County · North Carolina

Durham County, North Carolina

Durham County, North Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 74 out of 100 (high), ranking #832 of 3,143 US counties. Within North Carolina it ranks #17 of 100 counties. It ranks best on new homes permitted (high), average weekly wage (high) and bachelor's degree or higher (high). It ranks worst on time spent in the emergency room (high), property crime rate (high) and public libraries (low).

74High

Quality-of-life score: #832 of 3,143 counties
North Carolina: #17 of 100 in NC
Population: 347,240 (2025)
Land area: 288 mi²
Density: 1,207.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 37063

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 80 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map Federal contracts here

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.

Safety10#2,781/3,096
Economy81#609/3,143
Housing19#2,543/3,140
Health89#352/3,144
Healthcare88#382/3,143
Environment55#1,408/3,108
Education61#1,220/3,144
Infrastructure99#44/3,144
Community79#675/3,144
Leisure & amenities75#781/3,143

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Durham County, North Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

New homes permitted · high19.9 /1k
99/100North Carolina 8.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Average weekly wage · high$1,996
99/100North Carolina $1,376United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Bachelor's degree or higher · high55.2%
99/100North Carolina 35.7%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Flu vaccinations · high57.0%
98/100North Carolina 48.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Distance to an Amtrak station · low5 mi
98/100North Carolina 23 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau
Mental health providers · high795 /100k
97/100North Carolina 351 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute

Weaknesses

Time spent in the emergency room · high288 min
0/100North Carolina 189 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Property crime rate · high3,439 /100k
1/100North Carolina 1,780 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of Investigation
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
5/100North Carolina 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library Services
Drought exposure · high94%
6/100North Carolina 79%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA
Violent crime rate · high474 /100k
9/100North Carolina 330 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of Investigation
Homicide rate · high10.7 /100k
10/100North Carolina 6.9 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
322,465 (2020) → 347,240 (2025)
+7.7%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureWorsening
12% (2021) → 94% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+82 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New homes permittedImproving
10.8 /1k (2021) → 19.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+85%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Drug overdose deathsImproving
32.1 /100k (2021) → 18.1 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−44%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Violent crime rateImproving
786 /100k (2020) → 474 /100k (2025)
−40%5 yearsUS 389 /100k → 328 /100k
Preventable hospital staysImproving
3,811 /100k (2019) → 2,384 /100k (2023)
−37%4 yearsUS 3,767 /100k → 2,769 /100k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Durham County, North Carolina improved on 13 of 33 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 14 moved within the margin of error and 3 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among counties: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2020 with 2025); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved13

Bachelor's++7 points48.2% → 55.2%
Uninsured−3.9 points14.0% → 10.1%
Poverty−2.7 points14.0% → 11.3%
Weekly wage+30%$1,534 → $1,996
Arts & recreation+26%4.0 /10k → 5.0 /10k

Declined3

Transit use−1.4 points3.2% → 1.8%
Suicides+71%8.3 /100k → 14.2 /100k
Price / income+1.1×3.7× → 4.7×

