Biochemist salary in Durham, NC

Based on 160 certified H-1B filings in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Chapel Hill, Research Triangle Park.

Median salary$75,254
Middle 50%$67.5k–$77.9k
vs. national median−6%comparison median $79,802
Filings160FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $62,608 and $159,613.
PercentileSalary
10th$64,028
25th$67,474
50th (median)$75,254
75th$77,874
90th$99,861

Salary by year

Median salary

$40k $65k $90k FY2020: median $54,802 (136 filings) FY2021: median $57,383 (126 filings) FY2022: median $57,974 (129 filings) FY2023: median $61,000 (119 filings) FY2024: median $65,054 (126 filings) FY2025: median $75,254 (104 filings) FY2026: median $77,854 (56 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 136 filings FY20 FY2021: 126 filings FY21 FY2022: 129 filings FY22 FY2023: 119 filings FY23 FY2024: 126 filings FY24 FY2025: 104 filings FY25 FY2026: 56 filings FY26 136
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$54,802$51,851$67,717136
FY2021$57,383$52,922$69,353126
FY2022$57,974$55,349$67,413129
FY2023$61,000$57,304$70,000119
FY2024$65,054$59,964$75,254126
FY2025$75,254$65,324$77,854104
FY2026$77,854$70,746$78,12556

Cost of living

Durham's median Biochemist salary of $75,254 is worth about $77,100 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Durham = 97.6).

Compared with all workers here

All Biochemists and Biophysicists in the Durham, NC area earned a median of $87,650 in May 2025 (260 employed). The H-1B median here is $75,254, 14% lower.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Top employers filing

EmployerMedianFilings
Duke University$75,254114
University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill$68,96425
BioAgilytix Labstoo few5
KBI Biopharmatoo few5
ElevateBio Technologiestoo few3
National Institutes of Health, HHStoo few2

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $67,746 82
Mid-level · Level II $77,854 69
Senior · Level III too few 3
Expert · Level IV too few 2

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$62,608$67,74682
Mid-level · Level II$77,854$77,85469

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.