Senior Electrical Engineer salary in Durham, NC

Based on 18 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Morrisville, Chapel Hill.

Also listed as: Electrical Design Engineer

Median salary$135,126
Middle 50%$125.7k–$140k
vs. all levels here+0%comparison median $135,000
Filings18FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $77,106 and $167,195.
PercentileSalary
10th$85,813
25th$125,744
50th (median)$135,126
75th$140,046
90th$167,059

Cost of living

Durham's median senior Electrical Engineer salary of $135,126 is worth about $138,500 at national average prices.

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

Compared with all workers here

All Electrical Engineers in the Durham, NC area earned a median of $129,030 in May 2025 (1,020 employed). The H-1B median here is $135,126, 5% higher.

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 Universitytoo few4
Analog Devicestoo few3
Microsofttoo few2
Pentangle Tech Servicestoo few2

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

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I too few 3
Mid-level · Level II too few 2
Senior · Level III $135,126 18
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
Senior · Level III$128,003$135,12618

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.