Orange County · North Carolina · South · 62k residents
Chapel Hill, NC: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Chapel Hill: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the North Carolina median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,540/wk. North Carolina's corporate income tax rate is 2.25%. Commercial electricity averages 10.6¢/kWh.
Compare Chapel Hill side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,540/wk
Corporate income tax
2.25%
Bachelor's degree or higher
76.6%
Commercial electricity
10.6¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Chapel Hill's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
67/100
Heating
Ranks Chapel Hill's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $613,700 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $190 |
| Property tax rate | 0.82% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,437/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,616/mo |
| State & local income tax | 3.15% |
| Sales tax | 7% |
| Corporate income tax | 2.25% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,540/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 76.6% |
| Commercial electricity | 10.6¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 35.3/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $135,620 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $84,350 |
| Wage: General manager | $113,930 |
| Wage: Customer service | $46,800 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $36,410 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $53,280 |
| Wage: Electrician | $59,220 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $31,790 |
| Cost of living index | 115 |
| Groceries index | 98 |
| Utilities | $155/mo |
| Transit pass | $55/mo |
| Gas price | $3.05/gal |
| Healthcare index | 100 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,050/mo |
| Median household income | $85,989 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% |
| Population | 62k |
| Crime index | 48/100 |
| School rating | 6.0/10 |
| Walkability | 34/100 |
| Disaster risk | 79/100 |
| Avg. commute | 25 min |
| Sunny days / year | 213 days |
| July high | 90°F |
| January low | 32°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | -1.0% |
| Home price MoM | -0.1% |
| Rent YoY | -0.1% |
| Rent MoM | +0.1% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | +1.4% |
| Building permits YoY | -2.5% |
| Ocean coast | 137 mi |
| Big lake | 75 mi |
| Mountains | 148 mi |
| Major airport | 14 mi |
| Ski resort | 139 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Carrboro, NC · 21k
- Durham, NC · 291k
- Morrisville, NC · 31k
- Apex, NC · 71k
- Mebane, NC · 20k
Similar size
- Burlington, NC · 60k
- Huntersville, NC · 64k
- Kannapolis, NC · 58k
- Rocky Mount, NC · 54k
- Wake Forest, NC · 53k
Real listings in Chapel Hill
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Chapel Hill a good place to run a business?
- North Carolina's corporate income tax rate is 2.25%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,540/wk; commercial electricity averages 10.6¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Chapel Hill, NC?
- Chapel Hill indexes at 115 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,616/mo and a acs median home value of $613,700.
- How much does a house cost in Chapel Hill?
- The acs median home value in Chapel Hill is $613,700 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Chapel Hill?
- A two-bedroom in Chapel Hill rents for about $1,616/mo.