City safety & data profile

Chapel HillNC

Chapel Hill, NC is a 60K-resident city in Orange County with a median household income of $85,989.

Orange County, North Carolina. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Chapel Hill, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Chapel Hill has a population larger than 83% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, a median home value of $613,700, and 1 hospital serving the surrounding area.

Data updated 2026-07-20

60K
Population
Top 17%
By size
$85,989
Median income
$613,700
Median home
18.6%
Poverty rate

The read on Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill posts a median household income higher than 56% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 1 hospital serves the Chapel Hill area.

Top 44%
by median income, US cities
1
hospital in & near Chapel Hill

Where Chapel Hill income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$85,989 Top 44% higher than 56% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). This entry sits in this band. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. NC $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Chapel Hill, NC beyond the headline numbers

Chapel Hill sits inside Orange County, North Carolina, at roughly 35.91°N, -79.06°W. Population 59,568, $85,989 median household income. Median home value $613,700, median rent $1,613. Poverty rate 18.6%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Chapel Hill's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 30.3%, then obesity at 26.8%. 1 hospital in/around Chapel Hill, 5/5 avg rating, 1 with an ER.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Chapel Hill from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
59,568
Chapel Hill
Median Income
$85,989
+26% vs avg
Median Home Value
$613,700
+169% vs avg
Median Age
25.8
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Orange County) - Chapel Hill's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
150K+10%
Median Income
$90,089+62%
Median Home Value
$459,500+69%
Poverty Rate
12.5%-30%
Unemployment
3.6%-52%

Economics

Economics indicators for Chapel Hill, NC
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,613/mo
Poverty Rate
18.6% +31% vs avg
Unemployment 4.5%
Bachelor's Degree+ 76.6%
Work From Home 28.1%
Public Transit 7%

Population

White 64.9%
African American 11.4%
Asian 13.4%
Two or More Ethnicities 2.7%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
30.3%
Obesity
26.8%
High Blood Pressure
25.4%
Physical Inactivity
18.7%
Frequent Mental Distress
18.2%
Binge Drinking
15.8%
Current Asthma
10.6%
Frequent Physical Distress
9.6%
Current Smoking
9%
Lack of Health Insurance
8.3%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 67.2%
Annual Checkup 77.1%

Other Measures

Diabetes
7.2%
Coronary Heart Disease
4%
Stroke
2.1%

Hospitals 1 total

Rating Distribution
★★★★★
1
★★★★
0
★★★
0
★★
0
★
0
Average Rating
5/5
Total Hospitals
1
With ER
1
UNC HOSPITALS
CHAPEL HILL · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★★★★★

Frequently Asked Questions 6

What is the population of Chapel Hill, NC? ▼
Chapel Hill, NC has a population of 59,568 people, located in Orange County, North Carolina.
What is the median household income in Chapel Hill? ▼
The median household income in Chapel Hill, NC is $85,989 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 18.6%.
What is the median home value in Chapel Hill? ▼
The median home value in Chapel Hill, NC is $613,700. Median rent is $1,613/month.
What are the top health concerns in Chapel Hill? ▼
The top health indicators in Chapel Hill include Short Sleep Duration (30.3%), Obesity (26.8%), High Blood Pressure (25.4%). Data from CDC PLACES.
How many hospitals are in Chapel Hill? ▼
Chapel Hill has 1 hospital with an average rating of 5/5 stars. 1 have emergency departments.
What is the median age in Chapel Hill? ▼
The median age in Chapel Hill, NC is 25.8 years. 76.6% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Chapel Hill, NC is located in Orange County, North Carolina. With a population of 60K and a $85,989 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and obesity. Residents have access to 1 hospital with an average rating of 5/5 stars. Safety alerts for the Chapel Hill area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - North Carolina

Real-time AQI for every monitored North Carolina location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Carrboro, NC 21K Durham, NC 258K Morrisville, NC 24K Apex, NC 46K Mebane, NC 14K Cary, NC 160K Holly Springs, NC 31K Graham, NC 15K
All cities in North Carolina → Compare Chapel Hill vs Carrboro → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Chapel Hill's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Chapel Hill area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Chapel Hill against North Carolina peers on any ranking lens. Explore North Carolina

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Orange County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.