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CITY

Chapel Hill

North Carolina · 63,565 residents (2025 est.) · 21.7 sq mi
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Part of the Durham metro area
The short version

Chapel Hill is a city of 61,607 people in North Carolina. The median age is 25.8, younger than the US median of 38.9. 77% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 36% nationally. Owners hold 47% of the housing stock. Home values have roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $613,700. 74% were living in the same home a year earlier.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 25.8
US median: 38.9
More educated
77% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 55%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
61,607
+26%since 2000
from 48,715 in 2000
63,565 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
2,845 / sq mi
+18%since 2009
from 2,412 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
25.8
+8%since 2000
from 24.0 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
21.7 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
36K43K50K57K64K19902000201020202024Chapel Hill
202462K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 53%(1,843)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 93.5%(2,152)
US avg: 6%
10 to 144.8%(2,937)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 1917.4%(10,730)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2419.7%(12,150)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.3%(7,562)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 448.6%(5,298)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 549.7%(5,957)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 648.5%(5,212)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 747.1%(4,356)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.1%(2,539)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.4%(871)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$85,989
+21%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $39,140 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$51,406
+113%since 2000
from $24,133 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
54.1%
+17.3 ptssince 2009
from 36.8% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
18.6%
−3.0 ptssince 2000
from 21.6% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.549
−2%since 2010
from 0.560 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information7.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services4.5%
US avg: 6.7%
Retail trade4.1%
US avg: 9.9%
Public administration3.2%
US avg: 4.8%
Finance & insurance2.2%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical2.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Wholesale trade1.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Arts, entertainment, food1.7%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.3%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.3%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.1%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$613,700
+55%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $217,300 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,613
+28%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $690 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
47.4%
+4.6 ptssince 2000
from 42.9% in 2000
52.6% rent
Vacancy rate
10.1%
+1.6 ptssince 2009
from 8.6% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.38 people
+7%since 2009
from 2.22 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
18.7%
−2.8 ptssince 2009
from 21.5% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
57.4%
−2.5 ptssince 2009
from 59.9% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
7.1
−4%since 2009
from 7.4 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
52
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic76.1%(37,073)
Black11.3%(5,517)
Hispanic / Latino3.2%(1,564)
Asian7.2%(3,496)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic62.8%(38,670)
Black11.3%(6,943)
Hispanic / Latino7.6%(4,658)
Asian13.4%(8,232)
Other5%(3,104)
Diversity Score
71
+32%since 2009
from 54 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
Mexican2.4%(1,484)
Central American1.6%(1,005)
Guatemalan0.8%(480)
Honduran0.7%(417)
Colombian0.5%(288)
Puerto Rican0.4%(227)
Argentine0.3%(163)
Cuban0.3%(158)
Venezuelan0.2%(149)
Spaniard0.2%(123)
Ecuadorian0.2%(109)
+ 7 more hispanic origin groups with data
Dominican0.2%(104)
Salvadoran0.1%(55)
Costa Rican0.1%(42)
Peruvian0%(19)
Chilean0%(16)
Uruguayan0%(10)
Asian origin
Chinese4.7%(2,867)
Asian Indian3.2%(1,989)
Korean1.4%(890)
Vietnamese0.7%(450)
Japanese0.5%(300)
Filipino0.5%(286)
Taiwanese0.4%(227)
Pakistani0.2%(120)
Burmese0.1%(81)
Sri Lankan0.1%(64)
Malaysian0.1%(31)
Hmong0%(13)
+ 3 more asian origin groups with data
Laotian0%(9)
Thai0%(2)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.2%(101)
Ancestry
English13.5%(8,303)
German10.2%(6,279)
Irish8.9%(5,457)
Italian4.3%(2,663)
American3.4%(2,125)
Scottish2.9%(1,771)
Polish2.5%(1,543)
Scotch-Irish1.7%(1,072)
French1.6%(1,007)
Norwegian1%(630)
Dutch1%(620)
+ 45 more ancestry groups with data
Russian1%(613)
British1%(595)
Welsh0.9%(575)
Arab0.8%(520)
Swedish0.8%(518)
Ukrainian0.8%(468)
Greek0.6%(354)
Hungarian0.5%(329)
Turkish0.4%(223)
Slovak0.4%(218)
Nigerian0.3%(201)
Czech0.3%(179)
Danish0.3%(171)
Iranian0.3%(171)
Austrian0.3%(170)
Finnish0.3%(160)
West Indian0.2%(154)
Romanian0.2%(149)
Swiss0.2%(131)
Lithuanian0.2%(128)
Ghanaian0.2%(107)
Portuguese0.2%(106)
Lebanese0.2%(104)
Croatian0.1%(83)
Canadian0.1%(79)
Serbian0.1%(78)
Palestinian0.1%(71)
Brazilian0.1%(68)
Belgian0.1%(54)
Egyptian0.1%(51)
Syrian0.1%(50)
Kenyan0.1%(49)