All 33 measures

Change of every measure of Durham County, North Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	4.0 /10k2020	5.0 /10k2025	+26%	Improved	78%
Average commute time	22.9 min2015-2019	22.6 min2020-2024	−0.3 min	Within the margin of error	64%
Average weekly wage	$1,5342020	$1,9962025	+30%	Improved	84%
Bachelor's degree or higher	48.2%2015-2019	55.2%2020-2024	+7 points	Improved	95%
Broadband subscriptions	87.0%2015-2019	93.5%2020-2024	+6.5 points	Improved	19%
Child poverty rate	20.6%2019	15.7%2024	−4.9 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Distance to an airport	11 mi2020	11 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	23.3 /100k2020	18.1 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−22%	Within the margin of error	45%
Effective property tax rate	1.13%2015-2019	0.81%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	91%
Firearm deaths	16.3 /100k2020	19.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+22%	Within the margin of error	21%
Grocery stores	1.3 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	+12%	Within the margin of error	81%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.5 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	−5.2%	Within the margin of error	32%
High school diploma or higher	88.4%2015-2019	91.5%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Improved	73%
Home price to income ratio	3.7×2015-2019	4.7×2020-2024	+1.1×	Declined	8%
Homicide rate	12.0 /100k2020	10.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−11%	Within the margin of error	31%
Income adjusted for local prices	$54,8382019	$70,7962024	+29%	Improved	33%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4682015-2019	0.4622020-2024	−0.006	Within the margin of error	65%
Median household income	$65,5412019	$84,3752024	+29%	Improved	70%
New business applications	15.9 /1k2020	18.8 /1k2025	+18%	Improved	20%
Pharmacies	1.4 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	+0.9%	Within the margin of error	72%
Poverty rate	14.0%2019	11.3%2024	−2.7 points	Improved	90%
Property crime rate	3,600 /100k2020	3,439 /100k2025	−4.5%	Improved	13%
Public libraries	0.2 /10k2019	0.2 /10k2024	−5.7%	Within the margin of error	22%
Public transit commuters	3.2%2015-2019	1.8%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Declined	13%
Rent as share of income	29.4%2015-2019	29.4%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Rent-burdened households	48.5%2015-2019	48.4%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Restaurants and bars	9.0 /10k2020	9.3 /10k2025	+3.4%	Within the margin of error	59%
Students per teacher	15.2×2019	15.3×2024	+0.1×	Little change	22%
Suicide rate	8.3 /100k2020	14.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+71%	Declined	4%
Traffic deaths	9.2 /100k2015-2019	9.2 /100k2020-2024	+0.8%	Within the margin of error	55%
Unemployment rate	6.4%2020	3.4%2025	−3 points	Improved	63%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.0%2019	10.1%2024	−3.9 points	Improved	90%
Violent crime rate	786 /100k2020	474 /100k2025	−40%	Improved	78%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 2303 counties that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Small Area Health Insurance Estimates; Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Common Core of Data; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 3144 counties that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Counties like Durham County, North Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Durham County, North Carolina in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Durham County, North Carolina itself moved +3.1 points in standing on average over the same 32 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

332,353 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

141,847 households (±932)

Durham County, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $25k12%17,596
$25k–50k16%23,062
$50k–75k16%23,121

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

141,847 households (±932)

Durham County, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Own55%78,724
Rent45%63,123

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

173,792 workers (±1,887)

Durham County, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Drive alone63%108,976
Carpool8.4%14,615
Public transit1.8%3,136

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Durham County has 8,282 employer establishments, 247 for every 10,000 residents (0.99× the US rate of 248; 1.04× North Carolina's), with 229,497 paid employees at an average annual pay of $93,186. The Census Bureau also counts 32,331 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 8,282; 32,331 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 247; US 248 · North Carolina 237
Paid employees: 229,497
Average annual pay: $93,186; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Durham County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	700	20.8	1.00×About typical	13,053	$74,846	2,102
Restaurants and other eating places	641	19.1	1.04×About typical	12,886	$24,767	151
Lessors of real estate	445	13.2	1.08×About typical	2,253	$75,311	2,215
Specialty trade contractors	444	13.2	0.85×About typical	4,489	$71,594	2,000
Management, scientific and technical consulting	306	9.1	1.36×More than typical	2,441	$141,184	2,197
Limited-service restaurants	292	8.7	1.08×About typical	6,651	$23,461	57
Full-service restaurants	269	8	1.04×About typical	5,171	$27,190	67
Computer systems design and related services	250	7.4	1.72×More than typical	7,174	$148,953	451
Offices of other health practitioners	231	6.9	1.13×About typical	2,059	$54,146	1,043
Religious organizations	222	6.6	1.19×About typical	2,007	$32,234	—
Construction of buildings	218	6.5	0.86×About typical	1,414	$94,088	750
Scientific research and development	215	6.4	9.62×More than typical	22,531	$135,823	300

