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CITY

Carrboro

North Carolina · 20,962 residents (2025 est.) · 6.48 sq mi
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The short version

Carrboro is home to 21,204 people in North Carolina. 70% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 36% nationally. Owners hold 44% of the housing stock. The median age is 33.4, younger than the US median of 38.9. There are 3,275 people per square mile. 4,422 more people live here than in 2000.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 33.4
US median: 38.9
More educated
70% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 78%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
21,204
+26%since 2000
from 16,782 in 2000
20,962 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
3,275 / sq mi
+19%since 2009
from 2,757 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
33.4
+19%since 2000
from 28.1 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
6.48 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
11K14K16K19K22K19902000201020202024Carrboro
202421K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.5%(948)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.1%(1,072)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.7%(1,642)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 194.6%(971)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2411.8%(2,496)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3418.6%(3,952)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.9%(2,955)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5414.5%(3,068)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 648.9%(1,893)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 746%(1,276)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 843.1%(653)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.3%(278)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$85,743
+40%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $33,527 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$55,875
+161%since 2000
from $21,429 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
53.1%
+24.6 ptssince 2009
from 28.5% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
12.2%
−6.9 ptssince 2000
from 19.0% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.517
+2%since 2010
from 0.509 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information6.9%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services4.8%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration3.9%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade3.4%
US avg: 6.9%
Retail trade2.8%
US avg: 9.9%
Finance & insurance2.2%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical2%
US avg: 5.1%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.5%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.5%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.2%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$539,400
+78%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $166,600 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,470
+16%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $697 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
43.5%
+12.0 ptssince 2000
from 31.5% in 2000
56.5% rent
Vacancy rate
7.0%
−1.8 ptssince 2009
from 8.8% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.22 people
+6%since 2009
from 2.10 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
12.7%
−21.4 ptssince 2009
from 34.0% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
52.5%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 54.1% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
6.3
−19%since 2009
from 7.8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
67
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic67.1%(11,256)
Black13.3%(2,231)
Hispanic / Latino12.3%(2,062)
Asian5.1%(861)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic61.2%(12,968)
Black12.9%(2,738)
Hispanic / Latino13.6%(2,891)
Asian7.2%(1,529)
Other5.1%(1,078)
Diversity Score
73
+15%since 2009
from 63 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican3.6%(761)
Guatemalan1.8%(381)
Salvadoran1.7%(369)
Puerto Rican1.3%(286)
Colombian1%(210)
Peruvian0.6%(136)
Argentine0.6%(124)
Venezuelan0.5%(116)
Honduran0.5%(115)
Spaniard0.5%(114)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Paraguayan0.3%(71)
Costa Rican0.2%(47)
Bolivian0.1%(29)
Uruguayan0.1%(12)
Cuban0%(4)
Asian origin
Asian Indian2.8%(600)
Chinese1.7%(351)
Korean1.4%(290)
Taiwanese0.5%(96)
Filipino0.2%(51)
Japanese0.2%(47)
Vietnamese0.2%(42)
Burmese0.1%(26)
Thai0%(7)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0.2%(38)
Ancestry
English14.8%(3,148)
German14.6%(3,101)
Irish12.4%(2,622)
Scottish5.1%(1,077)
Italian4.8%(1,010)
American3.6%(757)
French3.1%(667)
Russian2%(426)
Polish2%(419)
Iranian1.8%(388)
+ 35 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch1.5%(318)
Swedish1.4%(300)
Danish1.2%(263)
Austrian1.2%(262)
Ukrainian0.9%(191)
Norwegian0.8%(174)
British0.8%(170)
Portuguese0.7%(159)
Welsh0.7%(159)
West Indian0.7%(157)
Nigerian0.5%(108)
Arab0.5%(107)
Turkish0.5%(99)
Greek0.4%(92)
Hungarian0.4%(92)
Slovene0.4%(89)
Lithuanian0.3%(74)
Serbian0.3%(65)
Canadian0.3%(63)
Czech0.2%(50)
Swiss0.2%(47)
Lebanese0.2%(43)
Australian0.2%(41)
Haitian0.2%(40)
Latvian0.2%(38)
Jamaican0.2%(36)
Belgian0.1%(28)
Romanian0.1%(26)
Slovak0.1%(23)
Ethiopian0.1%(23)
Croatian0.1%(18)
Finnish0.1%(18)
Egyptian0.1%(16)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
69.9%
+9.1 ptssince 2000
from 60.9% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
94.3%
+4.1 ptssince 2000
from 90.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
43.5%
+12.9 ptssince 2000
from 30.6% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
23.1 min
+80%since 2000
from 12.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
49.6%
−11.0 ptssince 2009
from 60.6% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
6.6%
−6.4 ptssince 2009
from 13.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
7.2%
−6.9 ptssince 2009
from 14.1% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
27.2%
+22.3 ptssince 2009
from 4.9% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
3.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 3.0% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
4.7%
+1.7 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
9.2%
−1.3 ptssince 2009
from 10.5% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.6%
−3.0 ptssince 2011
from 6.7% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
72.4%
−8.3 ptssince 2011
from 80.7% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
78.4%
−5.1 ptssince 2020
from 83.5% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
26.6%
+5.3 ptssince 2009
from 21.3% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
69.2%
+17.6 ptssince 2009
from 51.6% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.2%
+3.1 ptssince 2009
from 47.1% in 2009
Female
49.8%
−3.1 ptssince 2009
from 52.9% in 2009
Foreign born
15.9%
−3.1 ptssince 2009
from 19.0% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
4.7%
+1.9 ptssince 2009
from 2.8% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
8.4%
+1.4 ptssince 2012
from 7.0% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
6.2%
−10.1 ptssince 2013
from 16.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
95.1%
+7.5 ptssince 2017
from 87.6% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
97.1%
+1.9 ptssince 2020
from 95.2% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
80.9%
+2.5 ptssince 2020
from 78.4% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
81.0%
+2.3 ptssince 2016
from 78.7% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
9.9%
−0.4 ptssince 2016
from 10.3% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married45.3%(3,913)
Married48.5%(4,196)
Widowed0.5%(45)
Divorced5.7%(492)
Women 15+
Never married39.6%(3,524)
Married46.6%(4,147)
Widowed4.6%(413)
Divorced9.1%(812)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
6.2%
−10.1 ptssince 2013
from 16.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
69.2%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 68.4% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
15.1%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 15.7% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
10.1%
−1.9 ptssince 2020
from 12.0% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
8.8%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 7.7% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.6%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 0.9% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
82.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 82.2% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
18.7%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 18.7% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)33.8%(265)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)60.3%(473)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era14.8%(116)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5%(39)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 785 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Carrboro, North Carolina?

Carrboro, North Carolina has about 21,204 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Carrboro, North Carolina?

The typical household in Carrboro, North Carolina earns about $85,743 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Carrboro, North Carolina expensive?

In Carrboro, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $539,400, and the typical rent is about $1,470 a month.

How educated are people in Carrboro, North Carolina?

About 69.9% of adults age 25 and over in Carrboro, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Carrboro, North Carolina?

About 12.2% of people in Carrboro, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Carrboro, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Carrboro, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 9,651 residents, a change of about 84 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →