HomeNorth CarolinaDurham County
Durham County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Durham County, North Carolina has a population of 332,353 across 286 square miles, up 5.8 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $53.29 bn in 2024, 8,282 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 296 7(a) approvals worth $229.8 m.
129 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Durham County
How many people live in Durham County
- Population332,353
- Households141,847
- Average household size2.34
- Median household income$82,316
- Median age36.1
- Median gross rent$1,508 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$389,400
- Home value to household income4.7 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income22.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher55.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree26.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over232,419
- Population under 1866,603
- Share under 1820.0 percent
- Population 65 and over48,164
- Share 65 and over14.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64217,586
- Civilian labor force184,245
- Unemployment rate3.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over69.3 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties6th of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents221st
Durham County is the 6th largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 4.7 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 20.0 percent against 14.5 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Durham County
Is Durham County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base5.78 percent
- Census 2020 base population324,863
- Births, 20244,139
- Deaths, 20242,337
- Natural change, 20241,802
- Net domestic migration, 2024-1,162
- Net international migration, 20245,781
- Total net migration, 20244,619
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-461
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents439th
The county has grown 5.78 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Durham County
Where people moving to Durham County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving14,853
- People arriving, from those returns21,553
- Adjusted gross income arriving$1.19 bn
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$79,894
- Largest single originDurham County Non-migrants (115,990 households)
- Largest single destination (115,990 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durham County Non-migrants | 115,990 | 215,292 | $11.16 bn |
| Wake County | 3,535 | 5,016 | $267.1 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 3,109 | 4,579 | $252.9 m |
| Other flows - South | 1,405 | 2,109 | $101.3 m |
| Orange County | 1,178 | 1,742 | $91.5 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 685 | 981 | $56.7 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 589 | 845 | $46.4 m |
| Other flows - West | 430 | 644 | $48.5 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Durham County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Durham County
What the Durham County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$53.29 bn
- County GDP, 2023$49.01 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20248.7 percent
- GDP change over five years40.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Carolina counties3rd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents112th
- GDP per resident$160,344
Output grew 8.7 percent in the latest year and 40.6 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Durham County
Who employs people in Durham County
- Covered employment, annual average236,749
- Establishments reporting11,695
- Average annual pay$98,601
- Average weekly wage$1,896
- Sector 62, employment39,876
- Sector 62, average annual pay$76,521
- Sector 54, employment34,629
- Sector 54, average annual pay$137,833
- Sector 31-33, employment23,508
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$142,897
- Sector 61, employment23,108
- Sector 61, average annual pay$111,417
- Sector 72, employment15,505
- Sector 44-45, employment14,010
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 39,876 | 1,291 | $76,521 |
| Sector 54 | 34,629 | 2,636 | $137,833 |
| Sector 31-33 | 23,508 | 242 | $142,897 |
| Sector 61 | 23,108 | 269 | $111,417 |
| Sector 72 | 15,505 | 892 | $29,329 |
| Sector 44-45 | 14,010 | 930 | $41,743 |
| Sector 56 | 11,976 | 810 | $57,602 |
| Sector 52 | 10,950 | 536 | $143,800 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 39,876 jobs, 16.8 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Durham County
What businesses operate in Durham County
- Establishments, all industries8,282
- Employment at those establishments229,497
- Annual payroll$21.39 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents24.9
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Durham County
What is being built in Durham County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20242,905
- Declared construction value permitted$826.6 m
- Single family units authorised1,912
- Multifamily units authorised993
- Multifamily share of units34.2 percent
- Average declared value per unit$284,535
- Units authorised per 1,000 households20.5
Multifamily is 34.2 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Durham County
How much SBA lending happens in Durham County
- 7(a) approvals recorded296
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$229.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$776,479
- Median 7(a) approval$350,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$2,035,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)4,119
- Jobs per approval13.9
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active69
- Distinct industries receiving approvals126
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer14.2 percent
- Loans on real estate terms42
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter215
- Franchise loans66
- Franchise share of approvals22.3 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (18)
- Most active lenderWells Fargo Bank National Association (25)
- 504 approvals recorded74
- 504 gross approval dollars$47.7 m
- Average 504 approval$644,676
- Median 504 approval$454,000
- Distinct CDCs active5
- 504 jobs per approval10.5
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved16.3
- Most active CDCBusiness Expansion Funding Corporation (38)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals80.0 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$277.5 m
The average approval of $776,479 sits well above the median of $350,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 14.2 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Durham County
Do SBA loans in Durham County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded52
- Paid in full49
- Charged off3
- Charge off rate on resolved loans5.8 percent
- Status: Paid in full49
- Status: Exempt from disclosure199
- Status: Cancelled33
- Status: Charged off3
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed12
Of the 52 loans that have reached a final outcome, 5.8 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Durham County
Which parts of Durham County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending9
- DURHAM, approvals280
- Chapel Hill, approvals6
- CARY, approvals3
- BAHAMA, approvals2
- Research Park Triangle, approvals1
- MORRISVILLE, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| DURHAM | 280 | $218,075,600 |
| Chapel Hill | 6 | $1,978,500 |
| CARY | 3 | $5,765,500 |
| BAHAMA | 2 | $334,700 |
| Research Park Triangle | 1 | $350,000 |
| MORRISVILLE | 1 | $1,000,000 |
| PHILADELPHIA | 1 | $987,000 |
| Rougemont | 1 | $368,500 |
DURHAM accounts for 280 approvals against 6 in Chapel Hill. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Durham County
How big is Durham County
- Land area286 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties84th of 100
- Width, east to west17.8 mi
- Height, north to south26 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land1,162
- Establishments per square mile28.96
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Durham County
What hazards affect Durham County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book3
- Of those, participating in the NFIP3
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 7
- Communities carrying a CRS class2
The EPA places the county in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The best Community Rating System class in the county is 7, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for properties in the participating community.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Durham County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Durham County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population332,353
- Households141,847
- Average household size2.34
- Median household income$82,316
- Median age36.1
Common questions
Durham County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Durham County, North Carolina?
332,353, in 141,847 households, ranking 6th of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Durham County growing?
The population has grown 5.78 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 4,139 births against 2,337 deaths, with net migration of 4,619. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Durham County?
$82,316. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $389,400, which is 4.7 times income, and median gross rent is $1,508 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Durham County?
8,282 establishments, employing 229,497 people with an annual payroll of $21.39 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Durham County?
Average annual pay is $98,601, or $1,896 a week, across 236,749 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Durham County?
296 7(a) approvals totalling $229.8 m since FY2020, across 69 lenders, with a median approval of $350,000, plus 74 504 approvals worth $47.7 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Durham County get paid back?
Of the 52 loans that have reached a final outcome, 49 were paid in full and 3 charged off, a charge off rate of 5.8 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Durham County?
2,905 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $826.6 m. Multifamily was 34.2 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Durham County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Durham County come from?
The largest single origin is Durham County Non-migrants, with 115,990 households. Arriving households report an average income of $79,894 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Durham County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Durham County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.