Human Resources Specialists pay range in Durham
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $51,340 a year or less, while the top 10% make $133,450 or more. The middle half of human resources specialists in Durham earn between $64,200 and $100,760.
- $51K10th
- $64K25th
- $81KMedian
- $101K75th
- $133K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $88,260 | $7,355 | $42.43 |
| Median | $81,100 | $6,758 | $38.99 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $64,200 | $5,350 | $30.87 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $100,760 | $8,397 | $48.44 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Human Resources Specialists salary after taxes in Durham
On the average salary of $88,260, a single filer in Durham takes home about $67,908 a year, or $5,659 a month and $2,612 every two weeks. Taxes take 23% 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 human resources specialists? 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 $88,260 buys what about $90,456 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.3 times the median wage of all jobs in Durham ($60,720). A typical home costs $414,340, or 4.7 years of this average salary before tax.
Human Resources Specialists salary in other North Carolina cities
Durham ranks 1st of 15 North Carolina metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.
- Durham$88,260
- Charlotte$84,390
- Raleigh$80,820
- Fayetteville$80,100
- Asheville$79,770
- Burlington$77,960
- Winston-Salem$76,080
- Goldsboro$73,620
- Greensboro$73,020
- Greenville$72,240
Highest-paying cities for human resources specialists
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($122,290).
- San Jose, CA$122,290
- San Francisco, CA$113,530
- Washington, DC$105,580
- Lexington Park, MD$104,240
- Boulder, CO$99,420
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Human Resources Specialists salary in Durham: questions
How much do human resources specialists make an hour in Durham?
$42.43 an hour on average, and $38.99 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level human resources specialists salary in Durham?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $51,340 a year and the 25th percentile is $64,200, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the human resources specialists take-home pay in Durham?
About $67,908 a year ($5,659 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $88,260.
Do human resources specialists earn more in Durham than elsewhere?
The average here is 6% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($82,959).
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 13-1071; area Durham-Chapel Hill, NC (20500). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.3%.
- 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 1.18, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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