Average Salaries in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Explore salaries across 461 occupations in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $71.5K, +8.7% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates. Coverage: 461 occupations and 299,900 total jobs in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC.
How the metro compares
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC pays modestly above the national average. Most occupations here earn more than their national equivalents, but the gap is smaller than in top-tier markets.
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Chief Executives. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Highest-paid occupations in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Executives | $381.3K | 140 |
| Physicians, Pathologists | $272.3K | 30 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $220.8K | N/A |
| Oral And Maxillofacial Surgeons | $220K | N/A |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $214.6K | 40 |
| Dentists, General | $208.5K | 200 |
| Orthodontists | $200K | N/A |
| Sales Managers | $190.4K | 1,150 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $183.5K | 2,050 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $176.2K | 4,170 |
Largest occupations in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 9,790 | $135.6K |
| Retail Salespersons | 5,850 | $31.8K |
| Medical Secretaries And Administrative Assistants | 5,820 | $46.9K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 5,350 | $29.2K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 5,250 | $37.8K |
| Cashiers | 4,840 | $29.9K |
| Nursing Assistants | 4,830 | $40.6K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 4,660 | $46.8K |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 4,520 | $29.2K |
| Office Clerks, General | 4,180 | $47K |
What Durham-Chapel Hill, NC specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Most concentrated occupations in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Life Scientists, All Other | 28.02 | $105.9K |
| Biological Scientists, All Other | 11.28 | $98.7K |
| Microbiologists | 9.58 | $85.9K |
| Statisticians | 9.34 | $103.3K |
| Natural Sciences Managers | 8.52 | $183.5K |
| Physical Scientists, All Other | 7.46 | $128.4K |
| Biological Technicians | 6.74 | $58.4K |
| Chemists | 6.24 | $81.6K |
| Materials Scientists | 6.06 | $123.1K |
| Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 5.88 | $96.4K |
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $98.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $95.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92.6K | Cardiologists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $87.1K | Cardiologists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $83.8K | Radiologists |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $82.7K | Radiologists |
| Boulder, CO | $82.3K | Surgeons, All Other |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $82.3K | Radiologists |
Common salary questions for Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.