Official Federal Data
Durham County, North Carolina
FIPS 37063 · Durham-Chapel Hill, NC · Population 332,353
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$82,316 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.4% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$53.3B ▲
GDP
55.2% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$82,316 ▲
Per Capita
$49,447 ▲
Mean Household
$114,501 ▲
Poverty Rate
11.5% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Durham County$82,316
North Carolina$72,388
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 20%
18-34 · 28.2%
35-54 · 26.2%
55-64 · 11.1%
65+ · 14.5%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
91.5%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +1.9 pts
55.2%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +19.5 pts
26.3%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +12.2 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
332,353
Population
184,735
Labor Force
Employed
177,032
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.4% ▲ +0.3 pts YoY
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.6 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
22.9%
Key Takeaways
- Talent advantage: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment exceeds the national average by 19.5 pts, supports knowledge-economy and tech attraction.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 40,946 workers (22.1% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $78,183.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $53.3B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Management of Companies and Enterprises averages $207,671 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $29,893, a 6.9x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
33,341
Cluster Employment
2.07x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
5.76x 8,623
Chemical Manufacturing
5.41x 7,242
Educational Services
4.63x 22,562
Securities, Commodity Contracts, Investments
3.92x 6,493
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
2.07x 33,341
Management of Companies and Enterprises
1.55x 6,049
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.07x
Crop Production
57 employed
0.08x
Food Manufacturing
213 employed
0.13x
Support Activities for Transportation
163 employed
0.17x
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
365 employed
0.19x
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
125 employed
0.24x
Waste Management and Remediation Services
187 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing concentrates at 5.76x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 6 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$389,400 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,508 ▲
Rent/Mo
55.5% ▲
Owner-Occ
7.3% ▼
Vacancy
4.7x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,417/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,507/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,711/mo
3 Bedroom
$2,117/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,527/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,058/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.7x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,058/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
217,586 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.6 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
22.9%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
84.4%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
55.2% ▲
HS Diploma+
91.5% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
47,592/yr
10,279/yr
9,997/yr
8,666/yr
6,984/yr
6,278/yr
5,388/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
17%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
57.5%
Service
13.6%
Sales & Office
15%
Construction / Maint.
6.4%
Production / Transport
7.5%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 177,032 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 28,942 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Durham County shows strong potential for computer and electronic product manufacturing attraction, with a 5.76x concentration and 8,623 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The interconnected base across computer and electronic product manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, and educational services creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Durham County, North Carolina, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Durham County, North Carolina?
332,353 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Durham County, North Carolina?
$82,316 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Durham County, North Carolina?
3.4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Durham County, North Carolina?
$53.3B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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