Bank Teller Salary in Durham, NC: Median $85,305 in 2026
Durham (NC) · COL index 104 · Unemployment 3.2% · Metro pop 340,000 · Rank #112 of 283 for Bank Teller salary
A Bank Teller in Durham earns an estimated median of $85,305 per year. That figure starts from the North Carolina state-level BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median[1]($77,430) and scales it by Durham's composite cost-of-living index of 104 (US = 100). The 10th percentile comes in around $49,169; the 90th percentile reaches $150,284. After federal, North Carolina state, and FICA taxes, a single-filer Bank Teller takes home approximately $65,479/year — about $5,457/month or $2,518 every other week.
Compared to the national Bank Teller median of $38,040, Durham pays +124.3%. Relative to the Durham median household income of $66,800, a Bank Tellersalary runs +27.7%. Local unemployment is 3.2%[3], with an estimated 46 annual Bank Teller openings inferred from metro population share and national employment (303,100).
Bank Teller Snapshot — Durham (2026)
Every row cites a primary public dataset. Rent + home values use Zillow where the metro is in the ZHVI/ZORI coverage set; otherwise ACS + census tract fallbacks.
| Metric | Durham | National | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank Teller median salary | $85,305 | $38,040 | [1] |
| 10th percentile | $49,169 | $33,200 | [1] |
| 90th percentile | $150,284 | $52,390 | [1] |
| Annual take-home (single filer) | $65,479 | — | [8][10] |
| Median home value (ZHVI) | $409,974 | — | [5] |
| Median rent (ZORI) | $1,684/mo | — | [5] |
| HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR) | $1,550/mo | — | [6] |
| Median household income (ACS) | $81,017 | — | [7] |
| Cost-of-living index | 104.0 | 100.0 | [4] |
| Unemployment rate | 3.2% | — | [3] |
How Bank Teller Salaries Work in Durham
City-level wages aren't published directly by BLS for most SOC codes. We build them by anchoring to the North Carolina state-level OEWS median ($77,430) and scaling by Durham's composite cost-of-living index (104)[1][4]. That index combines Census ACS rent, Zillow ZHVI, BLS CPI, and AdvisorSmith / ApartmentAdvisor inputs to produce one number per metro. When BLS publishes a separate metro-level wage (MSA-level OEWS), that takes priority — a handful of large metros including New York, LA, Chicago, and DC have this coverage.
On top of the gross wage, the standard US payroll stack applies: federal income tax using 2025 IRS brackets and the $15,000 single standard deduction[8], FICA (Social Security 6.2% up to $176,100 wage base + Medicare 1.45%)[9], and North Carolina state income tax at a 3.6% effective rate ($3,084/yr on the $85,305 median)[10].
Durham also sits inside a larger metro labor market where commute patterns, remote-work policies, and adjacent-metro wages compete. A tight labor market (unemployment below 4%) gives candidates pricing power in negotiations. Median household income in the metro is $81,017, which frames what "a good Bank Teller salary" means locally: a $$85,305 wage pays about 105% of the median household income on a single earner.
The deterministic identity: take_home = gross − federal − state − FICA − pre_tax. All math runs client-side; nothing is sent to our servers.
Cost of Living Breakdown — Durham
Estimated annual expense shares on a $65,479 take-home, using BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey baseline shares scaled to Durham's COL index of 104. Housing uses the actual median rent.
BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey shares[1], scaled by Durham's COL index of 104[4]. Housing uses actual median rent of $1,350/month.
Salary vs Housing Affordability in Durham
Renting
Buying
At $5,457/mo take-home, the 30% rent rule caps housing at $1,637/mo. Durham's typical 1–2BR rent runs $1,684/mo[5] (HUD 2BR FMR: $1,550/mo), making rent very affordable on a median Bank Teller salary. For homebuyers, the 4.2× price-to-income ratio is workable with a strong credit profile and manageable other debts.
How Durham Stacks Up for Bank Tellers
Against 283 major US cities: Durham ranks #112 for nominal Bank Teller salary, #152 for rent affordability, and #173 for overall purchasing power. High cost of living absorbs much of Durham's nominal wage premium. Bank Tellers here often trade pay for lifestyle, proximity to employers, or family roots — consider nearby metros on a salary-to-COL basis.
Nearby Cities — Bank Teller Salary Comparison
Durham's closest metros, scaled by each city's cost-of-living index. Useful for relocation decisions where commute or remote-work policies allow a neighboring metro trade-off.
| City | Est. salary | COL | Rent | vs NC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham, NC ★ | $85,305 | 104 | $1,350 | — |
| Charlotte, NC | $39,562 | 104 | $1,595 | -53.6% |
| Raleigh, NC | $39,942 | 105 | $1,131 | -53.2% |
| Greensboro, NC | $33,475 | 88 | $949 | -60.8% |
| Winston-Salem, NC | $33,475 | 88 | $950 | -60.8% |
| Fayetteville, NC | $31,954 | 84 | $859 | -62.5% |
Bank Teller Job Market in Durham
Durham has an estimated 46 annual Bank Telleropenings, extrapolated from the metro's share of 303,100 national Bank Tellers[1]. The 3.2% unemployment rate[3] signals a competitive labor market where skilled professionals can push for top-of-band offers.
About the profession: Bank tellers process routine financial transactions for customers at bank branches. Employment in this role is declining as automated ATM and online banking services expand. Typical entry requirement: high school diploma or equivalent. Projected growth through 2034: -15%[2].
Career Progression & Related Professions in Durham
Early-career Bank Tellers in Durham start around $49,169, reach the city median ($85,305) after 4–8 years, and hit 90th-percentile territory ($150,284) at senior / specialized levels.
