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COUNTY

Orange County

North Carolina · 152,498 residents (2025 est.) · 398 sq mi
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Part of the Durham metro area
The short version

Orange County is a county of 149,678 people in North Carolina. This is an unusually credentialed place: 62% of adults have a four-year degree. Few US counties rank higher on income. 31,451 more people live here than in 2000. Households here earn about 24% more than in North Carolina as a whole. People stay put here: 83% were in the same home a year ago.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 36.1
US median: 38.9
More educated
62% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 56%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
149,678
+27%since 2000
from 118,227 in 2000
152,498 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
377 / sq mi
+20%since 2009
from 313 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
36.1
+19%since 2000
from 30.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
398 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
88K105K122K139K155K19902000201020202024Orange County
2024150K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.1%(6,101)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.1%(7,612)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.8%(8,701)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 1910.6%(15,847)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2411.3%(16,984)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411.7%(17,546)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.4%(17,073)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.2%(18,231)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.7%(17,486)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.9%(14,848)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.9%(7,297)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.3%(1,952)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$90,089
+17%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $42,372 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$52,900
+113%since 2000
from $24,873 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
55.9%
+19.5 ptssince 2009
from 36.4% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
12.5%
−1.7 ptssince 2000
from 14.1% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.514
−1%since 2010
from 0.521 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information8.3%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade5.5%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade5.1%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services4.6%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration3.1%
US avg: 4.8%
Finance & insurance2.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical2.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Arts, entertainment, food2%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.6%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$459,500
+56%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $161,600 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,496
+20%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $684 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
63.8%
+6.2 ptssince 2000
from 57.6% in 2000
36.2% rent
Vacancy rate
8.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 8.7% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.40 people
+4%since 2009
from 2.31 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
18.8%
−6.0 ptssince 2009
from 24.9% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
54.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 54.3% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
5.1
+6%since 2009
from 4.8 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
73
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic75.8%(89,656)
Black13.7%(16,175)
Hispanic / Latino4.5%(5,273)
Asian4.1%(4,840)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic66.2%(99,091)
Black10.1%(15,117)
Hispanic / Latino10.6%(15,914)
Asian7.8%(11,717)
Other5.2%(7,839)
Diversity Score
66
+20%since 2009
from 55 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
21
−5%since 2020
from 22 in 2020
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
Mexican5.2%(7,713)
Central American1.8%(2,729)
South American1.3%(2,004)
Puerto Rican0.7%(1,114)
Guatemalan0.6%(845)
Honduran0.6%(830)
Salvadoran0.4%(589)
Colombian0.4%(568)
Spaniard0.3%(493)
Cuban0.3%(450)
Venezuelan0.3%(412)
Argentine0.3%(384)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Nicaraguan0.2%(334)
Chilean0.1%(178)
Ecuadorian0.1%(175)
Peruvian0.1%(155)
Dominican0.1%(118)
Costa Rican0.1%(110)
Bolivian0%(36)
Uruguayan0%(22)
Asian origin
Chinese2.4%(3,531)
Asian Indian2%(2,988)
Korean0.8%(1,223)
Burmese0.5%(677)
Filipino0.4%(550)
Japanese0.3%(518)
Vietnamese0.3%(513)
Taiwanese0.2%(342)
Pakistani0.1%(122)
Cambodian0.1%(119)
Malaysian0%(31)
+ 3 more asian origin groups with data
Thai0%(31)
Hmong0%(13)
Laotian0%(9)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.1%(101)
Chamorro0%(38)
Guamanian0%(12)
Ancestry
English15.6%(23,277)
German11.1%(16,558)
Irish10%(14,960)
Italian4.8%(7,111)
American4%(6,020)
Scottish3.8%(5,735)
Polish2.6%(3,928)
Scotch-Irish2.5%(3,786)
French1.9%(2,910)
Dutch1.2%(1,828)
Welsh1.1%(1,675)
+ 48 more ancestry groups with data
Russian1.1%(1,592)
Norwegian1%(1,531)
Swedish0.9%(1,310)
British0.8%(1,271)
Arab0.8%(1,239)
Hungarian0.5%(802)
Ukrainian0.5%(767)
West Indian0.4%(636)
Austrian0.4%(632)
Greek0.4%(629)
Iranian0.4%(627)
Danish0.4%(573)
Swiss0.3%(453)
Ghanaian0.3%(403)
Portuguese0.3%(384)
Lebanese0.2%(357)
Lithuanian0.2%(348)
Turkish0.2%(347)
Czech0.2%(338)
Serbian0.2%(334)
Slovak0.2%(283)
Belgian0.2%(282)
Romanian0.2%(279)
Jamaican0.2%(273)
Nigerian0.2%(242)
Finnish0.2%(230)
