Population 47,206 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in ZIP 27516
Household size in ZIP 27516
| Period | ZIP 27516 | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.65 | 2.40 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.72 | 2.44 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.64 | 2.43 | 2.56 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.60 | 2.40 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.04 | +0.00 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in ZIP 27516 average 2.60 people, about the same as the country as a whole (2.65). The typical household here is bigger than in the Chapel Hill area overall, where it has 2.40 people. Since 2006–10, household size has edged down from 2.65, in line with the national trend.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in ZIP 27516
| Period | ZIP 27516 | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 36.5 | 36.9 | 37.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 36.6 | 37.7 | 38.9 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 37.8 | 39.2 | 40.2 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 38.4 | 39.9 | 40.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | +2.0 | +2.9 | +2.3 | +2.3 |
ZIP 27516 is a little younger than the country as a whole: its median age is 38.4, against 40.1 nationally. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 36.5, in line with the national trend. Residents skew youngest in the east and oldest in the northwest.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in ZIP 27516
| Period | ZIP 27516 | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.1% | 12.0% | 12.3% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 8.8% | 12.0% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 6.1% | 11.0% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 6.6% | 10.2% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | −1.4 pts | −1.8 pts | −1.0 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are relatively rare in ZIP 27516: 6.6% of households, against 11.6% nationally. The single-parent share is down 1.4 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally. ZIP 27516 has a lower share of single-parent households than at least four in five North Carolina ZIP codes.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in ZIP 27516
Renters in ZIP 27516
| Period | ZIP 27516 | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 32.9% | 38.7% | 31.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 33.5% | 39.8% | 34.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 30.6% | 39.3% | 34.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 30.7% | 37.8% | 33.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | −2.2 pts | −0.9 pts | +1.4 pts | +1.5 pts |
About three in ten households in ZIP 27516 rent their homes (30.7%), a little below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. Nearly four in ten owners (37.3%) have paid off their mortgages, about the same as nationally. Renting is most common in the east and least common in the north. The renter share has fallen 2.2 points since 2006–10, even as the national share rose.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in ZIP 27516
| Period | ZIP 27516 | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.2% | 11.2% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 9.3% | 9.6% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.9% | 9.8% | 12.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 8.5% | 9.2% | 11.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | −1.7 pts | −2.0 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy in ZIP 27516 is close to the national rate: 8.5% of homes are empty, against 9.6%. Vacancy has fallen 1.7 points since 2006–10, as it has nationally.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in ZIP 27516
| Period | ZIP 27516 | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1983 | 1983 | 1983 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1985 | 1984 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1993 | 1986 | 1986 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1997 | 1991 | 1990 | 1980 |
| Change | +13 | +8 | +7 | +6 |
Much of the housing in ZIP 27516 is relatively new: half of its homes were built after 1997, compared with 1980 for the U.S. as a whole. The median year built has moved up from 1983 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. ZIP 27516 has newer homes than the great majority of North Carolina ZIP codes.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in ZIP 27516
| Period | ZIP 27516 | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $985 | $889 | $789 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,098 | $951 | $868 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,299 | $1,102 | $981 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,886 | $1,501 | $1,317 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$901 | +$612 | +$528 | +$606 |
The median renter in ZIP 27516 pays $1,886 a month for rent and utilities, well above the national median of $1,571. Rents are up $901 a month from 2006–10, a 91% jump, faster than rents rose nationally. The typical renter here spends 33.5% of household income on rent, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched. The priciest rents are in the southwest; the most affordable are in the northwest.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in ZIP 27516
Bachelor's degrees in ZIP 27516
| Period | ZIP 27516 | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 64.9% | 43.7% | 27.8% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 68.3% | 45.7% | 29.0% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 69.6% | 48.5% | 32.0% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 72.4% | 53.9% | 36.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +7.5 pts | +10.2 pts | +8.4 pts | +7.2 pts |
ZIP 27516 is highly educated: just over seven in ten adults 25 and older (72.4%) hold at least a bachelor's degree, far above the national share of 35.6%. The share with a degree is up 7.5 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally. Of the 436 North Carolina ZIP codes with 5,000+ people, only 12 have a higher share of college graduates.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in ZIP 27516
| Period | ZIP 27516 | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 94.7% | 86.9% | 84.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 95.1% | 88.4% | 86.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 95.6% | 89.4% | 88.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 95.6% | 91.5% | 90.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +0.9 pts | +4.7 pts | +5.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion is high in ZIP 27516: 95.6% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%. The share with a diploma is up 0.9 points from 2006–10, a smaller shift than nationally. ZIP 27516 has a higher share of high school graduates than the great majority of North Carolina ZIP codes.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in ZIP 27516
| Period | ZIP 27516 | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 4.8% | 7.8% | 8.8% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 8.2% | 8.6% | 10.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 2.8% | 4.5% | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 6.4% | 4.0% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | +1.6 pts | −3.8 pts | −4.0 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been a little harder to find in ZIP 27516 than nationally: unemployment was 6.4%, against 5.4%. Unemployment is up 1.6 points from 2006–10, even as the national rate fell. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
ZIP 27516 compared with nearby ZIP codes
| ZIP code | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZIP 27516 | 2.60 | 38.4 | 6.6% | 30.7% | 8.5% | 1997 | $1,886 | 72.4% | 95.6% | 6.4% |
| ZIP 27510 | 2.00 | 33.3 | 5.6% | 71.7% | 9.0% | 1983 | $1,609 | 63.0% | 92.5% | 2.9% |
| ZIP 27599 | 2.28 | 19.7 | 6.1% | 95.9% | 31.4% | 1995 | $1,378 | 86.0% | 100.0% | 3.5% |
| ZIP 27514 | 2.37 | 34.7 | 4.0% | 49.7% | 15.1% | 1987 | $1,539 | 79.2% | 98.0% | 2.9% |
| ZIP 27517 | 2.39 | 44.1 | 6.6% | 32.8% | 6.3% | 1996 | $1,659 | 73.0% | 94.3% | 2.4% |
| ZIP 27707 | 2.27 | 35.7 | 10.9% | 53.3% | 8.6% | 1984 | $1,432 | 54.3% | 92.3% | 4.3% |
| ZIP 27713 | 2.34 | 36.5 | 10.4% | 40.7% | 6.0% | 1998 | $1,746 | 67.9% | 96.5% | 2.8% |
| ZIP 27705 | 2.14 | 39.9 | 10.0% | 56.3% | 10.9% | 1986 | $1,567 | 63.3% | 91.7% | 2.7% |
| ZIP 27708 | 2.25 | 19.8 | 10.1% | 44.5% | 7.3% | 1993 | $1,508 | 92.7% | 100.0% | 7.6% |
| ZIP 27278 | 2.49 | 43.4 | 10.6% | 22.3% | 7.9% | 1997 | $1,359 | 53.9% | 89.8% | 2.6% |
| ZIP 27701 | 2.05 | 35.3 | 12.5% | 67.4% | 13.8% | 1975 | $1,223 | 51.0% | 86.7% | 4.4% |
All figures 2020–24.
Zip codes with similar populations: 85323, AZ · 95060, CA · 19145, PA · 21207, MD · 94546, CA · 27360, NC · 92705, CA · 28117, NC · 29501, SC · 30067, GA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up ZIP 27516. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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