• county
  • FIPS 37037
  • Largest town: Siler City

Chatham County, North Carolina

Chatham County had 83,874 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 681.5 square miles of land. It ranks 34th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 18th by land area.

Population
83,874
#34 of 100 in North Carolina · #699 in US
Area
681.5 sq mi
#18 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,375 in US
Density
123 / sq mi
#49 of 100 in North Carolina · #783 in US
Median household income
$95,716
#3 of 100 in North Carolina · #174 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Chatham County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Chatham County

Chatham County population, land area and income

Chatham County had 83,874 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 681.5 square miles of land. It ranks 34th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 18th by land area. That works out to 123.1 people per square mile, 1.3 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents; Chatham County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $95,716 is in the top tenth among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

83,874

3144th1st

699th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

681 sq mi

3144th1st

1375th of 3,144 (US)

Density

123.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

783rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$95,716

3143rd1st

174th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

83,874

100th1st

34th of 100 (NC)

Land area

681 sq mi

100th1st

18th of 100 (NC)

Density

123.1 / sq mi

100th1st

49th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$95,716

100th1st

3rd of 100 (NC)

How Chatham County's population changed since 2020

Chatham County gained 7,212 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 9.4%. That ranks 9th of 100 in North Carolina for growth. The median North Carolina county changed by +2.7%, and the state as a whole by +5.7%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Chatham County recorded 2,972 births and 3,640 deaths, a natural change of -668. Net international migration added +1,117 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +7,184. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 7,184 people.

76.7k202078.1k202180.1k202282.0k202383.9k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
2,972
Deaths
3,640
Net international migration
+1,117
Net domestic migration
+7,184
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+1,882

Where Chatham County is

The Census internal point of Chatham County is at 35.705000, -79.251500. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades North Carolina's 100 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Chatham County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Scotland County: +1.4%Rockingham County: +2.5%Franklin County: +15.6%Caswell County: -0.5%Stokes County: +2.9%Granville County: +2.3%Edgecombe County: +0.7%Randolph County: +2.8%Alexander County: +0.8%Person County: +2.4%Cherokee County: +5.2%Ashe County: +2.5%Davidson County: +5.2%Cabarrus County: +7.8%Mecklenburg County: +8.1%Burke County: +1.5%Cumberland County: +0.4%Northampton County: -4.9%Buncombe County: +3.5%Wilson County: +0.8%Bladen County: +0.5%Pitt County: +4.1%Yancey County: +2.7%Stanly County: +7.4%Harnett County: +9.3%Wilkes County: +0.5%Tyrrell County: +8.8%Pamlico County: +1.9%Hoke County: +6.0%Transylvania County: +2.5%Carteret County: +3.8%Durham County: +6.5%Anson County: +1.8%Pender County: +15.6%Alamance County: +6.7%Polk County: +4.9%Lenoir County: +0.5%Washington County: -3.0%Avery County: -0.0%Hyde County: +1.5%Gates County: -1.4%Davie County: +5.8%Jackson County: +7.4%Montgomery County: +2.5%Martin County: -2.0%Pasquotank County: +2.9%Perquimans County: +3.4%Cleveland County: +2.3%Sampson County: +2.3%Catawba County: +3.8%Alleghany County: +4.5%Robeson County: +2.3%Macon County: +4.4%Clay County: +8.0%Haywood County: +1.3%Duplin County: +3.8%Henderson County: +3.6%Craven County: +2.6%Warren County: +2.6%Graham County: +1.7%Union County: +9.9%Wayne County: +2.2%Gaston County: +5.9%Guilford County: +3.7%Yadkin County: +2.0%Watauga County: +1.0%Rowan County: +4.4%Swain County: -1.1%Chatham County: +9.4%Bertie County: -4.4%Halifax County: -2.9%Forsyth County: +4.1%Onslow County: +3.8%Dare County: +3.1%Chowan County: +1.3%Brunswick County: +20.9%Johnston County: +14.9%Orange County: +6.4%Currituck County: +13.6%New Hanover County: +7.5%Richmond County: -1.7%Vance County: -0.5%Iredell County: +9.9%Lincoln County: +12.0%Caldwell County: +0.2%McDowell County: +1.6%Rutherford County: +1.9%Mitchell County: +0.9%Moore County: +8.1%Columbus County: -0.8%Lee County: +8.1%Greene County: +1.1%Madison County: +5.0%Camden County: +7.5%Hertford County: -12.0%Beaufort County: -0.3%Jones County: +3.5%Wake County: +9.0%Nash County: +3.0%Surry County: +0.2%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.5%
  2. < +2.3%
  3. < +3.7%
  4. < +7.4%
  5. ≥ +7.4%
no data

Orange pin: Chatham County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.705000, -79.251500
DMS
35°42'18.00"N 79°15'5.40"W
UTM
17N 658180.9E 3952638.3N
Geohash
dnrehefud
Plus code
8772PP4X+2C

Towns in Chatham County

4 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Chatham County, 17,127 people together, or 20% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Chatham County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Siler City with 8,087.

  1. 01Siler City8,087
  2. 02Pittsboro4,989
  3. 03Cary (part)4,020
  4. 04Apex (part)31
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Chatham County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 8 neighbors for Chatham County. The most populous is Wake County, NC, with 1,232,444 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 34.7 miles E of Chatham County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Cary, NC (population 182,659), 24.6 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Sanford, NC (population 32,971), 15.2 miles away.

Chatham County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Chatham County is 37037: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 037. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $95,716.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Chatham County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 83,874. That is up 7,212 people (9.4%) from the July 2020 estimate of 76,662.

What is the FIPS code of Chatham County?

37037. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (037) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Chatham County?

Siler City, with 8,087 residents inside Chatham County in 2024.

Which counties border Chatham County?

8 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Wake County, NC; Durham County, NC; Alamance County, NC; Orange County, NC; Randolph County, NC; Harnett County, NC; Moore County, NC; Lee County, NC.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.