SOC 17-2071 · Architecture and Engineering Occupations · May 2025

How much do Electrical Engineers make in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Electrical Engineers in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC is $129,030. The 10th percentile is $78,280 and the 90th percentile is $213,300. Employment is 1,020.

Median annual wage

$129,030

10th percentile
$78,280
25th percentile
$83,500
Median
$129,030
75th percentile
$166,210
90th percentile
$213,300
Mean
$129,250

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A dental hygienist treating a patient
A dental hygienist at work. Photograph by baskyes. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Percentile spread

For Electrical Engineers, the published 10th percentile is $78,280 and the 90th percentile is $213,300. The difference is $135,020, which is 104.6% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $83,500 to the 75th at $166,210, covers $82,710.

The mean annual wage is $129,250, which sits above the median of $129,030. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Durham-Chapel Hill, NC median is 7% higher than the national median of $120,630 for Electrical Engineers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $132,241, which is 9.6% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 17.2% higher than the North Carolina median of $110,130.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Durham-Chapel Hill, NC is 97.572, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $129,030 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Electrical Engineers at $132,241 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

26 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Electrical Engineers. Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ranks 2nd of 27 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Burlington, NC is 17 miles away, with a median of $119,650 and employment of 30. That median is 7.3% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $128,385, against $132,241 here.
  • Greensboro-High Point, NC is 39 miles away, with a median of $117,480 and employment of 440. That median is 9% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $126,506, against $132,241 here.
  • Raleigh-Cary, NC is 39 miles away, with a median of $130,240 and employment of 1,500. That median is 0.9% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $132,685, against $132,241 here.

Employment share

Electrical Engineers accounts for 0.30% of wage-and-salary employment in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC (1,020 of 344,020). Nationally the occupation is 0.13% of employment (198,750 of 155,495,730). The local share is 2.32 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC · Electrical Engineers by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Electrical Engineers make in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Electrical Engineers in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC is $129,030. The 10th percentile is $78,280 and the 90th percentile is $213,300. Employment is 1,020.

How does that compare with the national median for Electrical Engineers?

The local median is 7% higher than the national median of $120,630.

What is Electrical Engineers pay in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Durham-Chapel Hill, NC is 97.572, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $129,030 is $132,241. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Durham-Chapel Hill, NC compare with nearby metros for Electrical Engineers?

Burlington, NC is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 17 miles away, at $119,650. Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ranks 2nd of 27 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.