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Salary guide, May 2025

Packaging Engineer pay in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

Manufacturing Headhunters uses the published BLS OEWS figures below. They describe the mapped occupation and area, not an individual offer.

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The median annual wage for Mechanical Engineers in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC was $101,650 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $84,750 and $129,310.

The Durham-Chapel Hill, NC median is $2,460 below the national median of $104,110, both from BLS May 2025.

Broader occupation · SOC 17-2141 Mechanical Engineers

BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.

What should you know about durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

$101,650
Mechanical Engineers in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC: median $101,650; published 25th to 75th percentile $84,750 to $129,310.
Annual wage percentiles, Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
10th25thMedian75th90th
$77,410$84,750$101,650$129,310$164,820
$48.87
Mechanical Engineers in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC: median $48.87; published 25th to 75th percentile $40.75 to $62.17.
Hourly wage percentiles, Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
10th25thMedian75th90th
$37.22$40.75$48.87$62.17$79.24

BLS estimated 620 workers employed in this occupation in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC. Location quotient: 0.95.

What should you know about united States?

$104,110
Mechanical Engineers in U.S.: median $104,110; published 25th to 75th percentile $84,130 to $132,590.
Annual wage percentiles, U.S.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$73,990$84,130$104,110$132,590$164,340
$50.05
Mechanical Engineers in U.S.: median $50.05; published 25th to 75th percentile $40.45 to $63.75.
Hourly wage percentiles, U.S.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$35.57$40.45$50.05$63.75$79.01

What should you know about role pay against all occupations here?

The published Packaging Engineer median is $101,650. The all-occupations median in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC is $60,720. Ratio: 1.67 (role median divided by all-occupations median, same units, BLS May 2025). Location quotient 0.95 measures how concentrated this occupation's employment is here against the nation. It is not a wage index.

What should you know about two BLS releases?

Packaging Engineer in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, annual wages, May 2024 and May 2025
Release period25thMedian75th
May 2024$85,140$101,560$130,430
May 2025$84,750$101,650$129,310

These are two separate BLS estimates from different survey panels. The workers and employers behind them differ, so the gap is not like-for-like pay for the same workers and is not a growth rate. We show no percentage change.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 17-2141 Mechanical Engineers, Durham-Chapel Hill, NC. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 17-2141 Mechanical Engineers, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.

What should you know about nearby areas?

Nearby areas, Packaging Engineer
AreaMedian25th to 75th
Burlington, NC$95,870$80,410 to $115,940
Greensboro-High Point, NC$109,540$88,850 to $137,040

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All roles in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC · National page · Packaging Engineer ranked across metros

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