The average salary in Durham, North Carolina is $53,128. As of Q2 2018, the trend in wages is growing with a 0.2 percent increase over last quarter. The cost of living is 11.5 percent below the national average in Durham. Popular jobs in Durham include Research Scientist, Software Engineer, and Senior Software Engineer which pay between $69,473 and $97,661 annually. Some popular Durham industries include Education, Software as a Service (SaaS) Development, and Health Care. Some popular Durham employers include Duke University, Duke University Medical Center, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Inc. (BCBSNC).