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 335,867 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $1B on contracts performed in Durham County, North Carolina: $2,928 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $1B; −16% vs FY2025
Per resident: $2,928; US $1,995
Sole-source: 16%; US 30%
Single offer: 12%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Federal Acquisition Service$266.6M26%
National Institutes of Health$191.8M19%
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$81.6M8.0%
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration$79.9M7.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs$68.8M6.8%
Environmental Protection Agency$68.2M6.7%
Agency for International Development$44.2M4.4%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$42M4.1%

Top recipients

RESEARCH TRIANGLE INSTITUTE$247.9M24%
LC INDUSTRIES INC$123.4M12%
GENERAL DYNAMICS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INC.$113.3M11%
SALIENT CRGT, INC.$73.3M7.2%
DUKE UNIVERSITY$50.2M4.9%

Spending by fiscal year

1.3BFY2017
1.3BFY2018
1.1BFY2019
1.3BFY2020
1.2BFY2021
2.7BFY2022
1.1BFY2023
1.5B

Top industries (NAICS)

Computer systems design and related services · 5415$227M22%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$156.8M15%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$144.5M14%
Other professional, scientific, and technical services · 5419$88.7M8.7%
Other miscellaneous manufacturing · 3399$74.7M7.3%

Largest awards

MANAGED APPLICATION, INFRASTRUCTURE, NETWORKING, ENTERPRISE, AND SECURITY SERVICES (MAINES) IN SUPPORT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)$450.3M
GENERAL DYNAMICS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INC.· Durham County, NC· IT & telecom· Feb 18, 2022 – Jul 15, 2026· 47QFCA22F0018
ENTERPRISE SUPPORT SERVICES AND ENDPOINT TECHNOLOGY (ESSET) TASK ORDER (47QFCA22F0026) AWARD FROM TASK ORDER REQUEST (47QFCA21F0072) IN SUPPORT OF THE US EPA.$332.9M
SALIENT CRGT, INC.· Durham County, NC· IT & telecom· Apr 29, 2022 – Sep 24, 2026· 47QFCA22F0026
ITS EPA III END USER SUPPORT AWARD$290.8M
SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION· Durham County, NC· IT & telecom· Mar 29, 2017 – Sep 3, 2026· GSQ0017AJ0036

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026.

Explore contracts in Durham County, North Carolina

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $5.1B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Durham County, North Carolina: $14,588 per resident (US $12,975).

Assistance · FY2026: $5.1B; +3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $14,588; US $12,975
Loan face value: $63.4M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.0%; counted, never named

Top programs

93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$1.3B26%
96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$1.1B22%
93.773 · Medicare Hospital Insurance$835.1M16%
93.770 · Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage$381M7.5%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$153.8M3.0%
93.855 · Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research$131M2.6%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$108M2.1%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$65.9M1.3%

Top recipients (organizations)

DUKE UNIVERSITY$561M11%
DURHAM, NC
RESEARCH TRIANGLE INSTITUTE$168.7M3.3%
DURHAM, NC
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY$58.2M1.1%
DURHAM, NC
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF DURHAM$41.4M0.8%
DURHAM, NC
FAMILY HEALTH INTERNATIONAL$39.9M

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$2.5B50%
Department of Health and Human Services
Social Security Administration$1.3B27%
National Institutes of Health$665.1M13%
Department of Health and Human Services
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$176.1M3.5%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education

Assistance by fiscal year

4.2BFY2021
3.4BFY2022
3.7BFY2023
4.6BFY2024
4.9BFY2025
5.1BFY2026

County aggregates

80%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Explore grants in Durham County, North Carolina

Public money & outcomes

Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.

How Durham County, North Carolina compares: the federal money it received per resident, and how jobs, income, housing and other outcomes moved, each next to the United States.

Money per resident

By federal fiscal year (October to September, named by the year it ends), obligations per resident. A year with no record counts as $0.

