Mid-level Medical Scientist salary in Durham, NC

Based on 29 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level II 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$73,557
Middle 50%$68.2k–$85.9k
vs. all levels here+5%comparison median $70,146
Filings29FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $64,320 and $116,298.
PercentileSalary
10th$66,600
25th$68,182
50th (median)$73,557
75th$85,904
90th$100,081

Salary by year

Median salary

$60k $70k $80k FY2020: median $70,000 (11 filings) FY2021: median $76,000 (17 filings) FY2022: median $73,338 (14 filings) FY2023: median $71,750 (18 filings) FY2024: median $72,000 (19 filings) FY2025: median $70,530 (18 filings) FY2026: median $74,263 (11 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 11 filings FY20 FY2021: 17 filings FY21 FY2022: 14 filings FY22 FY2023: 18 filings FY23 FY2024: 19 filings FY24 FY2025: 18 filings FY25 FY2026: 11 filings FY26 19
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$70,000$63,149$78,00011
FY2021$76,000$64,000$101,80617
FY2022$73,338$65,204$87,50014
FY2023$71,750$62,142$74,91918
FY2024$72,000$63,958$107,00019
FY2025$70,530$67,296$75,07118
FY2026$74,263$70,780$95,08811

Cost of living

Durham's median mid-level Medical Scientist salary of $73,557 is worth about $75,400 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 $73,557, 24% 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$73,05812
University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill$68,18210
Guidehouse Digitaltoo 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.