What County Is Durham, North Carolina In?

Durham is mostly in Durham County, North Carolina: more than 99% of its residents live there, the rest in Wake County and Orange County. Check a specific address near a county line. It is the county seat of Durham County. About 291,467 people live there (2020–2024 estimate). It uses Eastern Time and covers 120 sq mi (311 km²) of land. The nearest larger city or town is Raleigh, 18 mi southeast.

CharlotteRaleighGreensboro
Durham in North Carolina
Chapel HillGorman
Durham and its neighbors (simplified outlines). Open in OpenStreetMap ↗
Population, 2020–2024 estimate
291,467 ± 190
Land area
120 sq mi (311 km²)
Time zone
Eastern TimeUTC-05:00 in January; UTC-04:00 in July
Elevation
349 ft 106 m, ground height at the central point
Median household income
$81,619 ± $2,203
Median home value
$392,800 ± $6,855
Median rent, with utilities
$1,508 ± $31
Homes lived in by their owners
52.3% ± 0.9 points
Metro area
Durham-Chapel Hill, NCA principal city of the area
Water area
0.83 sq mi (2.15 km²)
State
North Carolina
Census place code
3719000
Coordinates (central point)
35.977928, -78.898109

These coordinates mark a central point for the area, not a street address. Population, income, home value, rent and homes lived in by their owners: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, ± margin at 90% confidence; checked on October 13, 2026.

County boundaries in Durham

  1. Durham County, North Carolina291,086 residents · over 99%
  2. Wake County, North Carolina276 residents · under 1%
  3. Orange County, North Carolina105 residents · under 1%

This place crosses county lines: residents by county are American Community Survey 2020–2024 estimates. A city name alone cannot identify the county for every address. It is one of the 943 cities and towns with residents in more than one county. Check a point on the county map.

Coordinates of Durham

35.977928, -78.898109 is a central point for Durham, not a street address. Convert these coordinates or share a map link.

Elevation in Durham

349 ft (106 m), the USGS ground height at Durham’s central point (3DEP terrain, 1/9 arc-second grid, NAVD 88). Ground height varies across town. Check elevation at another spot.

Sunrise and sunset in Durham

Longest day
14 hours 36 minutes around June 21
Shortest day
9 hours 43 minutes around December 21
Earliest sunrise
5:58 AM around June 13
Latest sunrise
7:42 AM the day before clocks go back in November
Earliest sunset
5:01 PM around December 6
Latest sunset
8:36 PM around June 29

Clocks go forward an hour on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November, so sunrise and sunset jump an hour later in March and an hour earlier in November.

Sunrise and sunset on the 15th of each month
DaySunriseSunsetDaylight
Jan 157:25 AM5:24 PM9 h 59 min
Feb 157:02 AM5:56 PM10 h 54 min
Mar 157:26 AM7:22 PM11 h 56 min
Apr 156:42 AM7:49 PM13 h 7 min
May 156:10 AM8:14 PM14 h 4 min
Jun 155:58 AM8:33 PM14 h 35 min
Jul 156:10 AM8:32 PM14 h 22 min
Aug 156:33 AM8:05 PM13 h 32 min
Sep 156:58 AM7:23 PM12 h 25 min
Oct 157:22 AM6:39 PM11 h 17 min
Nov 156:51 AM5:08 PM10 h 17 min
Dec 157:18 AM5:02 PM9 h 44 min

Approximate times for a flat horizon at the central point; the days move by a day or so from year to year. Hills and weather can change what you see.

Time zones in Durham

Durham uses Eastern Time (America/New_York).

Time zoneLocal time and UTC offsetNext clock change
Eastern TimeAmerica/New_YorkUTC-05:00 in January; UTC-04:00 in July. Enable JavaScript for the live clock.Enable JavaScript for upcoming changes.

Near a time-zone line, check where you are with the time-zone finder. Your phone’s setting can differ.

ZIP Code areas, largest first

  1. 2770363,458 people
  2. 2771359,197 people
  3. 2770751,274 people
  4. 2770549,923 people
  5. 2756040,792 people
  6. 2770440,102 people
  7. 2751729,564 people
  8. 2770124,793 people
  9. 2771224,299 people
  10. 2761720,237 people
  11. 275035,374 people
  12. 277083,253 people
All 13
  1. 277090 people

13 ZIP Code areas overlap Durham. People counts are 2020–2024 estimates for each whole ZIP area. Mailing ZIPs can differ; check an address with USPS ZIP Code Lookup.

Bordering areas, nearest first

Distances are straight lines between map points.

  1. Gorman, North Carolina (CDP)6.7 mi northeast
  2. Chapel Hill, North Carolina (town)8.7 mi southwest
  3. Morrisville, North Carolina (town)10 mi south
  4. Cary, North Carolina (town)14 mi south
  5. Raleigh, North Carolina (city)18 mi southeast

Before using this answer on a form

A city boundary, a CDP and a mailing city can mean different things.

Find the county where you are now, check its ZIP area, or check the time zone where you are.

See this place on Census.gov ↗

Areas that only touch the edge

These areas meet the boundary only along a sliver. Most addresses here are not in them; for an address near the line, check with the county.