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METRO AREA

Durham Metro

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC · 4 counties · 625,485 residents (2025 est.) · 1,759 sq mi
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The short version

Durham is home to 601,724 people. This is an unusually credentialed place: 54% of adults have a four-year degree. Few US metro areas rank higher on income. The population is up 41% since 2000. The typical home is worth $402,870, having roughly tripled since 2000. Households earn $84,598 at the median, near the US median.

At a glance
Average income
median household income $84,598, near the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.2
US median: 38.9
More educated
54% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 67%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place

What stands out about Durham

What changed most since 1990

  • Population344,625 → 601,724 (+75%)US over the same years: +35%
  • Median home value (2024 dollars)$201,791 → $402,870 (+100%)US over the same years: +67%
  • Black share29.0% → 23.1% (−5.9 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts

Among the 38 metro and micro areas based in North Carolina

  • 4th in household income$84,598
  • 1st in share with a bachelor's degree53.7%
  • 3rd in home value$402,870
  • 7th in diversity score76.8
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
601,724
+41%since 2000
from 426,493 in 2000
625,485 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
342 / sq mi
+41%since 2000
from 242 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
38.2
+16%since 2000
from 32.9 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
1,759 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
319K396K473K550K627K19902000201020202024Durham
2024602K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.3%(31,721)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95%(30,323)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.9%(35,492)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 197.3%(44,226)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.6%(45,674)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3414.9%(89,371)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.1%(78,741)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.1%(72,935)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412%(72,371)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.1%(60,945)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845%(30,349)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.6%(9,576)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$84,598
+9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $42,497 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$50,851
+118%since 2000
from $23,284 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
54.9%
+22.4 ptssince 2009
from 32.5% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
12.1%
−1.0 ptssince 2000
from 13.0% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.480
+2%since 2010
from 0.471 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information8%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade7.9%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade6.2%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services5.7%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration4.1%
US avg: 4.8%
Finance & insurance3.1%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical2.5%
US avg: 5.1%
Arts, entertainment, food1.8%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.3%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.7%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$402,870
+67%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $132,221 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,419
+22%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $639 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
62.3%
+2.8 ptssince 2000
from 59.5% in 2000
37.7% rent
Vacancy rate
8.2%
−1.8 ptssince 2009
from 10.0% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.32 people
−2%since 2009
from 2.38 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
18.4%
−7.7 ptssince 2009
from 26.0% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
48.1%
+2.0 ptssince 2009
from 46.1% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
4.7
+27%since 2009
from 3.7 in 2009
1990 – 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
90
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic60.2%(256,626)
Black28.6%(122,064)
Hispanic / Latino6.5%(27,801)
Asian2.9%(12,490)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic53%(318,688)
Black23.1%(139,019)
Hispanic / Latino13.6%(81,866)
Asian5.2%(31,483)
Other5.1%(30,668)
Diversity Score
77
+11%since 2009
from 69 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
38
−8%since 2020
from 41 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
Mexican6.4%(38,607)
Central American3.8%(22,759)
Honduran1.7%(10,276)
South American1.2%(7,141)
Salvadoran1%(5,953)
Puerto Rican0.9%(5,179)
Guatemalan0.8%(5,008)
Colombian0.5%(3,031)
Cuban0.4%(2,397)
Spaniard0.2%(1,316)
Venezuelan0.2%(1,243)
Dominican0.2%(970)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Argentine0.2%(967)
Nicaraguan0.1%(794)
Ecuadorian0.1%(740)
Costa Rican0.1%(540)
Peruvian0.1%(526)
Chilean0.1%(402)
Panamanian0%(181)
Bolivian0%(99)
Uruguayan0%(59)
Asian origin
Chinese1.6%(8,965)
Asian Indian1.5%(8,529)
Filipino0.4%(2,575)
Korean0.4%(2,169)
Vietnamese0.3%(1,667)
Japanese0.2%(1,208)
Burmese0.2%(1,037)
Taiwanese0.2%(886)
Pakistani0.1%(763)
Thai0.1%(473)
Nepalese0.1%(382)
Hmong0%(196)
+ 8 more asian origin groups with data
Sri Lankan0%(135)
Cambodian0%(133)
Kazakh0%(131)
Malaysian0%(31)
Laotian0%(9)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(184)
Chamorro0%(97)
Tongan0%(29)
Guamanian0%(26)
Ancestry
English13%(78,393)
German9.3%(55,980)
Irish8.5%(51,174)
American4.7%(28,514)
Italian3.9%(23,514)
Scottish2.6%(15,520)
Polish2%(11,759)
French1.6%(9,468)
Scotch-Irish1.5%(9,280)
Swedish0.8%(5,098)
Dutch0.8%(5,022)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Welsh0.7%(4,384)
Norwegian0.7%(4,090)
West Indian0.7%(4,006)
British0.7%(3,985)
Russian0.6%(3,694)
Arab0.5%(3,205)
Nigerian0.5%(2,433)
French Canadian0.4%(2,190)
Hungarian0.4%(2,188)
Jamaican0.4%(2,047)
Ukrainian0.3%(1,972)
Lithuanian0.3%(1,730)
Greek0.3%(1,705)
Danish0.3%(1,669)
Czech0.3%(1,631)
Ethiopian0.3%(1,464)
Austrian0.3%(1,454)
Swiss0.2%(1,337)
Portuguese0.2%(1,265)
Canadian0.2%(1,109)
Iranian0.2%(937)
Romanian0.2%(922)
Ghanaian0.2%(922)
Slovak0.1%(852)
Lebanese0.1%(795)
Brazilian0.1%(738)
Haitian0.1%(697)
Finnish0.1%(687)
Egyptian0.1%(677)
Serbian0.1%(643)
Belgian0.1%(613)
Turkish0.1%(586)
Armenian0.1%(431)
Croatian0.1%(431)
Kenyan0.1%(379)
Iraqi0.1%(343)
Syrian0.1%(310)
Slovene0%(281)
Guyanese0%(219)
Israeli0%(219)
Latvian0%(188)
Barbadian0%(165)
Australian0%(135)
Moroccan0%(98)
Bulgarian0%(69)
Somali0%(61)
Jordanian0%(31)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
53.7%
+14.3 ptssince 2000
from 39.3% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
91.7%
+8.7 ptssince 2000
from 83.0% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
26.6%
+8.4 ptssince 2000
from 18.2% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
24.2 min
+64%since 2000
from 14.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
62.5%
−11.7 ptssince 2009
from 74.1% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.5%
−5.4 ptssince 2009
from 12.9% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
2.1%
−1.5 ptssince 2009
from 3.6% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
23.1%
+18.6 ptssince 2009
from 4.5% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.5%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 3.2% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.7% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.6%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 7.2% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.8%
−4.0 ptssince 2011
from 7.8% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
64.5%
−1.8 ptssince 2011
from 66.3% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
77.6%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 76.3% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
16.4%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 17.5% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
56.3%
+10.2 ptssince 2009
from 46.1% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 48.3% in 2009
Female
52.0%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 51.7% in 2009
Foreign born
13.3%
+1.7 ptssince 2009
from 11.6% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.5%
−2.7 ptssince 2009
from 8.1% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
10.8%
+0.5 ptssince 2012
from 10.4% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
9.5%
−5.4 ptssince 2013
from 14.9% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
92.7%
+10.0 ptssince 2017
from 82.7% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
96.9%
+3.3 ptssince 2020
from 93.5% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
84.5%
+2.2 ptssince 2020
from 82.4% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
81.7%
−1.6 ptssince 2016
from 83.3% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
11.3%
+1.1 ptssince 2016
from 10.2% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married39.2%(93,931)
Married50.6%(121,076)
Widowed2.1%(5,078)
Divorced8.1%(19,340)
Women 15+
Never married37.5%(99,272)
Married45.3%(120,032)
Widowed6.8%(18,042)
Divorced10.4%(27,417)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
9.5%
−5.4 ptssince 2013
from 14.9% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
60.2%
+0.4 ptssince 2020
from 59.9% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
14.8%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 15.0% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
17.3%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 16.3% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
13.9%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 14.0% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.9%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 1.9% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
72.8%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 72.8% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
29.8%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 28.9% 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)23.7%(6,259)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)26.7%(7,045)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era32.8%(8,656)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.1%(1,340)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.7%(185)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 26,380 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
Over time

