The county was formed on April 17, 1881, from parts of Orange County and Wake County, taking the name of its own county seat. In 1911 parts of Cedar Fork Township of Wake County was transferred to Durham County and became Carr Township.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Major highways
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 223,314 people, 89,015 households, and 54,032 families residing in the county. The population density was 769 people per square mile. There were 95,452 housing units at an average density of 329 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 50.91% White, 39.46% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 3.29% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.21% from other races, and 1.80% from two or more races. 7.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 89,015 households out of which 29.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.00% were married couplesliving together, 14.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.30% were non-families. 30.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county, the age distribution was as follows: 22.90% under the age of 18, 12.80% from 18 to 24, 34.80% from 25 to 44, 19.80% from 45 to 64, and 9.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $43,337, and the median income for a family was $53,223. Males had a median income of $35,939 versus $30,683 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,156. About 9.80% of families and 13.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.20% of those under age 18 and 12.30% of those age 65 or over.
Law and government
Durham County is a member of the regional Triangle J Council of Governments. Durham County is governed by a five-member board of county commissioners, currently consisting of Chair Wendy Jacobs, Vice Chair James Hill, Brenda A. Howerton, Heidi Carter, and Ellen W. Reckhow. Each elected member serves a four-year term.
Communities
The city of Durham is the only incorporated municipality to predominantly exist within Durham County, and the only one whose urban core lies within the county, though small portions of municipalities from neighboring counties extend into Durham County, and the city of Durham also itself extends slightly into neighboring counties. All other towns and places within Durham County are unincorporated communities.
