Housing Value★★★★★★★★★★2.9 / 5Home values compared with local household income.
Living in Durham, NC
Explore Durham and see how it fits the life you want to build.
291,467
Population
Durham, Orange & Wake Counties
Counties
City
Place Type
North Carolina
State
OrdinancesLocal Rules
Overall Match7.4 / 10
Baseline match from currently available location scores. Choose priorities to personalize it.
Durham at a Glance
Key facts and current data
Population291,467
Median Household Income$81,619
Median Home Value$392,800
Median Gross Rent$1,508
Median Age35.1
Average Household Size2.2
Unemployment3.8%
Work From Home23.3%
Homeownership52.3%
Housing Vacancy7.5%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year.
Durham is large enough to contain meaningfully different residential, commercial and employment areas rather than functioning as one uniform market.
Experience the Area
Experience Life in Durham Before You Move
Explore Short-Term Stays in Durham →Stay options powered by Stay22 · affiliate
NarrowTheList highly recommends you spend a week or two in Durham and experience everyday life before deciding whether it is the right place to call home. Use that time to explore neighborhoods, drive your normal routes, shop where residents shop, and get a feel for the area at different times of day.
NarrowTheList Ratings
Data-driven starter ratings. More categories appear automatically as new datasets are added.
Housing & Cost of Living in Durham
Current housing indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau
Median Home Value$392,800
Median Gross Rent$1,508
Homeownership52.3%
Housing Vacancy7.5%
Home values are moderately high relative to local household income, making neighborhood-level price differences important for buyers. Renters make up a substantial share of the local housing market.
Jobs, Income & Remote Work
Employment and household-income context for Durham, NC
Median Household Income$81,619
Unemployment3.8%
Work From Home23.3%
The reported unemployment rate is relatively low. Working from home is relatively common among employed residents.
Population & Household Profile
Who lives in Durham and how households are structured
Population291,467
Median Age35.1
Average Household Size2.2
Durham is a large population center with enough scale for conditions to differ substantially across neighborhoods.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year. NarrowTheList presents these values as relocation context; conditions can vary within a community.
Climate & Weather in Durham
Long-term NOAA climate normals and practical seasonal context
NOAA climate normals for Durham point to hot summers, winters with regular freezing conditions, a wetter annual rainfall pattern and occasional snowfall.
Average Summer High87.0°F
Average Winter Low27.9°F
Annual Rainfall50.0 in.
Annual Snowfall5.2 in.
Seasonal Life in Durham
What the long-term climate pattern may mean for everyday living.
Spring
Spring is a good time to see how wetter conditions affect drainage, yards, commuting and the usability of outdoor spaces.
Summer
Summer is warm enough that shade and cooling still matter, but the typical high is below the extreme-heat range seen in many hotter U.S. markets.
Fall
Fall marks a substantial seasonal transition here. It is a useful time to judge how quickly temperatures change and whether that seasonal swing fits the lifestyle you want.
Winter
Freezing winter lows make heating, icy conditions and cold-weather routines worth evaluating even if annual snowfall is limited.
Source: NOAA/NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Seasonal descriptions are relocation context derived from the available long-term normals, not a forecast.
County Intelligence
Durham & Its Counties
Data Pending
Foreclosure Activity
Durham spans Durham, Orange and Wake counties.
Living in a community that crosses county lines can make location within Durham especially important. Property taxes, housing characteristics, public services and other county-level factors may vary depending on which part of the community you call home.
Current NarrowTheList data for Durham shows a population of about 291,467. These local figures become more useful when read together with county-level tax, housing, foreclosure and demographic conditions rather than treated as isolated city statistics.
Foreclosure Activity: Data Pending. A county-specific foreclosure signal is not available yet.
For someone comparing homes, county boundaries can matter because taxes, public services, court and recording systems, assessment practices and housing-market conditions are often administered or reported at the county level. NarrowTheList keeps that county relationship attached to the community so future tax, foreclosure, housing and demographic data can be interpreted in the correct geographic context.
County relationship
Durham County, Orange County and Wake County
How NarrowTheList uses it
NarrowTheList connects Durham with all 3 of its counties rather than assigning the community to only one. As additional county data becomes available, those differences can be compared alongside city-level information to help identify which parts of the area may better fit your priorities.
Nearby Cities & Communities
Nearby incorporated cities, towns, villages and other municipalities shown by straight-line distance.