Jobs, pay and daily life in Durham, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Durham is a city in New Hampshire with 10,681 residents. The median household earns $112,070 a year and the median rent is $1,302 a month, which is 13.9% of the median household income. It is part of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metropolitan area, where BLS counts 2,703,890 jobs.
How Durham compares. Among the 40 largest places in New Hampshire, Durham is #14 by population, #2 for college degrees (#1 = most), #3 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #5 for household income (#1 = highest). Its county, Strafford County, is #5 of 10 counties for average pay ($64,687).
Durham has 10,681 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.8% of the population of New Hampshire. It covers 3 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 3,531 people per square mile. The median age is 20.1, 54% younger than the state median (20.1 against 43.3). It is a census-designated place: a community the Census Bureau counts as a unit, without a city government of its own, so services such as police, roads and zoning usually come from the county.
The median gross rent is $1,302 a month (rent plus utilities), 13% below the state median ($1,302 against $1,491). Over a year that is 13.9% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $498,000, which is 4.4 times the median household income ($112,070). 53.6% of households own their home, 26% below the state average (53.6% against 72.8%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metropolitan area has 2,703,890 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $66,620 a year, 31% above the national median ($66,620 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (265,830 jobs, median $56,580); management (254,700 jobs, median $166,580); business and financial operations (242,960 jobs, median $102,660). The area is most specialised in life, physical, and social science (2.6 times) and architecture and engineering (1.4 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($166,580) and legal ($135,160). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Strafford County was 1.7%. 52.1% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Strafford County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 43.2% drive alone, 1.1% use public transit, 34.1% walk, 15.6% work from home. 6.2% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 64% below the state average (6.2% against 17.2%).
75.4% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 85% above the state share (75.4% against 40.6%). 4.4% of residents were born outside the United States, 28% below the state share (4.4% against 6.1%). The poverty rate is 12.4%, 71% above the state rate (12.4% against 7.2%).
The warmest month is Aug, averaging 69°F (20.5°C), and the coolest is Jan at 29°F (-1.6°C). About 1,336 mm (53 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Dec is the wettest month (144 mm) and Sep the driest (88 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Dover (4 miles, rent 23% higher); Newmarket (5 miles, rent 31% higher); South Eliot (7 miles, rent 66% higher); Somersworth (8 miles, rent 13% higher). Rent differences are against Durham; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in New Hampshire (127) →State guide: New HampshireCountry guideStrafford CountyNew Hampshire rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 127 federal postings open in New Hampshire (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in New Hampshire →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 72,420 | 0.97 | $40,910 | $36,810 | $47,410 | +14% |
| General and Operations Managers | 70,950 | 1.16 | $133,800 | $63,020 | $329,130 | +27% |
| Registered Nurses | 64,240 | 1.09 | $106,180 | $81,880 | $188,670 | +9% |
| Retail Salespersons | 64,150 | 0.95 | $36,850 | $34,000 | $48,260 | +4% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 60,130 | 0.90 | $36,290 | $31,520 | $39,440 | +16% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 43,160 | 1.12 | $46,550 | $35,680 | $60,570 | +26% |
| Cashiers | 42,920 | 0.80 | $36,040 | $32,180 | $45,820 | +10% |
| Software Developers | 42,310 | 1.44 | $166,090 | $102,950 | $214,100 | +22% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 41,570 | 1.05 | $39,270 | $31,930 | $64,150 | +11% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 37,780 | 0.84 | $49,920 | $35,720 | $75,950 | +12% |
| Accountants and Auditors | 37,150 | 1.47 | $100,150 | $72,450 | $161,450 | +20% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 35,770 | 0.73 | $37,700 | $32,960 | $49,220 | +1% |
| Office Clerks, General | 34,480 | 0.80 | $50,710 | $36,030 | $71,770 | +13% |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | 32,310 | 2.07 | $102,390 | $59,730 | $167,440 | +30% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 28,540 | 0.96 | $59,330 | $42,930 | $79,050 | +25% |
| Management Analysts | 26,450 | 1.69 | $135,640 | $83,380 | $218,830 | +33% |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 26,350 | 1.07 | $40,930 | $31,200 | $60,730 | +11% |
| Nursing Assistants | 26,130 | 1.04 | $47,590 | $40,190 | $59,450 | +13% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 25,630 | 1.03 | $77,990 | $52,290 | $112,060 | +12% |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 25,310 | 1.16 | $83,420 | $49,990 | $164,020 | +19% |
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surgeons, All Other | 520 | 1.19 | $386,300 | $75,980 | $561,250 | -7% |
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | 620 | 1.09 | $356,230 | $92,410 | $530,920 | +6% |
