Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a human resources specialist make in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

In the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metropolitan area, human resources specialists earned a median of $81,100 a year ($38.99 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 2,370 of these jobs there. That is 34% above the $60,720 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $51,340 and $133,450; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and North Carolina tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $63,157 in take-home pay.

Human resources specialist pay in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC at a glance

Median salary

$81,100$38.99 per hour · $6,758 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$51,340$24.68/hr
25th percentile$64,200$30.87/hr
75th percentile$100,760$48.44/hr
90th percentile$133,450$64.16/hr
Jobs in this metro2,370Location quotient 1.18 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here34% aboveAll-jobs median $60,720
Against North Carolina11% aboveStatewide median $73,070
Against the U.S.7% aboveNational median $75,940

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Human resources specialist salary in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC after taxes

$81,100
$30,000$165,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$81,100
Net 78%
Fed 11%
NC 3%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$63,157After all taxes
Monthly deposit$5,263Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$2,429Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate22.1%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$9,012 / yr
North Carolina state income tax$2,727 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$6,204 / yr

Human resources specialists pay range in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What human resources specialists earned in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (NC)
10th percentile$24.68/hr$4,278$51,340$41,892
25th percentile$30.87/hr$5,350$64,200$51,712
MedianMedian$38.99/hr$6,758$81,100$63,157
75th percentile$48.44/hr$8,397$100,760$76,203
90th percentile$64.16/hr$11,121$133,450$97,663

Is $81,100 a good salary in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for human resources specialists next to both.

Median household income$83,500Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)97.62.4% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household97.1%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Human resources specialist pay in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC: common questions

What is the median salary for human resources specialists in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

The BLS median annual wage for human resources specialists in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area was $81,100 in May 2025, about $6,758 a month or $38.99 an hour. Statewide, the North Carolina median for this job is $73,070, so the metro pays 11% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for human resources specialists in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

The median hourly wage for human resources specialists in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC was $38.99 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $24.68 an hour and one in ten earned more than $64.16.

How many human resources specialists work in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

BLS estimated 2,370 jobs for human resources specialists in the metro in May 2025, or 6.9 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.18 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for human resources specialists in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

BLS wage estimates for human resources specialists in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC run from $51,340 at the 10th percentile to $64,200 at the 25th, $100,760 at the 75th, and $133,450 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do human resources specialists take home after taxes in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

On a median gross salary of $81,100, an estimated $63,157 lands in net take-home pay per year ($2,429 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in North Carolina in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $17,943 (an effective rate of 22.1%).

How much do human resources specialists make per month in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

On the median annual salary of $81,100, gross monthly income is $6,758. After federal, FICA, and North Carolina state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $5,263 per month (or $2,429 every two weeks).

Is $81,100 a good salary in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

At $81,100, the median salary for human resources specialists is 97.1% of the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC median household income ($83,500). It is 34% above the $60,720 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 97.6, so prices here run 2.4% below the U.S. average.