county

Durham County, NC

Demographic and economic profile of Durham County, NC, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Durham County has a population of 343,628 that grew 7.5% over five years, with an unusually high GDP per capita of $121,474 against median worker earnings of $48,268, reflecting a knowledge-intensive economy anchored in research, healthcare, and education. Over half the adult population—53.5%—holds a bachelor's degree or higher, placing the labor force well above national education norms, while a 4.2% unemployment rate and 67.5% labor force participation rate indicate a reasonably active workforce. Housing costs remain moderate relative to income, with a median home value of $351,700 and median gross rent of $1,415 per month, and a 22.9-minute mean commute suggests a compact, accessible geography.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

343,628

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Household Income

$82,316

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

36.1 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

+7.5% since 2018

Durham County added population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone144,356 (43.4%)
  • Black or African American Alone106,591 (32.1%)
  • Some Other Race Alone29,124 (8.8%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race18,334 (5.5%)
  • Asian Alone17,932 (5.4%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races13,608 (4.1%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish40,880
  2. 2.Other Indo-European4,626
  3. 3.Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)4,153
  4. 4.Other Asian and Pacific Island2,457
  5. 5.Tagalog (incl. Filipino)1,436

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

20.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

65.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

14.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

15.4%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

13,951

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$121,474

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$46,931

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

4.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

12.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance59,527
  2. 2.Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services30,561
  3. 3.Manufacturing (Group)13,167
  4. 4.Retail Trade (Group)12,927
  5. 5.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services12,725

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations101,829
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations26,541
  3. 3.Service Occupations24,089
  4. 4.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations13,231
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations11,342

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.44×)58,495
  2. 2.Professional, Scientific, & Management (LQ 1.37×)29,438
  3. 3.Construction (LQ 0.92×)11,049
  4. 4.Information (LQ 0.91×)2,974
  5. 5.Other Services (LQ 0.91×)7,473

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$351,700

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$1,415/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

55.5%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $300,000 to $399,99919,126 (24.3%)
  • $400,000 to $499,99915,781 (20.0%)
  • $500,000 to $749,99914,635 (18.6%)
  • $200,000 to $249,9996,966 (8.8%)
  • $250,000 to $299,9996,803 (8.6%)
  • $750,000 to $999,9994,526 (5.7%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

53.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

90.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

67.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$48,268

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

22.6 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

6.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone108,976 (62.7%)
  • Worked At Home39,750 (22.9%)
  • Carpooled14,615 (8.4%)
  • Walked3,601 (2.1%)
  • Public Transit3,136 (1.8%)
  • Other1,785 (1.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.