Durham-Chapel Hill, NC · CBSA 20500
Software Engineer Salary in Durham
VerifiedPublished metro-area wages for software engineers in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 release — with the local distribution set against North Carolina and the national benchmark.
Software Engineers in Durham earn a median of $131,980 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $109,110–$156,220; the top 10% earn $191,080. That is 1% below the national median and 1% above the North Carolina median. BLS reports 8,610 employed locally.
Median wage
Verified$131,980
-1% vs national
Top 10% earn
$191,080
90th percentile
Employed in metro
8,610
Reliability High (4% RSE)
Software Engineer pay — Durham vs North Carolina vs national
All three distributions are published BLS percentiles on a single shared scale.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $87,170 | +9% |
| 25th percentile | $109,110 | +6% |
| Median50th percentile | $131,980 | -1% |
| 75th percentile | $156,220 | -8% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $191,080 | -10% |
| Meanaverage | $139,450 | -4% |
How concentrated software engineers are in Durham
Location quotient compares local concentration to the national rate. Above 1.00 means this metro employs the occupation more densely than the country overall.
Location quotient
2.34
Jobs per 1,000
25.14
Metro rank (pay)
#35 of 381
All engineering roles
$122,897
At a location quotient of 2.34, Durham is a genuine hub for this discipline — the occupation is roughly 2.3× as concentrated here as nationally, which usually means deeper employer competition and more lateral options.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a software engineer make in Durham?
Does Durham pay more than the rest of North Carolina?
Where does Durham rank nationally for software engineers?
Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 15-1252 (Software Developers), Durham-Chapel Hill, NC (metro area).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →