This data is based on ZIP codes 27514, 27516, 27517, 27599, 27707, which covers Chapel Hill and Carrboro and Durham.
The U.S. Census reports business data by ZIP code, not city boundaries. All numbers reflect the combined ZIP codes 27514, 27516, 27517, 27599, 27707 area shared across these towns.
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Chapel Hill ZIP Area Economy · 2023
Wages +3% vs. avg. Orange Co. town
Chapel Hill's ZIP area supports 63,596 jobs across 3,919 businesses, with workers earning an average of $61K per year, 3% above the Orange County average. The economy is well-diversified (0.85 index), led by professional services and healthcare. 86.1% of businesses have fewer than 20 employees, and each business employs an average of 16.2 people. Jobs grew 4.4% from the prior year while business count grew 2%.
Where Businesses Clusteri
Larger blocks have more businesses.
Local Specialization vs. Orange Avg.i
Industries sorted by relative concentration in this ZIP area.
Business Size Distributioni
3,919 businesses by employee count. 86.1% are small businesses (under 20 employees).
Micro (<5)
Small (5-9)
Small (10-19)
Medium (20-49)
Medium (50-99)
Large (100-249)
Major (250-499)
Economic Densityi
1.03
jobs per resident
16.2
employees per business
County avg: 13.8+17%
$63K
payroll per resident
$985K
payroll per business
Chapel Hill ZIP Area vs. Avg. Orange Co. Towni
All Industries in ZIP Areai
| Sector | Chapel Hill ZIP | Avg. Orange Co. | Spec. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Services | 691 | 346 | 1.0x |
| Healthcare | 593 | 265 | 1.1x |
| Food & Accommodation | 414 | 199 | 1.0x |
| Retail Trade | 386 | 190 | 1.0x |
| Other Services | 334 | 167 | 1.0x |
| Finance & Insurance | 282 | 113 | 1.2x |
| Real Estate | 272 | 126 | 1.0x |
| Construction | 209 | 141 | 0.7x |
| Admin Services | 159 | 89 | 0.9x |
| Education | 138 | 67 | 1.0x |
| Arts & Entertainment | 102 | 52 | 0.9x |
| Information | 84 | 42 | 1.0x |
| Wholesale Trade | 77 | 43 | 0.9x |
| Transportation | 34 | 20 | 0.8x |
| Manufacturing | 33 | 26 | 0.6x |
| Management | 12 | 5 | 1.2x |
| Agriculture | 5 | 5 | 0.5x |
| Utilities | 3 | 1 | 1.5x |