials, 97.6% approval rate
Truist Bank – 523 filings, 515 approvals, 8 denials, 98.5% approval rate, avg wage $135,450
Bank of America N.A. – 471 filings, 471 approvals, 0 denials, 100% approval rate
BofA Securities Inc – 468 filings, 466 approvals, 2 denials, 99.6% approval rate
Duke University and Medical Center – 391 filings, 386 approvals, 5 denials, 98.7% approval rate
DB Global Technology Inc – 335 filings, 333 approvals, 2 denials, 99.4% approval rate
Honeywell International Inc – 318 filings, 312 approvals, 6 denials, 98.1% approval rate
NC State University – 277 filings, 276 approvals, 1 denial, 99.6% approval rate
IQVIA Inc – 272 filings, 266 approvals, 6 denials, 97.8% approval rate, avg wage $144,072
Red Hat Inc – 268 filings, 266 approvals, 2 denials, 99.3% approval rate
UT-Battelle LLC (Oak Ridge National Lab) – 230 filings, 229 approvals, 1 denial, 99.6% approval rate
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – 206 filings, 206 approvals, 0 denials, 100% approval rate, avg wage $109,540
Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings – 178 filings, 174 approvals, 4 denials, 97.8% approval rate, avg wage $127,300
First Citizens Bank and Trust Co – 174 filings, 172 approvals, 2 denials, 98.9% approval rate
PPD Development LP – 170 filings, 167 approvals, 3 denials, 98.2% approval rate
Metrix IT Solutions Inc – 114 filings, 109 approvals, 5 denials, 95.6% approval rate, avg wage $103,862
Hitachi Energy USA Inc – 111 filings, 111 approvals, 0 denials, 100% approval rate
ABB Inc – 106 filings, 105 approvals, 1 denial, 99.1% approval rate
Tabner Inc – 102 filings, 98 approvals, 4 denials, 96.1% approval rate, avg wage $109,855
Nash County Public Schools – 94 filings, 92 approvals, 2 denials, 97.9% approval rate, avg wage $39,074
IQVIA RDS Inc – 93 filings, 92 approvals, 1 denial, 98.9% approval rate, avg wage $141,554
Compass Group USA Inc – 86 filings, 82 approvals, 4 denials, 95.3% approval rate
AvidXchange Inc – 83 filings, 83 approvals, 0 denials, 100% approval rate
Alten Technology USA Inc – 76 filings, 74 approvals, 2 denials, 97.4% approval rate, avg wage $76,831
Merrill Lynch – 76 filings, 75 approvals, 1 denial, 98.7% approval rate, avg wage $153,401
Technosoft Engineering – 75 filings, 70 approvals, 5 denials, 93.3% approval rate
NC Health Affiliates LLC – 75 filings, 74 approvals, 1 denial, 98.7% approval rate
Trane Technologies Company LLC – 69 filings, 69 approvals, 0 denials, 100% approval rate, avg wage $146,947
Ardor IT Solutions Inc – 64 filings, 57 approvals, 7 denials, 89.1% approval rate, avg wage $92,951

Source: USCIS public disclosure records, FY2024-2025. Wage data from DOL LCA filings where available.

Let us walk through what these numbers are actually telling us.

IBM’s scale here is hard to overstate. Nearly 5,000 petitions in two years works out to roughly seven filings every single business day, almost entirely concentrated around IBM’s massive Research Triangle Park campus near Raleigh. The 99.2% approval rate across that volume is genuinely impressive given the scale, and the average wage of $116,288 is solid for the region. If you are targeting North Carolina for a tech career, IBM is functionally the center of gravity for the entire state’s H1B ecosystem.

Charlotte’s banking presence shows up clearly once you start grouping entities. Bank of America N.A. and BofA Securities together account for 939 filings with a combined approval rate above 99.5%, and Bank of America’s standalone entity hit a perfect 100%. Add Truist Bank at 523 filings and First Citizens at 174, and Charlotte’s banking sector alone accounts for over 1,630 H1B petitions in two years. For anyone in financial technology, risk analytics, or quantitative finance, Charlotte deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as New York or Chicago.

The pharma and clinical research cluster is real and underrated. IQVIA appears twice in this data, once as IQVIA Inc with 272 filings at $144,072, and again as IQVIA RDS Inc with 93 filings at $141,554. Combined, that is 365 filings from essentially the same company family. Add Laboratory Corporation of America at $127,300 and PPD Development, and North Carolina has a genuinely strong clinical research and pharma services sector, paying competitively and approving reliably.

