Hiring an electronics engineer in Durham, NC

Employers in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC area pay electronics engineers, except computer a median of $155,680, with the middle half of the market between $110,230 and $173,270. Durham residents working in architecture and engineering occupations report a median of $92,128, which is 41% below what the metro pays for this role.

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What does an electronics engineer earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile	$110,230
Median	$155,680
75th percentile	$173,270

Half of electronics engineers, except computer in this area earn between $110,230 and $173,270. A band set below $110,230 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Durham residents earn

$92,128

Median earnings of Durham residents working in architecture and engineering occupations, 3,094 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 41% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

The role pays well above the local residential norm, which usually means you can hire from inside Durham rather than competing for commuters.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Design electronic components, software, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, medical, military, or scientific applications.
Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform electronics engineering tasks.
Evaluate project work to ensure effectiveness, technical adequacy, or compatibility in the resolution of complex electronics engineering problems.
Direct or coordinate activities concerned with manufacture, construction, installation, maintenance, operation, or modification of electronic equipment, products, or systems.
Confer with engineers, customers, vendors, or others to discuss existing or potential electronics engineering projects or products.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 17-2072.

Tools and technologies in demand

C, C++, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint, Python, The MathWorks MATLAB, ANSYS simulation software.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Durham?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

That matters here, because 55.7% of Durham adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Durham commute runs 22.7 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 20.6% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Durham County, architectural, engineering and related services employs 3,403 and turns over 4.9% a quarter, with 186 hires against 208 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $9,845 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5413.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about electronics engineers, except computer. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's median would bill roughly $31,136 to $46,704 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.