How many people live in Orange County, NC?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 152,900 people living in Orange County, NC. That makes Orange County the 21st-most populous county in North Carolina. It is home to 1.4% of people living in the state.
153K
population of Orange County, NC (2024)
1.4%
County share of the North Carolina population (2024)
About 152,900 people lived in Orange County, NC in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Orange County, NC’s age demographics?
About 26,200 Orange County, NC residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 17.1% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 18% of North Carolina’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 27,500 Orange County residents, or 18% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 21.6% of North Carolina’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Orange County, NC's population is aged 18–24 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Orange County, NC’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 66.6% of the Orange County, NC population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Orange County, NC also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic Asian (8.5%) than the US overall (6.5%).
In contrast, Orange County’s Hispanic population accounts for 10.8%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 11.2% of the county, compared with 12.6% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Orange County, NC has a higher share of a non-Hispanic white population than North Carolina as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Orange County, NC is Chapel Hill with about 61,100 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Orange County, NC ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Chapel Hill (pt.) | 61,090 |
| 2. | Carrboro | 21,079 |
| 3. | Hillsborough | 9,773 |
| 4. | Mebane (pt.) | 4,488 |
| 5. | Durham (pt.) | 145 |
| 6. | Balance of Orange County | 56,302 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
