Chatham County, NC

County

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2024 Population

80,151

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Poverty Rate

11%

5.49% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$94,317

6.53% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$446,200

12.2% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

37,759

3.92% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Chatham County, NC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

93.4% of the residents in Chatham County, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Chatham County, NC was $446,200, and the homeownership rate was 80.6%.

Most people in Chatham County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 28.4 minutes. The average car ownership in Chatham County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Chatham County, NC borders Alamance County, NC, Durham County, NC, Harnett County, NC, Lee County, NC, Moore County, NC, Orange County, NC, Randolph County, NC, and Wake County, NC.

United States North Carolina Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

Population & Diversity

Chatham County, NC is home to a population of 80.2k people, from which 93.4% are citizens. As of 2024, 10.4% of Chatham County, NC residents were born outside of the country (8.36k people).

In 2024, there were 6.98 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (55.7k people) in Chatham County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 7.98k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 5.49k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

93.4%

2024 Citizenship

93%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 93.4% of Chatham County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Chatham County, NC was 93%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Chatham County, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Chatham County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
55.7k ± 456
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
7.98k ± 443
Other (Hispanic)
5.49k ± 902

13.6%

Hispanic Population

10.9k people

13.6% of the people in Chatham County, NC are hispanic (10.9k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Chatham County, NC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
224,963 ± 11,520 people
India
83,219 ± 7,055 people
Honduras
48,247 ± 5,380 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 224,963 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 83,219 and Honduras with 48,247.

Foreign-Born Population

10.4%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

8.36k people

10.6%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

8.32k people

As of 2024, 10.4% of Chatham County, NC residents (8.36k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Chatham County, NC was 10.6%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Chatham County, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,763 ± 258
Gulf War (1990s)
994 ± 270
Korea
529 ± 167

Chatham County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.77 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Chatham County, NC.

Economy

The economy of Chatham County, NC employs 37.8k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Chatham County, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (5,416 people), Educational Services (4,554 people), and Manufacturing (4,378 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($132,031), Finance & Insurance ($120,839), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($109,698).

Employment

Occupations

37.8k

2024 Value

± 1,687

3.92%

1 Year growth

± 6.21%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chatham County, NC grew at a rate of 3.92%, from 36.3k employees to 37.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Chatham County, NC, are Management Occupations (5,855 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,044 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (3,033 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Chatham County, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

37.8k

2024 Value

± 1,687

3.92%

1 Year growth

± 6.21%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chatham County, NC grew at a rate of 3.92%, from 36.3k employees to 37.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Chatham County, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (5,416 people), Educational Services (4,554 people), and Manufacturing (4,378 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Chatham County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Chatham County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$60,880

Median earning men ± $3,918

$45,119

Median earning women ± $3,617

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($132,188), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($118,750), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($93,650).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($87,227), Information ($86,797), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($64,792).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Y-Axis

3.04%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.86M people employed in North Carolina. This represents a 3.04% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in North Carolina.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

166
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
151
Construction
128
Other Services (except Public Administration)

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$150k
Manufacturing
$118k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$73.4k
Construction

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Chatham County, NC was $446,200 in 2024, which is 1.34 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $397,800 to $446,200, a 12.2% increase. The homeownership rate in Chatham County, NC is 80.6%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Chatham County, NC have an average commute time of 28.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Chatham County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 13.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Chatham County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.07%.

Housing

Property

$446,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$14,553

$26,591

Median Property Taxes

±$1,271

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Chatham County, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Chatham County, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

80.6%

Homeownership

2024

68.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 80.6% of the housing units in Chatham County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 80.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Chatham County, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$94,317

Median Household Income

± $4,141

33k

Number of Households

± 1,555

In 2024, the median household income of the 33k households in Chatham County, NC grew to $94,317 from the previous year's value of $88,534.

The following chart displays the households in Chatham County, NC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Chatham County, NC is from North Carolina.

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.467 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.639% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in North Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (68%)
Worked At Home (22.5%)
Carpooled (6.23%)

In 2024, 68% of workers in Chatham County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (22.5%) and those who carpooled to work (6.23%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

28.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Chatham County, NC have a longer commute time (28.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.44% of the workforce in Chatham County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Chatham County, NC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Chatham County, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Chatham County, NC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 13.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Chatham County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.07%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

11% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Chatham County, NC (8.76k out of 79.3k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 75+ and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Chatham County, NC is White, followed by Hispanic and Black.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 11.7% of the children was living in poverty in Chatham County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 8.6%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 165 in Chatham County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 13.3 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

90.6% of the population of Chatham County, NC has health coverage, with 46.6% on employee plans, 9.53% on Medicaid, 19.1% on Medicare, 14% on non-group plans, and 1.29% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Chatham County, NC see 1,067 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,067 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1997 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 559 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.2% were men and 51.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,067 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Chatham County, NC

Primary care physicians in Chatham County, NC see an average of 1,067 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,067 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Chatham County, NC in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.9% under 18 years, 14.4% between 18 and 34 years, 39.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 24.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.2% were men and 51.8% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

9.35%

Uninsured

46.6%

Employer Coverage

9.53%

Medicaid

19.1%

Medicare

14%

Non-Group

1.29%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Chatham County, NC grew by 9.31% from 8.56% to 9.35%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Chatham County, NC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 56.5 in Chatham County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Chatham County, NC.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 30.7% in Chatham County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Chatham County, NC.