Egyptian0.1%(224)
Canadian0.1%(192)
Croatian0.1%(153)
Slovene0.1%(113)
Kenyan0.1%(111)
Brazilian0.1%(106)
Australian0.1%(104)
Haitian0.1%(89)
Latvian0.1%(83)
Ethiopian0.1%(80)
Syrian0%(72)
Armenian0%(50)
Bulgarian0%(26)
Israeli0%(23)
Barbadian0%(18)
Iraqi0%(6)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
61.8%
+10.3 ptssince 2000
from 51.5% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
93.4%
+5.7 ptssince 2000
from 87.6% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
34.6%
+7.4 ptssince 2000
from 27.1% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
23.6 min
+70%since 2000
from 13.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
55.3%
−14.0 ptssince 2009
from 69.3% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
6.2%
−4.3 ptssince 2009
from 10.5% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
4.2%
−2.3 ptssince 2009
from 6.5% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
26.8%
+21.2 ptssince 2009
from 5.6% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
4.4%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 5.4% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
1.9%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.9%
−2.5 ptssince 2009
from 7.4% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.6%
−2.7 ptssince 2011
from 6.4% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
61.8%
−3.5 ptssince 2011
from 65.3% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
74.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 74.2% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
19.2%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 19.6% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
60.7%
+9.9 ptssince 2009
from 50.8% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
47.8%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 47.4% in 2009
Female
52.2%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 52.6% in 2009
Foreign born
12.9%
+1.5 ptssince 2009
from 11.5% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
4.7%
−2.0 ptssince 2009
from 6.7% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
9.1%
+1.0 ptssince 2012
from 8.1% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
6.5%
−5.3 ptssince 2013
from 11.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
94.0%
+7.0 ptssince 2017
from 87.0% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
97.4%
+2.4 ptssince 2020
from 95.0% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
82.6%
+3.8 ptssince 2020
from 78.9% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
83.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2016
from 83.3% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
8.1%
+0.7 ptssince 2016
from 7.3% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married42.6%(25,633)
Married48.5%(29,181)
Widowed2.2%(1,324)
Divorced6.7%(4,035)
Women 15+
Never married41%(27,532)
Married44.9%(30,143)
Widowed6%(4,009)
Divorced8.1%(5,407)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
6.5%
−5.3 ptssince 2013
from 11.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
65.2%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 65.4% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
16.7%
−1.2 ptssince 2020
from 17.9% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
15.9%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 14.7% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
9.4%
+0.3 ptssince 2020
from 9.1% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.8%
+0.3 ptssince 2020
from 1.5% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
79.8%
−1.6 ptssince 2020
from 81.4% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
24.5%
+1.6 ptssince 2020
from 22.9% 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)22.7%(1,296)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)29.9%(1,707)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era38%(2,173)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.2%(239)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.3%(15)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 5,717 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

Places similar to Orange County

Johnson County
Pop 174,262
Hampshire County
Pop 164,065
Ascension Parish
Pop 135,105
Douglas County
Pop 154,293
Places similar to Orange County
Head to head

Compare Orange County to nearby counties

ORANGE COUNTY VS
Durham County
Income$82,316−9%
Home value$389,400−15%
Population347,240+128%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ORANGE COUNTY VS
Alamance County
Income$65,651−27%
Home value$241,500−47%
Population186,177+22%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ORANGE COUNTY VS
Person County
Income$63,300−30%
Home value$213,900−53%
Population40,636−73%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ORANGE COUNTY VS
Chatham County
Income$94,317+5%
Home value$446,200−3%
Population85,111−44%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Orange County, North Carolina?

Orange County, North Carolina has about 149,678 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Orange County, North Carolina earns about $90,089 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Orange County, North Carolina expensive?

In Orange County, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $459,500, and the typical rent is about $1,496 a month.

How educated are people in Orange County, North Carolina?

About 61.8% of adults age 25 and over in Orange County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

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

About 12.5% of people in Orange County, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Orange County, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Orange County, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 55,827 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 →