Durham-Chapel Hill migration, mapped
In 2022–23, 31,969 people moved into the Durham metro and 31,997 moved out, a net of −28. Yellow arcs are people arriving, blue arcs are people leaving. Hover a dot to see the corridor, or click through to compare.
The map couldn’t load. The numbers below still tell the story.
† IRS methodology change in this year’s files (see methodology)
What the flows say
- Biggest published corridors: Raleigh, NC leads both directions, with 7,728 people in and 8,134 out in 2022–23. The listed corridors cover about 65–69% of all flows; the totals count everyone.
- Trend: net outflow has eased over the last three years, from −325 in 2020–21 to −28 in 2022–23†.
Population · 2025
625,485
▲ 1.2% year over year · growing
Peak population
625,485
highest in the series shown (since 2000)
Why the population is changing
- Growth driver: growth is led by international migration (+4,791); domestic migration added +663 in 2025.
- Peak population: the 2025 estimate of 625,485 is the highest on record, in data going back to 2000.
Net income flow · 2022–23
+$138M
▲ $1.8B arrived · $1.6B left
Avg household income · movers
$83k in · $79k out
arrivals out-earn leavers by 5%
Durham wealth migration
- Money moved: households moving into the Durham metro in 2022–23 reported $1.8B in income (AGI). Households leaving took $1.6B with them, a net gain of $138M.
- Income gap: the average household moving in reported $83k of income, vs $79k for leavers. Arrivals out-earn leavers by 5%.
About the data
Corridors are IRS county-to-county migration flows added up into metro areas (2023 Census metro definitions; exemptions ≈ people). "Rest of" entries cover a state's counties outside any featured metro. The IRS hides corridors with fewer than 20 returns, so the lists here cover about 65% of inbound and 69% of outbound movers in 2022–23. The in, out, and net totals count everyone. Income figures are the total income (AGI) movers reported, from the complete county totals. Dollars are not adjusted for inflation, and household averages divide by the number of returns. Population figures are Census Bureau estimates; the peak covers records since 2000. Years marked † had a change in how the IRS built the files. Full details on the methodology page.
Download this data (CSV), free to use with attribution.
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