Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors Salary
In Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors earn $116,780 at the median, or about $56.15 an hour. The range runs from $49K at the entry level to $190K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.57), that's roughly $119,688 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,711/month, or 22.7% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $117K get you in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Durham-Chapel Hill’s Regional Price Parity (97.57). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
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What this looks like in Durham-Chapel Hill
Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors pay in Durham-Chapel Hill tracks closely to the national median, $117K locally vs. $115K nationwide, a 1% difference. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,711/month, 24.1% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 97.57) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors in metros near Durham-Chapel Hill, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Raleigh-Cary | $115K | $117K |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $113K | $116K |
| Charleston-North Charleston | $123K | $122K |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell | $106K | $106K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Entry-level health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors (10th percentile) start around $49K. Mid-career wages sit at $117K. Top earners bring in $190K or more, a $141K spread from bottom to top.
Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $132K | +14% | 2,470 |
| Massachusetts | $131K | +14% | 750 |
| New Hampshire | $131K | +13% | 80 |
| Ohio | $130K | +13% | 650 |
| Washington | $127K | +10% | 420 |
| Texas | $123K | +7% | 4,320 |
| Pennsylvania | $122K | +6% | 490 |
| Nevada | $122K | +6% | 80 |
| Colorado | $121K | +5% | 210 |
| Minnesota | $120K | +4% | 220 |
| New Jersey | $119K | +4% | 430 |
| Louisiana | $118K | +3% | 370 |
| Delaware | $118K | +3% | 50 |
| Oregon | $116K | +1% | 180 |
| Connecticut | $116K | +0% | 270 |
| Illinois | $111K | -3% | 230 |
| Maryland | $111K | -4% | 520 |
| Michigan | $108K | -6% | 720 |
| Kentucky | $108K | -6% | 300 |
| Utah | $107K | -7% | 260 |
| North Carolina | $107K | -7% | 480 |
| Arizona | $106K | -8% | 180 |
| Iowa | $106K | -8% | 230 |
| Georgia | $106K | -8% | 350 |
| Alabama | $105K | -8% | 570 |
| Virginia | $105K | -9% | 380 |
| South Carolina | $104K | -10% | 280 |
| Nebraska | $103K | -10% | 90 |
| Oklahoma | $103K | -11% | 620 |
| Kansas | $103K | -11% | 120 |
| Alaska | $103K | -11% | 110 |
| Florida | $102K | -12% | 770 |
| Arkansas | $102K | -12% | 130 |
| New York | $101K | -12% | 1,570 |
| Idaho | $99K | -14% | 250 |
| Montana | $98K | -15% | 60 |
| New Mexico | $95K | -18% | 340 |
| Rhode Island | $95K | -18% | 40 |
| Wisconsin | $93K | -20% | 250 |
| Missouri | $90K | -22% | 250 |
| Mississippi | $87K | -24% | 120 |
| Indiana | $83K | -28% | 440 |
| Hawaii | $82K | -29% | 70 |
| Maine | $82K | -29% | 70 |
| West Virginia | $77K | -33% | 210 |
Showing 1–10 of 45 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Durham-Chapel Hill numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspector afford a 2BR apartment alone in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Yes — at the median salary of $117K, rent takes 24.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,711/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors in Durham-Chapel Hill?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors typically earn — is $49K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,963/month. At HUD’s $1,711/month FMR, rent would take 58% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspector a high-paying job in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $117K locally vs. $115K nationally, a 1% difference.
How does Durham-Chapel Hill compare to the national average for health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors?
Durham-Chapel Hill pays $117K median vs. the U.S. average of $115K — that’s +1%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.57), the purchasing-power equivalent is $120K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors make in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?
The median is $116,780 a year, that works out to about $56 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $49,380, and experienced health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors can clear $190,380. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $117K enough to live in Durham-Chapel Hill?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $7,107/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,711/month, which eats 24.1% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors salary go in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Durham-Chapel Hill has a Regional Price Parity of 97.57 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors salary is worth about $119,688 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.