Duke University and its health system are raising their minimum wage
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Duke will raise its minimum wage to $20 per hour for staff and contractors.
- The increase affects more than 13,000 employees, mostly in Durham and Wake counties.
- Wage rise follows a more-than-50% decade climb and updated parental leave policy.
Duke University announced Wednesday that its minimum wage will increase to $20 per hour starting July 1. That goes for staff at both the school and the health system.
The increase means higher wages for more than 13,000 Duke employees, the majority of whom live in Durham and Wake counties. The minimum is currently $18 per hour at Duke, so this summer’s change will represent an 11% increase.
In a state where the minimum wage is still $7.25, North Carolina’s second-largest private employer is outpacing that by leaps and bounds. Still, some Duke students and staff members are holding a rally Thursday to demand Duke pay its workers a $25 per hour, which student and community organizations call a “living wage.”
Longtime employees who already make close to $20 per hour will see increases, the university said. For Duke Health employees, a 3% annual salary increase is also on the way later this year.
The new minimum will apply to contractors as well.
“Our commitment to community begins with our employees, the majority of whom call Durham home,” Duke University president Vincent Price said in a statement. “This investment in our people, along with Duke’s robust benefits package, contributes to long and meaningful careers at Duke and fosters economic stability for countless families in our community.”
Price was reappointed for a third term as Duke’s president by the university’s Board of Trustees, board chair and NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced Monday.
How Duke’s minimum wage rose over a decade
Duke’s minimum wage has increased by more than 50% over the last 10 years, according to Antwan Lofton, vice president for human resources. It went from $12 per hour in 2015 to $18 per hour in 2024.
The 2026 increase brings the private university’s minimum wage to nearly double that of public UNC-Chapel Hill, which is $10.61 per hour. At UNC Health, the minimum is $17.60 per hour.
This good news for Duke employees comes after a recent spate of unsettling developments.
Last year, nearly 600 Duke employees, or 5% of all Duke’s full-time staff, left under voluntary buyouts the university said were triggered by federal funding shortfalls. Another 45 employees were involuntarily laid off, the Duke Chronicle reported.
Then, just last month, Duke housekeepers experienced a significant disruption in their work lives. In the wake of the restructuring of University Environmental Services, housekeepers had to rebid for schedules, shifts, and building assignments, according to the Duke Chronicle. One housekeeper told the student paper it felt like “survival of the fittest.”
Nah’Shoun Blount, a Duke employee and leader of Durham Rising, a coalition of Duke workers, celebrated the wage increase in a statement, saying “Duke showed us that they hear our voices loud and clear.” But Blount argued $25 per hour is more reasonable than $20.
“Duke has billions of dollars in investments and only continues to grow its presence across our state. We’re still struggling, and Duke is still thriving,” Blount wrote.
“Our demand remains the same: we need at least $25/hr to stay afloat, support our families and ensure our communities can thrive. Duke has more than enough money to make a true investment in its workforce and community — and show employers in the Triangle and its peer universities around the country what true leadership looks like. We won’t stop fighting until we win $25/hr and a genuine commitment from Duke to work with us to build Durham into a better city for generations to come.”
In addition to the wage increase, the university is also updating its parental leave policy to provide more flexibility and address unique circumstances.
This story was originally published March 4, 2026 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Duke University and its health system are raising their minimum wage."