Durham County, North Carolina
United States
Year its money jumped
partial year

Federal contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Durham County, North Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
FY2017	$4,170	$1,436
FY2018	$4,036	$1,552
FY2019	$3,469	$1,654
FY2020	$4,129	$1,880
FY2021	$3,563	$1,810
FY2022	$8,028	$1,917
FY2023	$3,408	$2,079
FY2024	$4,271	$2,047
FY2025	$3,489	$2,165
FY2026	$2,928 (partial year)	$1,912
FY2027	— (partial year)	—

Construction contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Durham County, North Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
FY2017	$136	$93.28
FY2018	$96.92	$105
FY2019	$88.68	$128
FY2020	$110	$145
FY2021	$388	$117

Contracts and grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Durham County, North Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
FY2021	$8,871	$5,748
FY2022	$10,305	$5,221
FY2023	$5,861	$5,364
FY2024	$7,996	$5,501
FY2025	$6,237	$5,732
FY2026

Transportation grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Durham County, North Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
FY2021	$61.10	$298
FY2022	$125	$357
FY2023	$54.38	$301
FY2024	$95.57	$319
FY2025	$14.31	$360
FY2026

Housing assistanceUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Durham County, North Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
FY2021	$188	$239
FY2022	$277	$185
FY2023	$205	$229
FY2024	$199	$229
FY2025	$158	$249
FY2026	$165

HHS grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Durham County, North Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
FY2021	$3,637	$2,304
FY2022	$1,055	$2,197
FY2023	$1,412	$2,274
FY2024	$1,898	$2,267
FY2025	$1,622	$2,397
FY2026

SBA lending volumeUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Durham County, North Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
FY2021	$918	$1,186
FY2022	$350	$465
FY2023	$59.22	$76.52
FY2024	$131	$120
FY2025	$162	$148
FY2026	$49.10

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)

How outcomes moved

Calendar years. Charts share the same years as the money above. Levels are shown as percent change since 2016; rates are shown as the rate itself.

Durham County, North Carolina
United States
Years with money loaded
Year its money jumped

Job growthpercent

Table view

Job growth, Durham County, North Carolina and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
2014

When its money jumped

A county-year with at least 10,000 residents whose money per resident is at least twice its earlier average counts as a jump. Each is compared with up to five similar counties in the same region whose money did not jump.

Jumps not compared

FY2021, Construction contracts: one recipient accounted for most of the increase.
FY2022, Federal contracts: one recipient accounted for most of the increase.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Business Formation Statistics, Building Permits Survey, Cartographic Boundary Files, Gazetteer and metro delineations, Population Estimates Program, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission), Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System), Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordability. JSON · /api/v1/outcomes/places/37063

See all comparisons

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Durham County, North Carolina is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Valerie P. FousheeD-NC-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 1.9%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

Metro area

The metro or micro area Durham County belongs to. A county is in at most one.

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC83Central county

Cities and towns in Durham County

Places whose residents live mostly in Durham County, largest first.

Neighboring counties

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar counties

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-08
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/37063

Calendar years	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
2014	+0.7%	−4.2%
2015	+1.0%	−1.3%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+2.5%	+3.3%
2018	+6.3%	+6.8%
2019	+9.5%	+10.5%
2020	+22.0%	+19.4%
2021	+27.3%	+26.1%
2022	+32.1%	+30.6%
2023	+40.5%	+35.0%
2024	+50.8%	+41.0%
2025	+58.8%	+46.8%

Calendar years	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
2014	−5.1%	−5.5%
2015	−2.1%	−1.9%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+3.8%	+4.1%
2018	+9.2%	+8.9%
2019	+14.6%	+13.5%
2020	+21.5%	+20.8%
2021	+29.8%	+32.1%
2022	+36.0%	+35.4%
2023	+44.5%	+42.9%
2024	+52.2%	+49.5%

Calendar years	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
2014	5.4/1k	3.3/1k
2015	10.2/1k	3.7/1k
2016	10.1/1k	3.7/1k
2017	9.9/1k	3.9/1k
2018	10.6/1k	4.1/1k
2019	12.2/1k	4.2/1k
2020	12.3/1k	4.4/1k
2021	10.8/1k	5.2/1k
2022	14.0/1k	5.0/1k
2023	14.3/1k	4.5/1k
2024	8.5/1k	4.3/1k
2025	13.7/1k	4.2/1k