Related finance professions in Durham
Calculators for Bank Tellers in Durham
Other professions in Durham
Frequently Asked Questions — Bank Teller in Durham
How much does a Bank Teller make in Durham, NC?
The estimated median salary for a Bank Teller in Durham is $85,305/year, scaled from the BLS OEWS North Carolina state median ($77,430) by Durham's composite cost-of-living index of 104 (US = 100). After federal, North Carolina state, and FICA taxes, take-home is approximately $65,479/year or $5,457/month.
Can a Bank Teller afford to live in Durham?
On $5,457/month take-home, the 30% rent rule affords $1,637/month. Durham's Zillow ZORI median rent is $1,684/mo, HUD's 2BR Fair Market Rent is $1,550/mo. The rent-to-income ratio works out to 19.0%, making housing very affordable for a Bank Teller at the local median. Home-buyers face 4.2× price-to-income, needing roughly 4.2 years to save a 20% down payment at a 20% savings rate.
How much tax does a Bank Teller pay in Durham?
On $85,305 gross, a Bank Teller in Durham pays approximately $10,216 in federal income tax (12.0% effective), $3,084 in North Carolina state income tax (3.6% effective), and $6,526 in FICA (Social Security + Medicare). Total effective rate: 23.2%. Some North Carolina cities levy local income taxes in addition; check your municipal DoR before filing.
How does Durham rank for Bank Teller salaries vs other cities?
Durham ranks #112 out of 283 tracked metros for nominal Bank Teller salary, #152 for rent affordability (rent-to-income), and #173 for purchasing power (salary ÷ COL). The high-purchasing-power cities tend to be mid-size metros with strong local employers and moderate housing costs; the low-ranked cities trade high nominal pay for steep rents.
What is the cost-of-living breakdown for a Bank Teller in Durham?
On $65,479 take-home, a reasonable baseline budget for Durham looks like: housing $16,200/yr (24.7%); food $8,046/yr; transportation $6,653/yr; healthcare $4,639/yr; utilities $3,339/yr; savings + discretionary $26,602/yr. Numbers use BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey shares scaled to Durham's COL index of 104 and the city's actual median rent.
What's the Bank Teller job market like in Durham?
Durham's unemployment rate is 3.2% across the metro of 340,000. Estimated annual Bank Teller openings: ~46 (extrapolated from 303,100 nationally employed and the metro's population share). The tight labor market favors candidates in salary negotiations.
Do Durham employers pay above or below the North Carolina median for Bank Tellers?
Yes — Durham's estimated Bank Teller median of $85,305 is 124.3% above the national median. Higher nominal pay in this city partially offsets the higher cost of living; the real picture depends on housing costs and state taxes.
Methodology — How we compute this page
Wage estimate. The Durham median is derived from the North Carolina state-level BLS OEWS median ($77,430), scaled by Durham's composite cost-of-living index of 104. When BLS publishes a direct MSA-level wage for the occupation, that takes priority over the scaled state median. Percentile bands inherit the same scale factor.
Housing + rent. Median home value uses Zillow ZHVI; median rent prefers Zillow ZORI and falls back to Census ACS median gross rent. HUD Fair Market Rents (50th-percentile 2BR) are shown where HUD publishes the metro. Price-to-income and rent-to-income ratios use the estimated Bank Tellermedian (not the city's overall median household income) — to reflect the specific role-vs-city affordability picture.
Tax math. Federal tax uses 2025 IRS brackets and the $15,000 single standard deduction. FICA is Social Security 6.2% up to the $176,100 wage base + Medicare 1.45% (+ 0.9% Additional Medicare above $200,000). State tax uses North Carolina's 2026 brackets from the state DoR (mirrored via Tax Foundation where the DoR's publication is paywalled or split). Local income taxes (e.g. NYC, Portland-OR supplemental, OH municipal) are NOT included — check your municipal authority for specifics.
Cost of living. The 104index is the composite used by CalcFi's /data/cities.ts, which merges Census ACS, BLS CPI shelter, Zillow ZORI, and commercial COL estimators. The COL-adjusted salary on this page assumes the statewide RPP = 94.4(BEA) approximates the state's purchasing power; cities are then scaled relative to that.
Refresh cadence. BLS OEWS releases annually (typically March); BEA RPP releases annually in December; IRS brackets adjust in October; Zillow ZHVI/ZORI updates monthly; HUD FMR publishes annually in August for the upcoming fiscal year. The dateModified shown above auto-bumps to the most recent retrievedAt on any sourced value the page consumes.
Known limits. Metro-level OEWS coverage is partial — only ~50 large MSAs have separately published occupation wages; the rest inherit state-level estimates scaled by COL. Rent and home data may trail the real-time market by 1–3 months (Zillow) or 8–12 months (ACS). Rankings are capped to the city set in our dataset (283 metros), not every incorporated US city.
Sources
Every number on this page cites a primary public dataset. Last reviewed (auto-bumped on the next ISR refresh after an ETL run).
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — state-level occupational wages — www.bls.gov/oes. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- BLS Employment Projections — 2024–34 occupational growth rates — www.bls.gov/emp. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics — metro-level unemployment rate — www.bls.gov/lau. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (state + metro) — www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- Zillow Research — ZHVI (home value index) + ZORI (observed rent index) — www.zillow.com/research/data. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- HUD Fair Market Rents — 50th-percentile 2-bedroom FY — www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, metro level — www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- Internal Revenue Service — Federal individual income tax brackets and standard deductions — www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-17. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- Social Security Administration — OASDI / Medicare contribution and wage-base rules — www.ssa.gov. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- North Carolina Department of Revenue — 2026 individual income tax brackets (accessed via Tax Foundation mirror) — taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
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