SOC 15-1242

Database Administrator Salary in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC (2026)

Data updated · Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025, HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Tax Tables: 2026 Fed + NC
COL Index: 135.43 (+35.4% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 69.8% Realized
$82,373 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $117,950 $56.71/hr
Effective Tax Drag 24.16% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 22% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$28,500 $1,096.17/check
Category 1 of 6

Wage Benchmarking & After-Tax Paycheck Engine

Dynamic statutory tax calculations based on IRS Publication 15-T and state statutory schedules.

$
2,080 annual statutory base hours $56.71 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$7,077/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$1,557/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$15,562
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$7,313
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$1,710
North Carolina Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$3,915
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$82,373 ($3,168.18 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Database Administrator Wage Distribution

Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Percentiles & Career Ladders

Your Salary: $117,950
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $72.3k 25th $84.1k Median: $117,950 50th (Median) $118k 75th $147k 90th $166k You: $117,950
10th (Entry) $72,330 $34.77/hr
25th (Junior) $84,120 $40.44/hr
50th (Median) $117,950 $56.71/hr
75th (Senior) $147,150 $70.75/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $165,710 $79.67/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Database Administrator in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
1
Junior DBASQL query optimization, backup/restore routines, relational fundamentals
$76,664$36.86/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Database AdministratorPerformance tuning, replication, clustering, high availability
$105,977$50.95/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior DBA / Data ArchitectMulti-region failover, cloud migrations, database security audit compliance
$139,799$67.21/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Lead Database ArchitectEnterprise data governance, heterogeneous platform strategy
$171,367$82.39/hr · 8+ Years
Scaled to the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC medianView National Database Administrator Salary Data
Adjacent Career Pivots & National Pay Differences
Software Developers+$31,360/yr
National median: $135,980
Skill overlap: 93%View Salary
Database Architects+$34,880/yr
National median: $139,500
Skill overlap: 89%View Salary
Computer Systems Analysts+$1,230/yr
National median: $105,850
Skill overlap: 89%
Network and Computer Systems Administrators-$5,490/yr
National median: $99,130
Skill overlap: 84%
Category 3 of 6

HUD Fair Market Rent & EPI Living Wage Affordability Index

Evaluating housing affordability vs. net take-home pay in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC under the HUD 30% housing cost guideline.

Rent-to-Take-Home Ratio (HUD 30% Standard)
23% of Net Income
✓ Passes 30% Housing Affordability Standard
HUD Fair Market Rent (1-Bedroom) $1,554/month Requires minimum annual gross of $62,160
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $1,745/month Requires minimum annual gross of $69,800
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $29.95/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $24.96/hr
Category 4 of 6

Hourly Wage to Annual & Overtime Matrix

Translating base hourly pay and 1.5× overtime into net take-home pay based on 2,080 annual work hours in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC.

Swipe horizontally to inspect full pay schedule
Schedule Total Hours/Wk Gross Annual Est. Taxes Net Take-Home Bi-Weekly Check
Standard (40 hrs)40 hrs$117,950-$28,500$82,373$3,168.18
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$140,066-$35,792$95,869$3,687.28
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$162,181-$43,303$109,147$4,197.98
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$184,297-$50,814$122,425$4,708.67
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$206,413-$57,023$137,004$5,269.40
Category 5 of 6

Interstate MSA Relocation & State Tax Migration Comparator

Calculate required compensation, cost-of-living differences, and annual state/local tax savings between two metropolitan areas.

Equivalent Salary in Austin, TX $83,505 Cost of Living Ratio: 69.6%
Annual State & Local Tax Delta +$8,331/yr Tax savings in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Annual Rent Difference (1BR) -$17,676/yr Based on HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Discretionary Cash Flow Impact

Combining state tax savings and annual rent variance when relocating from San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

+$26,007/year
Category 6 of 6 · Executive Economic Briefing
2026 Fiscal Intelligence

Database Administrator in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC: Compensation & Purchasing Power Briefing (2026)

Estimates compiled from BLS OEWS wages, IRS 2026 withholding rules, HUD Fair Market Rents, and North Carolina tax codes.

Market Baseline
$117,950/yr
$56.71/hr · SOC 15-1242
Statutory Tax Drag
24.16% Effective
-$28,500 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
23% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$5,310/mo
Post-$1,554/mo 1BR Rent

Key Economic & Compensation Takeaways

Statutory Withholding Architecture

Frequently Asked Questions

Verified Government Data Sources & Statutory Attribution

Wages sourced from US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS OEWS). Rents calibrated to HUD Fair Market Rents. Tax schedules calibrated to IRS IRC Title 26, IRS Pub 15-T, and state statutory revenue codes.

BLS OEWS May 2025 HUD FY2027 FMR IRS 15-T
Metro Pay Comparison SOC 15-1242
2026 Statutory Thresholds
  • Federal Standard Deduction (Single) $16,100
  • FICA OASDI Wage Base Cap $184,500
  • Pre-Tax 401(k) Elective Deferral $24,500
  • HSA Individual Annual Limit $4,400

Database Administrator in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC: Market Snapshot

Database Administrator roles in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC report a median annual wage of $117,950, 12.7% above the national median of $104,620. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $72,330 to $165,710, and HUD’s $1,554 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 15.8% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $29.95 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Database Administrator

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$138,620+17.5%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$133,180+12.9%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$132,370+12.2%
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA$130,780+10.9%
Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT$129,010+9.4%
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO$128,780+9.2%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$127,760+8.3%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$125,760+6.6%
Vallejo, CA$125,600+6.5%
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL$124,560+5.6%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Chief Executives$381,330$183.33/hr
Sales Managers$190,370$91.52/hr
Natural Sciences Managers$183,540$88.24/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$176,190$84.71/hr
Marketing Managers$175,160$84.21/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$172,480$82.92/hr
Financial Manager$165,470$79.55/hr
Human Resources Managers$160,580$77.20/hr
Purchasing Managers$160,370$77.10/hr
Data Engineer$141,770$68.16/hr

Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025, 195 metropolitan areas publishing this occupation; HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents; EPI Family Budget Calculator. Taxes use 2026 federal and state rules. Data last updated .

Regional Labor Market & Career Mobility Network

Explore adjacent occupations and neighboring metropolitan wage benchmarks for peer compensation analysis.

Database Administrator Salary in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC (2026) Overview

Database Administrator median pay in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC is $117,950 a year ($56.71/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage percentiles, HUD rents. Official 2026 economic data for Database Administrator in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
What is the median salary for a Database Administrator in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

The median annual wage is $117,950 ($56.71 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $72,330 and $165,710. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Database Administrator in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC after taxes?

On the median wage of $117,950, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $87,610 a year ($7,301 a month) after $30,340 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 25.72%, using 2026 tax rules.