Civil Engineers pay range in Durham
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $67,970 a year or less, while the top 10% make $164,990 or more. The middle half of civil engineers in Durham earn between $79,240 and $125,730.
- $68K10th
- $79K25th
- $94KMedian
- $126K75th
- $165K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $102,390 | $8,532 | $49.23 |
| Median | $93,940 | $7,828 | $45.16 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $79,240 | $6,603 | $38.10 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $125,730 | $10,478 | $60.45 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Civil Engineers salary after taxes in Durham
On the average salary of $102,390, a single filer in Durham takes home about $77,285 a year, or $6,440 a month and $2,972 every two weeks. Taxes take 25% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).
Is Durham a good place for civil engineers? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Durham area are 2% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 97.6), so the average $102,390 buys what about $104,938 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.5 times the median wage of all jobs in Durham ($60,720). A typical home costs $414,340, or 4.0 years of this average salary before tax.
Civil Engineers salary in other North Carolina cities
Durham ranks 5th of 15 North Carolina metro areas for this job; Raleigh pays the most ($107,710).
- Raleigh$107,710
- Charlotte$107,680
- Burlington$106,400
- Asheville$105,240
- Durham$102,390
- Pinehurst$102,250
- Fayetteville$100,170
- Greensboro$97,330
- Wilmington$96,680
- Hickory$96,500
Highest-paying cities for civil engineers
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($137,910).
- San Jose, CA$137,910
- San Francisco, CA$136,350
- Napa, CA$130,620
- Sacramento, CA$129,650
- Redding, CA$124,340
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Civil Engineers salary in Durham: questions
How much do civil engineers make an hour in Durham?
$49.23 an hour on average, and $45.16 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level civil engineers salary in Durham?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $67,970 a year and the 25th percentile is $79,240, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the civil engineers take-home pay in Durham?
About $77,285 a year ($6,440 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $102,390.
Do civil engineers earn more in Durham than elsewhere?
The average here is 6% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($109,384).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 17-2051; area Durham-Chapel Hill, NC (20500). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.7%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).
- Job concentration: location quotient 0.91, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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