Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, home to about 61,607 people across 22 square miles. Its ZIP codes are 27514, 27516, 27517 and 27599.
Homes sold for a median of $284 per square foot across 3 ZIP codes in the three months ending August 2026, and 1 of 3 were seller’s markets.
Mostly Chapel Hill
Mostly Chapel Hill; also Carrboro and Briar Chapel
Mostly Chapel Hill; also Durham and Governors Village
All in Chapel Hill
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Chapel Hill. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Chapel Hill’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)15 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Durham, NC9 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Philadelphia, PA354 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Chapel Hill; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Chapel Hill had 61,960 residents in the 2020 census, up 27% since 2000.
It’s the 17th largest of 771 towns in North Carolina by population.
Orange County grew from 14,690 residents in 1900 to 148,696 in 2020.
Orange County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 90°F in summer, and winter lows average 32°F. About 43.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Chapel Hill Williams Ap, NC weather station (about a mile away).
51,807 jobs at 3,491 businesses in Orange County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
5,075 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Chapel Hill’s ZIP codes.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 541 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 1,685 |
| Dentists | 390 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 734 |
| Mental health providers | 1,193 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 485 |
| Optometrists | 15 |
| Chiropractors | 32 |
| Pharmacies | 42 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (34 nearby)
Grocery stores (19 nearby)
Pharmacies (9 nearby)
Libraries (12 nearby)
Museums (3 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (8 nearby)
Counts are within about 3 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1793.
Colleges and universities
Sports teams
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Orange County Schools, Chatham County Schools and others. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ephesus ElementaryChapel Hill | Pre-K–5 | 410 | Public | 1.8 mi |
| Estes Hills ElementaryChapel Hill | Pre-K–5 | 336 | Public | 1.1 mi |
| FPG ElementaryChapel Hill | Pre-K–5 | 536 | Public | 2.1 mi |
| McDougle ElementaryChapel Hill | Pre-K–5 | 497 | Public | 3.2 mi |
| Morris Grove ElementaryChapel Hill | Pre-K–5 | 383 | Public | 4.6 mi |
| New Hope ElementaryChapel Hill | Pre-K–5 | 528 | Public | 7.2 mi |
| North Chatham ElementaryChapel Hill | Pre-K–5 | 588 | Public | 6.7 mi |
| Northside ElementaryChapel Hill | Pre-K–5 | 412 | Public | 1.1 mi |
| Rashkis ElementaryChapel Hill | Pre-K–5 | 455 | Public | 2.0 mi |
| Scroggs ElementaryChapel Hill | Pre-K–5 | 410 | Public | 3.1 mi |
| Seawell ElementaryChapel Hill | Pre-K–5 | 416 | Public | 2.4 mi |
| UNC Hospital SchoolChapel Hill | Pre-K–12 | — | Public | 1.1 mi |
| Glenwood ElementaryChapel Hill | K–5 | 390 | Public | 1.3 mi |
| Woods CharterChapel Hill | K–12 | 515 | Charter | 8.1 mi |
| Culbreth MiddleChapel Hill | 6–8 | 632 | Public | 2.4 mi |
| Margaret B. Pollard MiddleChapel Hill | 6–8 | 736 | Public | 8.0 mi |
| McDougle MiddleChapel Hill | 6–8 | 659 | Public | 3.1 mi |
| Phillips MiddleChapel Hill | 6–8 | 600 | Public | 1.2 mi |
| Smith MiddleChapel Hill | 6–8 | 763 | Public | 2.5 mi |
| Phoenix Academy HighChapel Hill | 8–12 | 27 | Alternative Education | 1.7 mi |
| Chapel Hill HighChapel Hill | 9–12 | 1,608 | Public | 2.8 mi |
| East Chapel Hill HighChapel Hill | 9–12 | 1,419 | Public | 3.0 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson Waldorf SchoolChapel Hill | Pre-K–12 | 266 | Nonsectarian | 5.1 mi |
| Montessori Day SchoolChapel Hill | Pre-K–4 | 19 | Nonsectarian | 1.7 mi |
| St Thomas More Catholic SchoolChapel Hill | Pre-K–8 | 351 | Roman Catholic | 1.2 mi |
| Holy Youth Christian AcademyChapel Hill | K–8 | 75 | Other religious | 5.1 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Carrboro, Durham, Briar Chapel, Governors Village, Governors Club and Carolina Meadows.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.