The Difference Duke's $20 Minimum Wage Will Make

Two employees share how the raise in Duke’s minimum wage may help them manage expenses, pursue goals and plan ahead

Byron Sanders and Lucas Manganiello
Byron Sanders and Lucas Manganiello are two Duke employees who will receive a raise when Duke increases its minimum wage to $20 per hour in July. Photos by Travis Stanley

When Lucas Manganiello returned to Durham after visiting his family in upstate New York over the winter holidays, he was met with an unwelcome surprise: His 2003 Crown Victoria wouldn’t start. After a mechanic hinted it needed an engine replacement, Manganiello, a Comparative Medicine Specialist for Duke’s Division of Laboratory Animal Resources, began working through his options.

“Am I going to have to sell this? Am I going to have to shell out a lot of money?” Manganiello wondered. “Is it worth it to fix it?”

Manganiello, 26, keeps a detailed monthly budget and could have swung the estimated $2,000 to $3,000 in repairs. But it helped relieve some anxiety when not long after Manganiello’s car died, he learned Duke will increase its minimum wage to $20 per hour, beginning July 1.

“Unexpected expenses always come up,” Manganiello said. “Just having that extra leeway will hopefully create a nice cushion.”

The new minimum pay rate will apply to all regular employees at Duke. Positions covered under collective bargaining agreements are eligible for the increase, subject to agreement of the respective unions. About 3,400 staff at Duke University and Duke University Health System will see their pay increase as a direct result of the minimum wage increase. Additionally, approximately 9,000 employees, such as Manganiello, whose wages are currently near the new minimum will receive an additional wage adjustment in recognition of their experience and years of service to the institution.

“Duke has a long history of paying greater than the minimum wage, so moving to $20 an hour just reaffirms our commitment to doing what's right for our frontline employees,” said Antwan Lofton, Vice President for Duke Human Resources.

Since 2015, Duke’s minimum wage has increased from $12 per hour to $18 per hour in 2024 to $20 per hour. The new rate will be among the highest minimum wages offered by regional universities and health systems in North Carolina. Duke is the second-largest private employer in North Carolina.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, 29% of the workforce, or 42 million workers in the United States, were paid less than $20 per hour in 2025. In North Carolina, where the minimum wage has been $7.25 per hour since 2009, 39% of workers are paid less than $20 per hour.

“We're trying to ensure that as Durham continues to grow, we are continuing to make an investment into our employees – not just the professional development opportunities, but in also reassessing wages and minimum wage, as well,” Lofton said. 

‘This is really going to help’

Byron Sanders was on vacation when he learned that Duke would be increasing his pay rate to $20 per hour. Sanders, a Clerk in Transportation, said he felt like it was a recognition of his work since he started at Duke in 2024.

Byron Sanders
Byron Sanders, a Clerk in Transportation, says a pay increase will help as begins to pursue his master's degree in the fall. Photo by Travis Stanley

“Even with it coming up in July, it’s still like, ‘Whew, thank you,’” Sanders said months later.

In addition to Sanders’ part-time role at Duke, he manages a McDonald's part time and has big dreams for his next phase of life. He and his girlfriend, a fellow North Carolina Central University graduate, share a home in Durham, navigating everyday realities and expenses of young adulthood.

"It will help a lot just being able to provide, save more and just being able to do more as a 26-year-old in America," Sanders said. "With the way gas prices have been rising, this is really going to help."

The pay increase arrives at a pivotal moment for Sanders, who earned his degree in business administration from NCCU in 2023. He plans to begin working toward a master’s degree in the same subject in the fall, a milestone that would make him the first in his family to reach that level of education. The extra income will help give him the financial breathing room to make that leap while still working at Duke. 

Sanders grew up in Gastonia, a town outside Charlotte, where he said not everyone has the same opportunities he’s created for himself – including working his way up from a temporary position at Duke to his part-time job.

“I'm from a small town where many people don't make it to this point. To be able to make it out, get a degree, then be able to work for Duke University — it's been such a blessing,” Sanders said. “That's why I wake up every day with a smile on my face."

‘Let the foot off the brake’

When Lucas Manganiello moved from New York to North Carolina in 2024, he took a pay cut for his position at Duke. For him, it was worth it. The job offered stability, new experience and room to grow as he considered saving up to study veterinary medicine.

But living on his own for the first time meant carefully balancing rent, groceries and unexpected expenses like his car breaking down.

Lucas Manganiello
With a pay increase, Lucas Manganiello, Comparative Medicine Specialist, says he feels like he has more of a "cushion" to splurge occasionally on things like concert tickets. Photo by Travis Stanley

“Most months,” Manganiello said, “I was either just kind of barely getting in the green or splitting even.”

That’s why when his Crown Vic needed repairs earlier this year, he and a Duke co-worker spent weeks fixing it themselves, and he walked to and from the office and the grocery store while it sat idle.    

“Living on your own is expensive,” Manganiello said. “You have one or two things a month that you don’t expect, and next thing you know …”

He leaves the sentence unfinished, the easy trap of financial overextension left unspoken. But having an increase to just over $20 per hour in July means having a “cushion” where he feels like he can splurge for occasional treats. Recently, Manganiello purchased a ticket to see Chance the Rapper in Charlotte – something he might have talked himself out of without the pay increase.

Seizing every moment is important to Manganiello, a cancer survivor who recently celebrated seven years since his lymphoma diagnosis. While he still keeps a fastidious budget, he is also committed to embracing every experience in life, something the Duke pay increase will help him do.

“It’s kind of a reassurance to let the foot off the brake a little bit,” he said.

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