The Town Files

Durham County, North Carolina

332,353 people. The median home is worth $389,400 (typical North Carolina town: $228,900) and the median household earns $82,316.

Towns in Durham County

Towns in Durham County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Durham283,506$392,800$81,61935.1

People and housing

Durham CountyTypical North Carolina town
Median home value$389,400$228,900
Median rent$1,508$969
Median household income$82,316$60,458
Median age36.141.1
Bachelor's degree or higher55.2%24.5%
Below the poverty line11.5%14.3%

Jobs and pay

236,749 jobs in 2024, average pay $98,601 a year.

Largest industries in Durham CountyHealth care & social assistan…39,876 jobs · $76,521Professional & technical serv…34,629 jobs · $137,833Manufacturing23,508 jobs · $142,897Education23,108 jobs · $111,417Hotels & restaurants15,505 jobs · $29,329Retail14,010 jobs · $41,743
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Durham County0%2%4%6%8%10%2000200420082012201620202023 3.1%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 538 storm events in Durham County from 1996 to 2026, with 4 deaths.

Storm events in Durham County by type since 1996Hail95Flood4Tornado7Lightning10Heavy Rain6Flash Flood94Strong Wind19Winter Storm30Excessive Heat7Winter Weather33
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Durham County has been included in 25 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
January 24, 2026Winter StormEM-3637: Severe Winter Storm
September 11, 2025Tropical DepressionDR-4889: Tropical Depression Chantal
September 26, 2024Tropical StormEM-3617: Hurricane Helene
August 6, 2024Tropical StormEM-3608: Tropical Storm Debby
October 1, 2022HurricaneEM-3586: Hurricane Ian
August 2, 2020HurricaneEM-3534: Hurricane Isaias
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).