Durham, decade by decade

Durham population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
1990344,625$71,333$201,79133.0%54.9
2000426,493$77,415$240,86139.3%68.8
2010504,357$73,479$281,34243.3%75.9
2020588,911$80,456$322,65549.3%80.6
2024601,724$84,598$402,87053.7%76.8

Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.

In this metro

Largest cities

DurhamCENTRAL305,561Chapel HillCENTRAL63,565Morrisville32,466Carrboro20,962Hillsborough9,778Roxboro8,380Siler City8,155Briar Chapel6,049Pittsboro5,054Fearrington2,356Governors2,295Governors Club1,787Efland1,611Gorman1,591Moncure1,039Rougemont703Carolina Meadows555Goldston268Bennett262Gulf178
What's inside

4 component counties

Durham CountyCENTRAL347,240Orange CountyCENTRAL152,498Chatham CountyCENTRAL85,111Person County40,636
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Durham

Fayetteville
Pop 622,177
Harrisburg
Pop 617,427
Reno
Pop 578,734
Huntsville
Pop 556,444
Places similar to Durham
Head to head

Compare Durham side by side

DURHAM VS
Fayetteville
Income$82,242−3%
Home value$307,983−24%
Population622,177−1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DURHAM VS
Harrisburg
Income$81,484−4%
Home value$254,698−37%
Population617,427−1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DURHAM VS
Reno
Income$87,337+3%
Home value$520,025+29%
Population578,734−7%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DURHAM VS
Huntsville
Income$85,881+2%
Home value$295,284−27%
Population556,444−11%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC has about 601,724 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

The typical household in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC earns about $84,598 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Durham-Chapel Hill, NC expensive?

In Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, the median home is worth about $402,870, and the typical rent is about $1,419 a month.

How educated are people in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

About 53.7% of adults age 25 and over in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

About 12.1% of people in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC live below the federal poverty line.

Has Durham-Chapel Hill, NC grown since 1990?

Yes, Durham-Chapel Hill, NC has grown since 1990. The population has added about 257,099 residents, a change of about 75 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC: population, income & housing data · CensusEasy