Haitian0.1%(49)
Ethiopian0.1%(47)
Latvian0.1%(44)
Jamaican0.1%(34)
Slovene0%(24)
Israeli0%(20)
Barbadian0%(18)
Armenian0%(14)
Bulgarian0%(12)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
76.6%
+2.9 ptssince 2000
from 73.7% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
96.2%
+1.9 ptssince 2000
from 94.3% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
45.2%
+4.7 ptssince 2000
from 40.5% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.5 min
+70%since 2000
from 11.5 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
47.1%
−15.3 ptssince 2009
from 62.4% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
5.9%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 7.5% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
7.0%
−2.7 ptssince 2009
from 9.7% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
28.1%
+22.6 ptssince 2009
from 5.6% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
8.0%
−3.2 ptssince 2009
from 11.2% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
2.6%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.6% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.8%
−4.4 ptssince 2009
from 10.2% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.5%
−1.3 ptssince 2011
from 5.8% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
58.1%
+0.7 ptssince 2011
from 57.4% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
71.8%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 71.1% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
19.6%
−3.2 ptssince 2009
from 22.8% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
61.9%
+4.6 ptssince 2009
from 57.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
47.0%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 45.6% in 2009
Female
53.0%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 54.4% in 2009
Foreign born
15.3%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 14.4% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
2.8%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 4.4% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
7.5%
+1.4 ptssince 2012
from 6.1% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.1%
−3.4 ptssince 2013
from 8.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
93.3%
+4.2 ptssince 2017
from 89.1% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
98.6%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 97.6% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
73.7%
+6.8 ptssince 2020
from 67.0% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
80.0%
+0.5 ptssince 2016
from 79.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
6.3%
+1.1 ptssince 2016
from 5.2% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married56.7%(14,137)
Married36.5%(9,097)
Widowed1.7%(435)
Divorced5.1%(1,285)
Women 15+
Never married57.3%(17,038)
Married32.6%(9,678)
Widowed4.3%(1,269)
Divorced5.8%(1,736)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
5.1%
−3.4 ptssince 2013
from 8.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
69.8%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 70.0% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
17.8%
−2.1 ptssince 2020
from 19.9% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
12.4%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 11.0% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
7.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 7.2% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.0%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 0.8% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
85.1%
−2.1 ptssince 2020
from 87.2% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
18.4%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 17.5% 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)26.1%(378)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)27.3%(395)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era37.3%(540)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.4%(35)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.7%(10)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 1,448 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
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Chapel Hill to nearby cities

CHAPEL HILL VS
Carrboro
Income$85,743same
Home value$539,400−12%
Population20,962−67%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHAPEL HILL VS
Durham
Income$81,619−5%
Home value$392,800−36%
Population305,561+381%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHAPEL HILL VS
Hillsborough
Income$98,163+14%
Home value$460,100−25%
Population9,778−85%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHAPEL HILL VS
Morrisville
Income$125,396+46%
Home value$518,800−15%
Population32,466−49%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina?

Chapel Hill, North Carolina has about 61,607 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Chapel Hill, North Carolina?

The typical household in Chapel Hill, North Carolina earns about $85,989 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Chapel Hill, North Carolina expensive?

In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $613,700, and the typical rent is about $1,613 a month.

How educated are people in Chapel Hill, North Carolina?

About 76.6% of adults age 25 and over in Chapel Hill, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Chapel Hill, North Carolina?

About 18.6% of people in Chapel Hill, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Chapel Hill, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Chapel Hill, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 22,845 residents, a change of about 59 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 →