Durham, NC — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·North Carolina·Durham

Durham County · Durham-Chapel Hill · population 301,870

Big-city amenities
Durham, NC
Image: Wikipedia · Durham, North Carolina
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
62
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Durham stands

Steady, no major recent move.

Median home $399,509
1-year -2.7%
5-yr CAGR +5.5%
vs 5-yr peak -3.2%
Population +1.6%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2024-05$400k$182k$264k$347k$429k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
35/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
38/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
90/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,729/mo$1,285$1,559$1,833202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent131126100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 19.3
Lean buy

At a 19.3 price-to-rent ratio, Durham is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
36 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
67 · w22%
Distance from peak
71 · w18%
Population growth
74 · w16%
Rent YoY
55 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
77 · w10%
Long thesis

Durham has held up across the cycle: home values at $399,509 with +5.5% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Durham's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Durham

Durham is a city in Durham County, North Carolina, with an estimated population of 301,870. It anchors the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area. The population grew 1.6% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Durham is $399,509 as of 2026-04, down 2.7% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.5% annual growth (-3.2% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Durham average $1,729 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+1.5%). The composite momentum score is 62 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +5.5% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Net positive migration: population up 1.6% per year — demand fundamentals are intact.

▼ Bear case

●Cooling: -2.7% over the trailing year — momentum has stalled.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Durham (Wikipedia)

Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The county seat of Durham County, small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County and Wake County. Durham is the 4th-most populous city in North Carolina and 70th-most populous city in the United States with a population of 283,506 at the 2020 census. The city is located in the east-central part of the Piedmont region along the Eno River. The four-county Durham–Chapel Hill metropolitan area has an estimated 620,000 residents, while the greater Research Triangle area has a population of over 2.37 million people.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorLeonardo Williams (D)
Area116.19 sq mi
Elevation404 ft
IncorporatedApril 10, 1869
Density2457.51/sq mi
Named forBartlett S. Durham

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Durham County right now.

NWS active alerts (NC)North Carolina Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Durham County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Durham

100 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Surrey Green$956,271+4.0%
2Croasdaile$886,167+4.0%
3Mary Dell$860,253+3.0%
4The Hills at Southpoint$854,912-3.2%
5Duke Forest$837,024+3.1%
6Trinity Heights$781,506+2.7%
7Forest Hills$741,364+1.4%
8Carillon Forest$737,696-1.6%
9Trinity Park$677,966-0.3%
10Huntington Ridge$661,216-0.4%
11Fairfield$651,144-0.9%
12Lochn'ora$635,893+0.7%
13Hope Valley Green$635,628-0.5%
14Waterford$628,501+2.7%
15Bent Creek / Woodberry Forest$623,405+4.7%
16Colony Park$611,486-1.0%
17Myers Park/Beechgrove$611,114+5.9%
18Lakehurst$610,223-0.7%
19Chancellor's Ridge$601,471+0.9%
20Anderson St. / Wrightwood Park$587,212+4.4%
21Treyburn$582,367-4.9%
22American Village$578,612+0.6%
23Wellington Forest$568,459-0.1%
24Old North Durham$563,525-0.6%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Durham

Raleigh, NC59 · StableConcord, NC65 · RisingCharlotte, NC65 · RisingCary, NC62 · Rising

Run the numbers for Durham

ToolCan I afford Durham?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Durham rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Durham to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolDurham cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
50° / 30°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
88° / 68°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
213
~58% of year
Annual precip
50″ rain
6″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
High
Tornado
Moderate
Wildfire
Low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
High

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Durham-Chapel Hill area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Durham listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
71%
Humid climate
Median household income
$67,500
North Carolina state median
Top industries (state-level)
Banking (Charlotte)Tech (RTP)Manufacturing

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

Cities similar to Durham

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