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METRO AREA · 2020 ACS

Durham Metro

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC · 4 counties · 588,911 residents · 1,759 sq mi
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The short version

Durham is a metro area of 588,911 people. This is an unusually credentialed place: 49% of adults have a four-year degree. The population is up 38% since 2000. The typical home is worth $266,209, having more than doubled since 2000. Households earn $66,380 at the median, near the US median.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $66,278
Mid-age
median age 37.4
US median: 38.8
More educated
49% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 34%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
588,911
+38%since 2000
from 426,493 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
335 / sq mi
+38%since 2000
from 242 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
37.4
+13%since 2000
from 32.9 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
1,759 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
319K396K473K550K627K19902000201020202024Durham
2024602K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.3%(30,936)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.5%(32,645)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 145.8%(34,383)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 197%(41,210)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 248.1%(47,864)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3415.6%(91,603)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4412.7%(74,982)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5411.9%(69,808)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6412%(70,937)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 749.9%(58,154)
US avg: 10%
75 to 844.6%(26,801)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.6%(9,588)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$66,380
+4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $42,497 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$39,032
+68%since 2000
from $23,284 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
44.8%
+12.2 ptssince 2009
from 32.5% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
13.0%
Unchangedsince 2000
from 13.0% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information8.8%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade7.5%
US avg: 10%
Wholesale trade6.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Other services5.4%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration3.7%
US avg: 4.7%
Finance & insurance3%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical2.4%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing1.8%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.8%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.6%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$266,209
+34%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $132,221 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,055
+10%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $639 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
58.8%
−0.7 ptssince 2000
from 59.5% in 2000
41.2% rent
Persons per household
2.39 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.38 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
4.0
+7%since 2009
from 3.7 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-Hispanic60.2%(256,626)
Black28.6%(122,064)
Hispanic / Latino6.5%(27,801)
Asian2.9%(12,490)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic52.4%(308,524)
Black24.2%(142,443)
Hispanic / Latino13.3%(78,483)
Asian5.3%(31,062)
Other3.6%(21,215)
Segregation Score
41
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
Mexican5.7%(32,557)
Central American3.1%(17,916)
Honduran1.3%(7,283)
Salvadoran1.2%(6,501)
Puerto Rican0.8%(4,807)
South American0.8%(4,498)
Guatemalan0.6%(3,197)
Colombian0.4%(2,023)
Cuban0.3%(1,795)
Dominican0.2%(984)
Spaniard0.1%(734)
Argentine0.1%(706)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Ecuadorian0.1%(492)
Chilean0.1%(446)
Peruvian0.1%(430)
Nicaraguan0.1%(323)
Costa Rican0.1%(311)
Venezuelan0.1%(307)
Panamanian0.1%(274)
Uruguayan0%(47)
Bolivian0%(46)
Asian origin
Chinese1.6%(9,469)
Asian Indian1.3%(7,513)
Korean0.5%(2,742)
Filipino0.4%(2,184)
Vietnamese0.3%(1,747)
Japanese0.2%(950)
Taiwanese0.1%(605)
Burmese0.1%(548)
Thai0.1%(457)
Pakistani0.1%(349)
Hmong0.1%(283)
Nepalese0%(221)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Sri Lankan0%(204)
Cambodian0%(137)
Mongolian0%(73)
Laotian0%(50)
Malaysian0%(14)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(114)
Ancestry
English10.5%(60,199)
German9.3%(53,509)
Irish7.9%(45,604)
American5.2%(29,799)
Italian3.6%(20,512)
Scottish2.3%(13,129)
Scotch-Irish2.2%(12,942)
Polish1.9%(11,160)
French1.9%(10,876)
British1%(5,661)
Swedish0.8%(4,603)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch0.8%(4,316)
Russian0.7%(4,068)
Welsh0.7%(4,028)
West Indian0.7%(3,948)
Norwegian0.6%(3,386)
French Canadian0.5%(2,984)
Hungarian0.3%(1,972)
Jamaican0.3%(1,956)
Lithuanian0.3%(1,728)
Czech0.3%(1,644)
Danish0.3%(1,548)
Greek0.2%(1,399)
Ukrainian0.2%(1,213)
Portuguese0.2%(1,210)
Nigerian0.3%(1,180)
Austrian0.2%(1,117)
Swiss0.2%(1,073)
Canadian0.2%(1,060)
Iranian0.2%(918)
Slovak0.2%(899)
Ghanaian0.1%(791)
Belgian0.1%(745)
Lebanese0.1%(728)
Croatian0.1%(709)
Romanian0.1%(652)
Egyptian0.1%(581)
Armenian0.1%(545)
Finnish0.1%(544)
Ethiopian0.1%(526)
Brazilian0.1%(512)
Turkish0.1%(512)
Kenyan0.1%(492)
Palestinian0.1%(454)
Moroccan0.1%(418)
Latvian0.1%(373)
Serbian0.1%(320)
Arab0.1%(287)
Slovene0%(237)
Haitian0%(184)
Syrian0%(170)
Israeli0%(161)
Australian0%(137)
Iraqi0%(97)
Jordanian0%(96)
Barbadian0%(71)
Somali0%(43)
Guyanese0%(39)
Bulgarian0%(34)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
49.3%
+10.0 ptssince 2000
from 39.3% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
90.3%
+7.3 ptssince 2000
from 83.0% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
24.8%
+6.6 ptssince 2000
from 18.2% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
24.5 min
+66%since 2000
from 14.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
73.2%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 74.1% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
5.9%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 7.2% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.6%
−3.2 ptssince 2011
from 7.8% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
64.3%
−2.0 ptssince 2011
from 66.3% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
76.3%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
51.2%
+5.1 ptssince 2009
from 46.1% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
47.7%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 48.3% in 2009
Female
52.3%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 51.7% in 2009
Foreign born
12.4%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 11.6% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
10.1%
−4.8 ptssince 2013
from 14.9% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
93.5%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
82.4%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
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
10.1%
−4.8 ptssince 2013
from 14.9% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
59.9%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
15.0%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
16.3%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
14.0%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.9%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
72.8%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
28.9%
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)18.9%(4,981)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)22.2%(5,840)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era33.5%(8,833)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War7.4%(1,944)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II2.6%(672)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 26,338 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
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+24%
Home value$307,983+16%
Population622,177−1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DURHAM VS
Harrisburg
Income$81,484+23%
Home value$254,698−4%
Population617,427−1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DURHAM VS
Reno
Income$87,337+32%
Home value$520,025+95%
Population578,734−7%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DURHAM VS
Huntsville
Income$85,881+29%
Home value$295,284+11%
Population556,444−11%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

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

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC has about 588,911 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC earns about $66,380 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 $266,209, and the typical rent is about $1,055 a month.

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

About 49.3% 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 13.0% 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 244,286 residents, a change of about 71 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 →