Updated · 2026 tax rules · Data: IRS, BLS, BEA, HUD · How we calculate

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Salary in Durham, NC

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area earn a median $50,790 a year — 0% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $41,472 take-home, or $3,456 a month.

Median salary
$50,790
$24.42 per hour
Typical range
$36,630 – $71,730
10th to 90th percentile
Jobs in Durham, NC
2,570
0.85× national concentration
▼3.5%
Pay trend: The median for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in Durham, NC fell from $52,640 (May 2024) to $50,790 (May 2025). That trailed inflation (2.4%), so buying power slipped about 5.9%.

Take-home pay calculator

Pre-filled with the median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks salary in Durham, NC. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Durham, NC
Deductions, kids & local tax

2026 tax year. Federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

Your take-home pay
$41,472
per year · effective tax rate 18.3%
$3,456Monthly
$1,728Twice a month
$1,595Every 2 weeks
$19.94Hourly
  • Federal income tax$3,915
  • Social Security (6.2%)$3,149
  • Medicare (1.45%)$736
  • North Carolina income tax$1,518
  • Take-home pay$41,472

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 3.99% state

Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks pay by experience in Durham, NC

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home / yrPer month
10th percentile (entry level)$36,630$17.61$30,659$2,555
25th percentile$44,760$21.52$36,867$3,072
Median (50th)$50,790$24.42$41,472$3,456
75th percentile$61,320$29.48$49,513$4,126
90th percentile (top earners)$71,730$34.49$56,939$4,745

Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, North Carolina resident, 2026 tax rules.

What $50,790 buys in Durham, NC

Prices in Durham, NC are 2.4% lower than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1% below the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks's $41,472 take-home pay has the buying power of $42,504 in a typical American city.

1-bedroom rent
$1,456
42% of monthly take-home
2-bedroom rent
$1,660
48% of monthly take-home
Left after 1-BR rent
$2,000
per month for everything else

Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks jobs are about as common in Durham, NC as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.85).

Best-paying cities for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks, adjusted for cost of living

Durham, NC ranks #48 of 95 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.

#Metro areaMedian salaryTake-homeReal value*
1New Haven, CT $62,890$50,807$48,592
2San Jose, CA $66,130$52,378$47,434
3Hartford, CT $59,470$48,213$46,924
4Austin, TX $54,320$45,826$46,730
5Bridgeport, CT $61,390$49,669$46,479
6Seattle, WA $60,460$50,760$45,675
7Des Moines, IA $50,610$41,574$45,336
8Kansas City, MO $50,940$41,653$45,010
48Durham, NC$50,790$41,472$42,504

*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 95 metros →

About the job: bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks

Compute, classify, and record numerical data to keep financial records complete. Perform any combination of routine calculating, posting, and verifying duties to obtain primary financial data for use in maintaining accounting records. May also check the accuracy of figures, calculations, and postings pertaining to business transactions recorded by other workers.

Typical education
Some college, no degree
Work experience
None required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Job outlook, 2025–35
-5.6% (declining)

Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks salaries elsewhere in North Carolina

Frequently asked questions

How much does a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks make in Durham, NC?

The median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks salary in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area is $50,790 a year, or about $24.42 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $44,760 and $61,320.

What is a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks’s take-home pay in Durham, NC?

On the median $50,790 salary, a single filer living in North Carolina takes home about $41,472 a year ($3,456 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,518 in North Carolina taxes in 2026.

Is Durham, NC a good place to work as a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks?

Pay here is 0% above the national median of $50,670. Local prices are 2.4% below the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $42,504 would in a typical U.S. city. Durham, NC ranks #48 of 95 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.

Can a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks afford rent in Durham, NC?

HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Durham, NC is $1,456 a month ($1,660 for two bedrooms) — 42% of a median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.

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