Calendar years	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
2014	−6.5%	−6.9%
2015	−0.7%	−3.2%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+10.7%	+4.7%
2018	+9.4%	+7.5%
2019	+20.8%	+14.0%
2020	+20.9%	+16.9%
2021	+31.7%	+21.0%
2022	+46.6%	+29.7%
2023	+50.1%	+34.9%
2024	+55.5%	+41.6%

Calendar years	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
2014	−13.0% (Dec 2014)	−10.8% (Dec 2014)
2015	−7.5% (Dec 2015)	−5.2% (Dec 2015)
2016	0.0% (Dec 2016)	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017	+8.0% (Dec 2017)	+6.4% (Dec 2017)
2018	+17.6% (Dec 2018)	+12.6% (Dec 2018)
2019	+25.0% (Dec 2019)	+18.1% (Dec 2019)
2020	+37.1% (Dec 2020)	+29.3% (Dec 2020)
2021	+68.0% (Dec 2021)	+49.8% (Dec 2021)
2022	+90.1% (Dec 2022)	+64.7% (Dec 2022)
2023	+93.6% (Dec 2023)	+69.0% (Dec 2023)
2024	+95.8% (Dec 2024)	+73.4% (Dec 2024)
2025	+92.1% (Dec 2025)	+73.7% (Dec 2025)

Calendar years	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
2014	5.0%	6.2%
2015	5.0%	5.3%
2016	4.5%	4.9%
2017	4.0%	4.4%
2018	3.6%	3.9%
2019	3.4%	3.7%
2020	6.4%	8.1%
2021	4.2%	5.4%
2022	3.2%	3.7%
2023	3.1%	3.6%
2024	3.1%	4.0%
2025	3.4%	4.3%

Calendar years	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
2014	16.6%	15.5%
2015	17.1%	14.7%
2016	16.1%	14.0%
2017	15.7%	13.4%
2018	13.5%	13.1%
2019	14.0%	12.3%
2020	11.7%	11.9%
2021	13.4%	12.8%
2022	11.1%	12.6%
2023	10.6%	12.5%
2024	11.3%	12.1%

Calendar years	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
2015	−5.5% (Dec 2015)	−3.3% (Dec 2015)
2016	0.0% (Dec 2016)	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017	+2.6% (Dec 2017)	+4.4% (Dec 2017)
2018	+7.3% (Dec 2018)	+8.8% (Dec 2018)
2019	+11.6% (Dec 2019)	+13.1% (Dec 2019)
2020	+14.9% (Dec 2020)	+15.2% (Dec 2020)
2021	+33.4% (Dec 2021)	+32.8% (Dec 2021)
2022	+43.3% (Dec 2022)	+42.1% (Dec 2022)
2023	+45.1% (Dec 2023)	+46.3% (Dec 2023)
2024	+44.0% (Dec 2024)	+50.4% (Dec 2024)
2025	+45.9% (Dec 2025)	+53.5% (Dec 2025)

Calendar years	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
2014	15.1%	13.5%
2015	13.7%	10.9%
2016	12.8%	10.0%
2017	13.4%	10.2%
2018	12.6%	10.4%
2019	14.0%	10.8%
2020	13.5%	10.4%
2021	12.5%	10.2%
2022	10.6%	9.5%
2023	11.4%	9.5%
2024	10.1%	9.8%

Calendar years	Durham County, North Carolina	United States
2014	9.4/1k	8.5/1k
2015	11.0/1k	8.7/1k
2016	10.5/1k	9.1/1k
2017	11.7/1k	9.8/1k
2018	12.3/1k	10.7/1k
2019	12.4/1k	10.6/1k
2020	15.9/1k	13.1/1k
2021	19.9/1k	16.2/1k
2022	17.3/1k	15.1/1k
2023	18.1/1k	16.2/1k
2024	16.7/1k	15.4/1k
2025	18.8/1k	16.6/1k

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends