ZIP Code 27517 — Chapel Hill town, NC Demographics & Data

ZIP code 27517 covers Chapel Hill, NC in Chatham County with a population of about 28,676.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 43.1 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area codes 919, 984; U.S. House district NC-4; the RALEIGH - DURHAM (FAYETVLLE) media market.

Chapel Hill, NC aligns with a tech / corporate-campus profile (high remote-work / education / income profile or known campus context). Broadband quality, remote-work share, and nearby employer campuses often matter as much as classic residential stats.

Median household income in ZIP 27517 is about $124,821 — about 66% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 4.8%; unemployment rate near 2.7%; 74.8% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 41.1 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Education, Healthcare, and Professional services; about 28.6% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 13.4 points above the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $571,900 — about 64% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,365 (about 17% above the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 67.4% (about 2.0 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 27517 in Chapel Hill, NC, a household would need roughly $157,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $3,674. That is about 26% above the local median household income ($124,821), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Chapel Hill town, NC as Relatively Low (composite score 67.2), which is near the middle of the national distribution. The strongest component scores on US5 are hurricane (83.4) and flood (74.4). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Chapel Hill town, NC show little to no average snow and around 48.9 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 1,191 for ZIP 27517 (Chapel Hill town, NC) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.