| Natural Sciences Managers | 9,570 | 5.06 | $291,000 | $164,570 | $330,050 | +74% |
| Family Medicine Physicians | 2,950 | 1.58 | $284,010 | $107,650 | $374,630 | +16% |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | 1,220 | 1.05 | $243,230 | $84,750 | $340,410 | -5% |
| Nurse Anesthetists | 530 | 0.58 | ≥ $239,200 | ≥ $239,200 | ≥ $239,200 | n/a |
| Obstetricians and Gynecologists | 500 | 1.35 | $235,460 | $96,960 | $435,010 | -20% |
| Physicians, All Other | 6,350 | 1.07 | $229,870 | $79,690 | $440,660 | -14% |
| Pediatricians, General | 1,860 | 2.72 | $221,170 | $125,170 | $324,950 | +5% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 20,530 | 1.76 | $214,960 | $136,800 | $310,450 | +23% |
| Marketing Managers | 11,940 | 1.74 | $213,910 | $131,130 | $312,910 | +28% |
| Financial Managers | 21,650 | 1.48 | $209,780 | $126,450 | $335,150 | +26% |
| Sales Managers | 11,540 | 1.04 | $206,610 | $106,220 | $323,670 | +39% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 6,690 | 1.75 | $205,130 | $138,960 | $290,440 | +20% |
| Compensation and Benefits Managers | 590 | 1.47 | $185,590 | $129,490 | $285,030 | +24% |
| Human Resources Managers | 6,480 | 1.69 | $184,990 | $99,990 | $317,690 | +24% |
| Managers, All Other | 9,120 | 0.84 | $184,250 | $114,920 | $309,990 | +30% |
| Lawyers | 20,080 | 1.53 | $183,350 | $84,280 | $379,350 | +15% |
| Dentists, General | 1,920 | 0.89 | $181,150 | $95,550 | $370,580 | +6% |
| Public Relations Managers | 1,810 | 1.39 | $176,390 | $98,170 | $320,050 | +20% |
These figures are for the whole Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $66,620 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.9% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 32.5% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 23.1% |
| Retail trade | 15.0% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 9.8% |
| Manufacturing | 3.4% |
| Public administration | 3.2% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 3.0% |
| Construction | 2.8% |
| Other services | 2.6% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 2.6% |
| Information | 1.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 0.2% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Durham lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strafford County | 132,575 | $7,984 million | $60,225 | 46,517 | 3,189 | $64,687 | -1.4% | 1.7% | 77,884 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 7,915 | 21.6% | $68,961 | 1.19 |
| Retail trade | 6,934 | 18.9% | $43,082 | 1.49 |
| Manufacturing | 5,054 | 13.8% | $75,858 | 1.32 |
| Accommodation and food services | 4,441 | 12.1% | $26,640 | 1.05 |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,132 | 5.8% | $62,160 | 0.78 |
| Professional and technical services | 1,966 | 5.4% | $93,437 | 0.61 |
| Construction | 1,682 | 4.6% | $75,207 | 0.69 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 1,642 | 4.5% | $48,077 | 1.17 |
| Finance and insurance | 1,425 | 3.9% | $116,931 | 0.75 |
| Wholesale trade | 1,230 | 3.4% | $105,786 | 0.67 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 845 | 2.3% | $31,603 | 1.08 |
| Educational services | 496 | 1.4% | $43,434 | 0.52 |
| Real estate and rental | 378 | 1.0% | $58,831 | 0.52 |
| Information | 302 | 0.8% | $99,385 | 0.35 |
| Management of companies | 192 | 0.5% | $80,543 | 0.24 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 43.2% |
| Public transit | 1.1% |
| Walk | 34.1% |
| Work from home | 15.6% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 6.2% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $112,070 |
| Income per person | $25,585 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,302 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 13.9% |
| Median home value | $498,000 |
| Homeowners | 53.6% |
| Poverty rate | 12.4% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 108.3 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $66,620 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: No state tax on wages.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 20.1 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 97.7% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 75.4% |
| Born abroad | 4.4% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 52.1% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -1.6 | 29 | 104 |
| Feb | -1.2 | 30 | 107 |
| Mar | 1.6 | 35 | 122 |
| Apr | 6.4 | 44 | 118 |
| May | 11.5 | 53 | 101 |
| Jun | 16.5 | 62 | 116 |
| Jul | 20.3 | 69 | 91 |
| Aug | 20.5 | 69 | 94 |
| Sep | 17.3 | 63 | 88 |
| Oct | 11.8 | 53 | 135 |
| Nov | 6.4 | 44 | 116 |
| Dec | 1.7 | 35 | 144 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | NH | 4 mi | 33,364 | $94,829 | $1,607 |
| Newmarket | NH | 5 mi | 5,679 | $87,196 | $1,701 |
| South Eliot | ME | 7 mi | 4,203 | $99,299 | $2,155 |
| Somersworth | NH | 8 mi | 12,111 | $74,504 | $1,477 |
| Portsmouth | NH | 9 mi | 22,545 | $106,219 | $1,869 |
| Kittery | ME | 10 mi | 5,110 | $84,730 | $1,697 |
| Rochester | NH | 11 mi | 33,144 | $80,836 | $1,369 |
| Epping | NH | 11 mi | 2,796 | $95,273 | $1,315 |
| Exeter | NH | 12 mi | 9,964 | $87,346 | $1,711 |
| York Harbor | ME | 14 mi | 4,240 | $100,625 | $1,322 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
10,681 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,302 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 13.9% of the median household income.
$112,070 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
1.7% (BLS county, Strafford County (latest month 2026M09)).
New Hampshire. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.