The Chapel Hill metro area: Chatham, Durham, Orange and Person counties · Population 601,724 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in the Chapel Hill area
Household size in the Chapel Hill area
| Period | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.40 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.44 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.43 | 2.56 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.40 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.00 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in the Chapel Hill area are small: just 2.40 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. The Chapel Hill area has smaller households than at least four in five large metro areas.
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 the Chapel Hill area
| Period | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 36.9 | 37.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 37.7 | 38.9 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 39.2 | 40.2 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 39.9 | 40.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | +2.9 | +2.3 | +2.3 |
Half of the people in the Chapel Hill area are younger than 39.9 and half are older, close to the national median of 40.1. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 36.9, as it has nationally. The youngest areas are in the east, the oldest in the north.
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 the Chapel Hill area
| Period | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.0% | 12.3% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 12.0% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 11.0% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 10.2% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | −1.8 pts | −1.0 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head about one in ten households in the Chapel Hill area (10.2%), a little below the national share of 11.6%. The single-parent share has fallen 1.8 points since 2006–10, as it has nationally.
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 the Chapel Hill area
Renters in the Chapel Hill area
| Period | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 38.7% | 31.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 39.8% | 34.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 39.3% | 34.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 37.8% | 33.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | −0.9 pts | +1.4 pts | +1.5 pts |
Nearly four in ten households in the Chapel Hill area rent their homes (37.8%), a bit above the national share of 34.8%. Among homeowners, 36.3% have no mortgage at all, below the national share of 39.8%. Renting is most common in the center and least common in the northwest. The renter share is down 0.9 points from 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 the Chapel Hill area
| Period | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.2% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 9.6% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 9.8% | 12.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 9.2% | 11.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | −2.0 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
About as many homes sit empty in the Chapel Hill area as nationally: 9.2%, against 9.6%. The rate is lower than in North Carolina overall (11.4%). Vacancy has fallen 2.0 points since 2006–10, in line with the national trend.
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 the Chapel Hill area
| Period | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1983 | 1983 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1984 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1986 | 1986 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1991 | 1990 | 1980 |
| Change | +8 | +7 | +6 |
The Chapel Hill area has newer housing than the country as a whole: the median home was built in 1991, versus 1980 nationally. The median year built has moved up from 1983 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. The newest homes are mostly in the south, the oldest in the east.
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 the Chapel Hill area
| Period | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $889 | $789 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $951 | $868 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,102 | $981 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,501 | $1,317 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$612 | +$528 | +$606 |
A typical rental in the Chapel Hill area costs $1,501 a month with utilities, close to the national median of $1,571. Rents here are higher than in North Carolina overall ($1,317). Rents are up $612 a month from 2006–10, a 69% jump, faster than rents rose nationally. Rent takes 31.8% of the typical renter's income, just over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
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 the Chapel Hill area
Bachelor's degrees in the Chapel Hill area
| Period | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 43.7% | 27.8% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 45.7% | 29.0% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 48.5% | 32.0% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 53.9% | 36.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +10.2 pts | +8.4 pts | +7.2 pts |
College graduates are unusually common in the Chapel Hill area: 53.9% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's degree or higher, against 35.6% nationally. Education tends to track local incomes and the kinds of jobs nearby. The share with a degree is up 10.2 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally. Only one other large metro area has 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 the Chapel Hill area
| Period | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 86.9% | 84.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 88.4% | 86.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 89.4% | 88.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 91.5% | 90.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +4.7 pts | +5.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in the Chapel Hill area is a bit above the national rate: 91.5% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%. North Carolina comes in at about the same level. Since 2006–10, the share with a diploma has risen 4.7 points, mirroring the country.
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 the Chapel Hill area
| Period | Chapel Hill area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.8% | 8.8% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 8.6% | 10.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 4.5% | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.0% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | −3.8 pts | −4.0 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in the Chapel Hill area runs below the national rate: 4.0% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Since 2006–10, unemployment has fallen 3.8 points, mirroring the country. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's 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).
Largest cities in the Chapel Hill area
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chapel Hill area (all) | 2.40 | 39.9 | 10.2% | 37.8% | 9.2% | 1991 | $1,501 | 53.9% | 91.5% | 4.0% |
| Durham | 2.36 | 38.4 | 11.5% | 43.7% | 8.4% | 1990 | $1,548 | 54.6% | 90.8% | 4.2% |
| Sanford | 2.67 | 39.7 | 13.4% | 31.3% | 8.6% | 1989 | $1,125 | 23.1% | 85.3% | 3.9% |
| Hillsborough | 2.52 | 43.1 | 10.9% | 22.5% | 7.9% | 1996 | $1,367 | 53.4% | 90.0% | 2.6% |
| Roxboro | 2.48 | 43.8 | 13.2% | 27.9% | 12.1% | 1977 | $1,026 | 16.5% | 85.7% | 6.8% |
| Carrboro | 2.34 | 36.2 | 6.5% | 54.5% | 7.1% | 1989 | $1,758 | 70.6% | 94.6% | 3.5% |
| Pittsboro | 2.30 | 50.4 | 5.5% | 19.5% | 8.1% | 1999 | $1,398 | 54.4% | 96.5% | 3.7% |
| Oxford | 2.38 | 44.5 | 15.2% | 32.7% | 10.9% | 1982 | $922 | 19.0% | 88.9% | 5.8% |
| Siler City | 2.67 | 40.0 | 12.7% | 35.6% | 8.4% | 1984 | $1,067 | 18.7% | 73.1% | 2.9% |
| Butner | 2.77 | 39.9 | 14.0% | 26.7% | 24.7% | 1988 | $1,299 | 16.7% | 71.8% | 5.4% |
| Timberlake | 2.51 | 38.0 | 13.3% | 15.5% | 7.7% | 1997 | $917 | 23.0% | 94.5% | 4.0% |
All figures 2020–24.
Metro areas of similar size: Springfield area · Chattanooga area · Spokane area · Harrisburg area · Toledo area · Melbourne area · Augusta area · Jackson area
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 the Chapel Hill area. 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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