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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Durham County

North Carolina · 324,833 residents · 288 sq mi
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The short version

Durham County is home to 324,833 people in North Carolina. 49% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 33% nationally. Growth has run 45% since 2000, or 101,519 more people. Owners hold 52% of the housing stock. The median age is 35.0, younger than the US median of 38.8. 81% were living in the same home a year earlier.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 35.0
US median: 38.8
More educated
49% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 25%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
324,833
+45%since 2000
from 223,314 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
35.0
+9%since 2000
from 32.2 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
288 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
167K212K257K302K347K19902000201020202024Durham County
2024332K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.9%(19,045)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.6%(18,042)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 145.5%(17,999)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.3%(20,350)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.7%(24,890)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3419.1%(62,178)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4413.8%(44,871)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5411.3%(36,742)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6411%(35,859)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 748.6%(28,088)
US avg: 10%
75 to 843.8%(12,231)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.4%(4,538)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$62,812
−4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $43,337 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$36,759
+59%since 2000
from $23,156 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
42.7%
+11.6 ptssince 2009
from 31.2% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
13.5%
+0.1 ptssince 2000
from 13.4% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information8.9%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade6.7%
US avg: 10%
Wholesale trade6.3%
US avg: 6.7%
Other services6.1%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration4.4%
US avg: 4.7%
Finance & insurance3%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical2.7%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing1.9%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.8%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services0.3%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.2%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$241,800
+25%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $128,300 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,103
+12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $658 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
52.2%
−2.0 ptssince 2000
from 54.3% in 2000
47.8% rent
Persons per household
2.33 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.34 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.8
+11%since 2009
from 3.5 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.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic48.1%(107,371)
Black39.2%(87,516)
Hispanic / Latino7.6%(17,039)
Asian3.3%(7,311)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic41.2%(133,768)
Black33.6%(109,225)
Hispanic / Latino15.4%(50,104)
Asian5.1%(16,707)
Other3.7%(12,135)
Segregation Score
39
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican6.5%(20,708)
Central American4.2%(13,465)
Honduran1.9%(5,907)
Salvadoran1.6%(5,188)
Puerto Rican1%(3,072)
South American0.8%(2,459)
Guatemalan0.6%(1,764)
Colombian0.4%(1,367)
Cuban0.3%(957)
Dominican0.3%(863)
Spaniard0.1%(366)
Ecuadorian0.1%(338)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Nicaraguan0.1%(288)
Argentine0.1%(222)
Costa Rican0.1%(219)
Chilean0.1%(198)
Peruvian0.1%(160)
Venezuelan0%(152)
Uruguayan0%(14)
Asian origin
Asian Indian1.4%(4,544)
Chinese1.3%(4,174)
Filipino0.5%(1,520)
Korean0.5%(1,448)
Vietnamese0.4%(1,373)
Japanese0.2%(629)
Thai0.1%(331)
Taiwanese0.1%(326)
Burmese0.1%(226)
Nepalese0.1%(199)
Pakistani0.1%(167)
Cambodian0%(106)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Sri Lankan0%(105)
Hmong0%(85)
Laotian0%(37)
Mongolian0%(27)
Malaysian0%(14)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(62)
Ancestry
English8.7%(27,494)
German7.8%(24,684)
Irish6.3%(19,864)
American4.3%(13,636)
Italian3.2%(10,321)
Scotch-Irish1.7%(5,481)
Polish1.7%(5,449)
French1.7%(5,388)
Scottish1.6%(5,216)
West Indian1%(3,029)
British0.9%(2,921)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Swedish0.7%(2,342)
Dutch0.6%(1,759)
Welsh0.5%(1,590)
Jamaican0.5%(1,541)
Russian0.5%(1,514)
French Canadian0.5%(1,480)
Norwegian0.5%(1,462)
Lithuanian0.4%(1,160)
Nigerian0.3%(1,090)
Hungarian0.3%(919)
Greek0.3%(894)
Portuguese0.3%(831)
Czech0.3%(822)
Ghanaian0.2%(746)
Danish0.2%(712)
Austrian0.2%(608)
Canadian0.2%(519)
Lebanese0.1%(445)
Palestinian0.1%(431)
Egyptian0.1%(420)
Ukrainian0.1%(410)
Slovak0.1%(407)
Kenyan0.1%(372)
Moroccan0.1%(360)
Iranian0.1%(338)
Croatian0.1%(303)
Armenian0.1%(296)
Romanian0.1%(287)
Brazilian0.1%(284)
Swiss0.1%(275)
Belgian0.1%(268)
Ethiopian0.1%(239)
Serbian0.1%(209)
Finnish0.1%(190)
Latvian0.1%(186)
Haitian0.1%(168)
Turkish0.1%(163)
Arab0%(148)
Syrian0%(125)
Jordanian0%(96)
Israeli0%(86)
Slovene0%(72)
Barbadian0%(64)
Somali0%(43)
Guyanese0%(29)
Iraqi0%(15)
Bulgarian0%(15)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
49.5%
+9.3 ptssince 2000
from 40.1% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
89.6%
+6.6 ptssince 2000
from 83.0% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
23.7%
+6.3 ptssince 2000
from 17.4% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
23.0 min
+75%since 2000
from 13.1 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
75.4%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 74.6% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
7.0%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 7.9% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.7%
−3.4 ptssince 2011
from 8.1% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
67.0%
−1.1 ptssince 2011
from 68.0% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
78.6%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
51.5%
+3.2 ptssince 2009
from 48.3% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
47.8%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 48.5% in 2009
Female
52.2%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 51.5% in 2009
Foreign born
14.0%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 13.2% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
11.8%
−4.6 ptssince 2013
from 16.4% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
94.0%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
80.9%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married42.1%(55,176)
Married47.6%(62,471)
Widowed1.8%(2,306)
Divorced8.5%(11,183)
Women 15+
Never married40.5%(58,796)
Married42.4%(61,640)
Widowed6.1%(8,792)
Divorced11%(16,050)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
11.8%
−4.6 ptssince 2013
from 16.4% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
58.7%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
12.9%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
14.3%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
15.8%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.8%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
70.0%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
28.7%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)20.2%(2,821)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)24.3%(3,390)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era30.8%(4,306)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War6.3%(884)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II2.8%(395)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 13,959 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 Durham County to nearby counties

DURHAM COUNTY VS
Orange County
Income$90,089+43%
Home value$459,500+90%
Population152,498−56%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DURHAM COUNTY VS
Wake County
Income$105,768+68%
Home value$461,300+91%
Population1,257,235+262%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DURHAM COUNTY VS
Granville County
Income$71,111+13%
Home value$247,700+2%
Population61,421−82%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DURHAM COUNTY VS
Person County
Income$63,300+1%
Home value$213,900−12%
Population40,636−88%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Durham County, North Carolina?

Durham County, North Carolina has about 324,833 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Durham County, North Carolina?

The typical household in Durham County, North Carolina earns about $62,812 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Durham County, North Carolina expensive?

In Durham County, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $241,800, and the typical rent is about $1,103 a month.

How educated are people in Durham County, North Carolina?

About 49.5% of adults age 25 and over in Durham County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Durham County, North Carolina?

About 13.5% of people in Durham County, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Durham County, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Durham County, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 142,998 residents, a change of about 79 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 →