BLS metro-level wage data places Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers pay in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC at a median of $37,980 per year ($18.26/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $38,150, Durham-Chapel Hill pays same as, which typically tracks with a lower local cost of living or smaller specialized-employer cluster. Approximately 480 veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakerss are employed across the Durham-Chapel Hill MSA in SOC 31-9096.

The Durham-Chapel Hill pay distribution spans from $28,600 at the 10th percentile to $47,930 at the 90th — a 1.7× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $37,150 and the 75th at $42,720, so half of Durham-Chapel Hill-based veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakerss earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Durham-Chapel Hill, NC covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide NC data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.