• county
  • FIPS 37063
  • Largest town: Durham

Durham County, North Carolina

Durham County had 343,628 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 287.6 square miles of land. It ranks 5th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 84th by land area.

Population
343,628
#5 of 100 in North Carolina · #217 in US
Area
287.6 sq mi
#84 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,827 in US
Density
1,195 / sq mi
#4 of 100 in North Carolina · #133 in US
Median household income
$81,413
#10 of 100 in North Carolina · #429 in US

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

Durham County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Durham County

Durham County population, land area and income

Durham County had 343,628 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 287.6 square miles of land. It ranks 5th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 84th by land area. That works out to 1,195.0 people per square mile, 12.4 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents, so Durham County is 6.5 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $81,413 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

343,628

3144th1st

217th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

288 sq mi

3144th1st

2827th of 3,144 (US)

Density

1,195.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

133rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$81,413

3143rd1st

429th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

343,628

100th1st

5th of 100 (NC)

Land area

288 sq mi

100th1st

84th of 100 (NC)

Density

1,195.0 / sq mi

100th1st

4th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$81,413

100th1st

10th of 100 (NC)

How Durham County's population changed since 2020

Durham County gained 21,123 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 6.5%. That ranks 23rd 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, Durham County recorded 17,540 births and 10,166 deaths, a natural change of +7,374. Net international migration added +14,945 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -2,775. The largest single component was international migration, which added 14,945 people.

322.5k2020326.8k2021331.6k2022337.2k2023343.6k2024
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
17,540
Deaths
10,166
Net international migration
+14,945
Net domestic migration
-2,775
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+6,390

Where Durham County is

The Census internal point of Durham County is at 36.033800, -78.878100. 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 Durham 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: Durham County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
36.033800, -78.878100
DMS
36°02'1.68"N 78°52'41.16"W
UTM
17N 691173.7E 3989780.4N
Geohash
dnruvpf8p
Plus code
878324MC+GQ

Towns in Durham County

5 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Durham County, 306,266 people together, or 89% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Durham County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Durham with 301,432.

  1. 01Durham (part)301,432
  2. 02Chapel Hill (part)2,938
  3. 03Raleigh (part)1,646
  4. 04Morrisville (part)248
  5. 05Cary (part)2
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Durham County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Durham 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 22.1 miles SE of Durham County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Durham, NC (population 301,870), 4.0 miles away.

Durham County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Durham County is 37063: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 063. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $81,413.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Durham County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 343,628. That is up 21,123 people (6.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 322,505.

What is the FIPS code of Durham County?

37063. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (063) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Durham County?

Durham, with 301,432 residents inside Durham County in 2024 (301,870 across all 3 counties it spans).

Which counties border Durham County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Wake County, NC; Orange County, NC; Chatham County, NC; Granville County, NC; Person 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.