Entry-level Biochemist salary in Durham, NC

Based on 82 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level I in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Chapel Hill, Research Triangle Park.

Median salary$67,746
Middle 50%$64.4k–$70.8k
vs. all levels here−10%comparison median $75,254
Filings82FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $62,608 and $113,165.
PercentileSalary
10th$63,400
25th$64,356
50th (median)$67,746
75th$70,832
90th$87,082

Salary by year

Median salary

$40k $60k $80k FY2020: median $52,896 (63 filings) FY2021: median $57,366 (61 filings) FY2022: median $55,429 (58 filings) FY2023: median $57,300 (51 filings) FY2024: median $61,228 (57 filings) FY2025: median $65,859 (59 filings) FY2026: median $69,104 (23 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 63 filings FY20 FY2021: 61 filings FY21 FY2022: 58 filings FY22 FY2023: 51 filings FY23 FY2024: 57 filings FY24 FY2025: 59 filings FY25 FY2026: 23 filings FY26 63
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$52,896$50,769$64,50063
FY2021$57,366$52,896$72,50061
FY2022$55,429$54,053$62,87658
FY2023$57,300$55,632$60,26251
FY2024$61,228$57,613$70,00057
FY2025$65,859$64,003$69,10459
FY2026$69,104$67,096$71,71823

Cost of living

Durham's median entry-level Biochemist salary of $67,746 is worth about $69,400 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 $67,746, 23% lower.

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

Employers filing at this level

EmployerMedianFilings
Duke University$67,41957
University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill$66,63316
BioAgilytix Labstoo few2
ElevateBio Technologiestoo few2
KBI Biopharmatoo 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.