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

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Salary in Durham, NC

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area earn a median $37,750 a year — 6% less than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $31,515 take-home, or $2,626 a month.

Median salary
$37,750
$18.15 per hour
Typical range
$18,620 – $47,620
10th to 90th percentile
Jobs in Durham, NC
5,250
0.80× national concentration
▲3.6%
Pay trend: The median for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand in Durham, NC rose from $36,450 (May 2024) to $37,750 (May 2025). That beat inflation (2.4%), a real raise of about 1.2%.

Take-home pay calculator

Pre-filled with the median laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand salary in Durham, NC. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in Durham, NC
Deductions, kids & local tax

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

Your take-home pay
$31,515
per year · effective tax rate 16.5%
$2,626Monthly
$1,313Twice a month
$1,212Every 2 weeks
$15.15Hourly
  • Federal income tax$2,350
  • Social Security (6.2%)$2,341
  • Medicare (1.45%)$547
  • North Carolina income tax$998
  • Take-home pay$31,515

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 3.99% state

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

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand pay by experience in Durham, NC

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home / yrPer month
10th percentile (entry level)$18,620$8.95$16,709$1,392
25th percentile$31,770$15.27$26,948$2,246
Median (50th)$37,750$18.15$31,515$2,626
75th percentile$45,040$21.65$37,081$3,090
90th percentile (top earners)$47,620$22.89$39,051$3,254

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

What $37,750 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 laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand's $31,515 take-home pay has the buying power of $32,299 in a typical American city.

1-bedroom rent
$1,456
55% of monthly take-home
2-bedroom rent
$1,660
63% of monthly take-home
Left after 1-BR rent
$1,170
per month for everything else

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

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand jobs are less concentrated in Durham, NC than nationally (location quotient 0.80), so openings may be scarcer.

Best-paying cities for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand, adjusted for cost of living

Durham, NC ranks #141 of 164 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.

#Metro areaMedian salaryTake-homeReal value*
1Waterloo, IA $47,440$39,147$44,967
2Fargo, ND $45,690$38,892$42,799
3Des Moines, IA $46,370$38,328$41,797
4Louisville, KY $46,830$38,286$41,135
5Chambersburg, PA $47,540$38,919$41,122
6Cedar Rapids, IA $43,300$35,978$40,441
7Youngstown, OH $41,540$35,197$40,274
8Tyler, TX $43,390$37,044$40,197
141Durham, NC$37,750$31,515$32,299

*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 164 metros →

About the job: laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

Manually move freight, stock, luggage, or other materials, or perform other general labor.

Typical education
No formal educational credential
Work experience
None required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Job outlook, 2025–35
+1.8% (slower than average)

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

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand salaries elsewhere in North Carolina

Frequently asked questions

How much does a laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand make in Durham, NC?

The median laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand salary in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area is $37,750 a year, or about $18.15 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $31,770 and $45,040.

What is a laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand’s take-home pay in Durham, NC?

On the median $37,750 salary, a single filer living in North Carolina takes home about $31,515 a year ($2,626 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $998 in North Carolina taxes in 2026.

Is Durham, NC a good place to work as a laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand?

Pay here is 6% below the national median of $40,240. Local prices are 2.4% below the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $32,299 would in a typical U.S. city. Durham, NC ranks #141 of 164 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.

Can a laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand 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) — 55% of a median laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.

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