North Carolina
Distance from Cary to Durham
Straight-line distance
14.2mi
Cary, NC and Durham, NC are 14.2 miles (22.9 km) apart in a straight line. From Cary, the shortest path starts out heading NNW (343°).
- kilometers
- 22.9
- nautical miles
- 12.3
- heading from Cary
- 343° NNW
- heading from Durham
- 163° SSE
Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders
How far Cary is from Durham
The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Cary and Durham is 14.2 miles, 22.9 km or 12.3 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 14.2 miles, practically the same at this range.
Measurements
- Miles
- 14.2
- Kilometers
- 22.9
- Nautical miles
- 12.3
- Bearing from Cary
- 342.9° NNW
- Bearing arriving at Durham
- 342.9°
- Bearing from Durham
- 162.9° SSE
Halfway between Cary and Durham
The great-circle midpoint is at 35.879606, -78.860704 (35°52'46.58"N 78°51'38.53"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Morrisville, NC, with 32,628 residents, 3.2 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.
Time zones and daylight
Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Cary gets 14 h 35 min of daylight and Durham 14 h 36 min; on December 21, 9 h 44 min and 9 h 43 min. The two sit at nearly the same latitude, so their day lengths match closely all year.
Population compared
Durham has 1.7 times the population of Cary. From July 2020 to July 2024, Cary changed by +4.5% and Durham by +7.2%. Both are in North Carolina.
- 01Cary, NC182,659 (+4.5%)
- 02Durham, NC301,870 (+7.2%)
Questions people ask
How far is Cary from Durham?
14.2 miles, 22.9 km or 12.3 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.
Which direction is Durham from Cary?
NNW. The great-circle path leaves Cary on a bearing of 342.9° and arrives at Durham on 342.9°. The return trip starts on 162.9°.
What is halfway between Cary and Durham?
The midpoint is at 35.879606, -78.860704. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Morrisville, NC, 3.2 miles from it.
Is there a time difference between Cary and Durham?
Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference.
Which is bigger, Cary or Durham?
Durham, with 301,870 residents in July 2024 against 182,659 for Cary, 1.7 times as many.
Sources and data as of
Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.
- 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
- 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
- 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
- 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)
How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.