What percentage of people rent in Durham, NC?

Name: Renters and owners in Durham, NC, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

47.7% (±0.9 points) of the occupied homes in Durham, NC are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 60,347 renting households against 66,203 that own their home.

In Durham, the share of households that rent went from 49.8% in 2015–2019 to 47.7% in 2020–2024 (−2.1 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 47.7% (±0.9 points)
Renting households: 60,347 (±1,344)
Median renter income: $57,602 (±$2,201)

Who rents and who owns in Durham

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Durham	Durham County	North Carolina	United States
Renter-occupied share	47.7% (±0.9 points)	44.5% (±0.9 points)	33.4% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	60,347 (±1,344)	63,123 (±1,435)	1,428,852 (±8,279)	45,017,354
Owning households	66,203 (±1,216)	78,724 (±1,330)	2,853,493 (±14,473)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.0 (±0.1)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.3 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.4 (±0.0)	2.4 (±0.0)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$57,602 (±$2,201)	$57,287 (±$1,955)	$48,010 (±$418)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$120,610 (±$3,402)	$117,812 (±$3,405)	$88,911 (±$521)	$100,009

In Durham, the renter share is higher than in Durham County (44.5%).

It is also higher than in North Carolina (33.4%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

Statewide, it ranks 114 of 663.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Durham has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	49.8% (±1.1 points)	47.7% (±0.9 points)	−2.1 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Median gross rent	$1,058 (±$15)	$1,508 (±$31)	+42.5%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$58,905 (±$1,744)	$81,619 (±$2,203)	+38.6%	Up after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Durham

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Durham
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Durham	—	47.7% (±0.9 points)	—
Gorman	6.7 mi	39.4% (±24.9 points)	Not measurably different
Chapel Hill	8.7 mi	52.6% (±2.1 points)	Higher
Morrisville	10 mi	54.6% (±3.8 points)	Higher
Carrboro	11 mi	56.5% (±3.3 points)	Higher
Governors Village	11 mi	39.9% (±13.9 points)	Not measurably different
Governors Club	13 mi	2.7% (±3.4 points)	Lower
Hillsborough	13 mi	36.2% (±6.2 points)	Lower
Butner	14 mi	26.2% (±6.2 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Governors Club, NC (2.7%), Hillsborough, NC (36.2%), Butner, NC (26.2%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Chapel Hill, NC (52.6%), Morrisville, NC (54.6%), Carrboro, NC (56.5%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

What you can do on Seayora in Durham

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Questions about Durham

How many renters are there in Durham?

Durham has an estimated 60,347 (±1,344) renting households, 47.7% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Durham?

In Durham, the share of households that rent went from 49.8% in 2015–2019 to 47.7% in 2020–2024 (−2.1 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

How big are renting households in Durham?

A renting household in Durham has 2.0 people on average, against 2.4 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Durham?

The median renting household in Durham, NC has an income of $57,602 (±$2,201) a year, against $120,610 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Durham city, North Carolina (place:19000, in state:37).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.