One entry in this data deserves honest, careful attention. Nash County Public Schools filed 94 H1B petitions with a 97.9% approval rate, but reports an average prevailing wage of just $39,074. That number is dramatically lower than every other employer on this list, and it reflects a structural reality of US public education rather than anything unusual about this particular district. Public school teacher salaries, especially for the specialized and bilingual education roles that often rely on H1B sponsorship, are set by state and local pay scales that are simply much lower than corporate compensation. If you are an international educator considering a US public school H1B role, this number is a realistic and important data point to factor into your planning, not a red flag about the employer specifically.

Duke University’s 391 filings at 98.7% reflect its position as one of the most active academic and medical research sponsors in the South. Combined with NC State at 277 filings and UNC Chapel Hill at a perfect 206 for 206, North Carolina’s three major research universities together represent a substantial and reliable academic sponsorship pipeline.

The Standouts: Best and Worst North Carolina H1B Sponsors

Bank of America N.A. A perfect 100% approval rate across 471 filings. For example, if you are a financial analyst or software engineer weighing a Bank of America offer in Charlotte against a similar role at a coastal bank, this track record at scale is about as clean as banking sector data gets anywhere in the country.

IBM Corporation. The sheer scale combined with a 99.2% approval rate makes IBM the default anchor employer for anyone targeting North Carolina tech roles. With nearly 5,000 filings, IBM has more H1B hiring activity in this state than the next nine employers combined.

Merrill Lynch. The highest average wage on this list at $153,401, with a strong 98.7% approval rate. Merrill’s North Carolina presence, tied to Bank of America’s wealth management operations, offers some of the most competitive compensation in the state for finance professionals.

Ardor IT Solutions Inc. The weakest approval rate on this entire list at 89.1%, with 7 denials out of 64 filings. Ardor is a smaller IT staffing firm. If you receive an offer here, ask specifically about the end client and the nature of the placement arrangement before moving forward.

Technosoft Engineering. A 93.3% approval rate with 5 denials out of 75 filings is the second weakest on the list. Like Ardor, this is a smaller consulting and staffing operation where extra due diligence is worth your time.

What This Means If You Are Job Hunting Right Now

If you are in technology, IBM should be your starting point for North Carolina, simply because of the sheer scale of opportunity and the strong approval record. But do not stop there. Red Hat, AvidXchange, and Honeywell are all filing consistently with strong results and represent real alternatives if an IBM role does not come through.

If you are in finance, Charlotte is genuinely one of the most underrated banking hubs for H1B candidates in the country. Bank of America’s perfect record, combined with strong showings from Truist and First Citizens, means the city offers depth most candidates do not expect outside New York.

If you are in pharma, clinical research, or life sciences, IQVIA across its two filing entities, Laboratory Corporation of America, and PPD Development together create a legitimate cluster worth targeting specifically. These companies pay well and approve reliably.

If you are an educator considering a public school district sponsorship, go in with realistic salary expectations. The compensation will be meaningfully lower than corporate America, but the approval rates for these specialized teaching roles tend to be solid, and the work itself can be genuinely rewarding for the right person.

What This Data Does Not Tell You

Wage data is missing for several major employers including Lowe’s, Bank of America, Duke University, and Red Hat. This is a dataset matching limitation, not evidence about actual pay. Lowe’s and Bank of America in particular are well known for competitive corporate compensation.

The two IQVIA entities and the Bank of America and BofA Securities pairing should be considered together when judging overall company scale, since they likely represent different business units or filing batches from related organizations rather than fully separate employers.

Approval rates at smaller employers carry more statistical noise than rates at IBM-scale companies. A 100% rate across 69 filings at Trane Technologies is a good sign, but it is not the same statistical statement as IBM’s 99.2% across nearly 5,000 filings. Weigh sample size accordingly when comparing employers.

The Bottom Line

North Carolina’s H1B story in 2026 centers heavily on one company, IBM, but the state has real depth beyond that single name. Charlotte’s banking sector, the Research Triangle’s pharma and tech cluster, and a strong set of public and private research universities all add genuine breadth to what this state offers H1B candidates.

The approval rates here are generally strong, with the usual caveat around smaller IT staffing firms. Combined with a meaningfully lower cost of living than the coasts, North Carolina offers a real value proposition for candidates in tech, finance, and life sciences.

IBM gets the headline. But Charlotte’s banks and the Triangle’s pharma companies are quietly building something just as substantial.

Reviewed and edited by the H1BTrack editorial team. Data verified against USCIS public disclosure records and DOL LCA filings as of June 2026.

Data sourced from publicly available USCIS and Department of Labor records. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or immigration advice. Always verify current information at uscis.gov before making any decisions.