Entry-level Medical Scientist salary in Durham, NC

Based on 26 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.

Also listed as: Research Scientist, Associate Research Scientist

Median salary$66,278
Middle 50%$62.7k–$70.1k
vs. all levels here−6%comparison median $70,146
Filings26FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $56,082 and $90,639.
PercentileSalary
10th$61,357
25th$62,677
50th (median)$66,278
75th$70,110
90th$76,424

Salary by year

Median salary

$50k $65k $80k FY2020: median $56,846 (29 filings) FY2021: median $58,000 (23 filings) FY2022: median $59,000 (19 filings) FY2023: median $61,572 (23 filings) FY2024: median $61,782 (18 filings) FY2025: median $66,278 (16 filings) FY2026: median $67,052 (10 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 29 filings FY20 FY2021: 23 filings FY21 FY2022: 19 filings FY22 FY2023: 23 filings FY23 FY2024: 18 filings FY24 FY2025: 16 filings FY25 FY2026: 10 filings FY26 29
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$56,846$54,662$62,00029
FY2021$58,000$52,775$62,32523
FY2022$59,000$55,425$62,86419
FY2023$61,572$57,742$76,40323
FY2024$61,782$56,484$63,75018
FY2025$66,278$62,663$70,03716
FY2026$67,052$62,999$69,89010

Cost of living

Durham's median entry-level Medical Scientist salary of $66,278 is worth about $67,900 at national average prices.

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

Compared with all workers here

All Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists in the Durham, NC area earned a median of $96,430 in May 2025 (2,240 employed). The H-1B median here is $66,278, 31% 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$66,27814
University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hilltoo few8
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 $66,278 26
Mid-level · Level II $73,557 29
Senior · Level III too few 2
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$56,202$66,27826
Mid-level · Level II$64,064$73,55729

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.