Durham, Chapel Hill, Morrisville and Carrboro side by side: 2026 tax rates, high school results, August 2026 home values, Census income and commutes.
Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: Durham County’s tax rates, Orange County’s 2026 tax rates, Wake County’s table of tax rates, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 accountability data, Zillow Research, the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey and the towns’ own websites, linked below.
Durham’s three nearest neighbors that are towns are Chapel Hill, about nine miles southwest, Morrisville, about 10 miles southeast, and Carrboro, about 11 miles southwest, measured between the Census Bureau’s center points. They sit in three counties: Durham in Durham County, Chapel Hill and Carrboro mostly in Orange County, Morrisville mostly in Wake County. That means different county tax rates, different school systems and different services. Every figure below is from an official or published source, for the same year in all four places. This page does not rank them.
Property taxes
Each property pays its county’s rate plus its city or town rate, per $100 of assessed value. In the Orange County part of Chapel Hill and in Carrboro, property also pays the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district tax. These are the 2026 rates (fiscal 2026-27) from each county’s table:
| Place | County rate | City or town rate | School district tax | Combined | On a $400,000 assessed value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham | $0.5792 (Durham) | $0.4371 | None | $1.0163 | $4,065.20 |
| Chapel Hill (Orange County part) | $0.6805 (Orange) | $0.50 | $0.1479 | $1.3284 | $5,313.60 |
| Morrisville (Wake County part) | $0.5371 (Wake) | $0.35 | None | $0.8871 | $3,548.40 |
| Carrboro | $0.6805 (Orange) | $0.5653 | $0.1479 | $1.3937 | $5,574.80 |
Sources: Durham County, Orange County and Wake County. The $400,000 column is arithmetic on the published rates, before any exclusion. The parts of Chapel Hill and Morrisville in Durham County pay the Durham County rate instead: $1.0792 combined in Chapel Hill and $0.9292 in Morrisville, according to Durham County. Downtown Chapel Hill’s service district adds $0.055. Each county reappraises property on its own schedule, so the same house can carry a different assessed value in each county; compare bills, not just rates.
None of the four has a homestead exemption of its own. North Carolina’s relief programs for older, disabled and disabled-veteran homeowners are run by the counties: Durham County, Orange County and Wake County. More in our property tax guide.
City and town tax rates
Schools
The four places are served by three school systems, each assigning students by address:
- Durham: Durham Public Schools, 53.2% of state tests at grade level or above in 2025-26.
- Chapel Hill and Carrboro: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, 73.1%.
- Morrisville: the Wake County Public School System, 68.2%. The federal school directory lists no traditional high school in Morrisville; homes there are zoned for high schools in Cary.
These are the traditional high schools in each place, with 2025-26 figures from the state’s accountability data:
| Place | High school | At grade level | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durham | C.E. Jordan High | 57.9% | Met |
| Durham | Riverside High | 47.5% | Met |
| Durham | Hillside High | 41.2% | Met |
| Durham | Northern High | 33.4% | Not met |
| Durham | Southern School of Energy and Sustainability | 27.9% | Not met |
| Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill High | 76.3% | Exceeded |
| Chapel Hill | East Chapel Hill High | 74.5% | Exceeded |
| Carrboro | Carrboro High | 62.1% | Met |
“At grade level” is the share of state tests at grade level or above; “growth” is the state’s measure of whether students gained as much as expected in a year. Durham Public Schools also runs magnet and early college high schools filled by application, including Durham School of the Arts (77.4%) and City of Medicine Academy (above 95%). Which Durham high school a home is zoned for is on each page of our neighborhoods guide. More in our schools guide.
Home values
The Zillow Home Value Index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price. These are Zillow’s figures for each place.
| Place | August 2026 | August 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durham | $389,634 | $403,339 | -3.4% |
| Chapel Hill | $631,034 | $635,274 | -0.7% |
| Morrisville | $470,563 | $494,139 | -4.8% |
| Carrboro | $424,337 | $438,544 | -3.2% |
More on Durham in our home prices guide.
Census figures
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates, the same vintage for all four. Median home value here is what owners told the survey their homes were worth, a different measure from Zillow’s.
| Place | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Mean travel time to work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham | 291,467 | $81,619 | $392,800 | 22.3 minutes |
| Chapel Hill | 61,607 | $85,989 | $613,700 | 19.5 minutes |
| Morrisville | 31,422 | $125,396 | $518,800 | 21.8 minutes |
| Carrboro | 21,204 | $85,743 | $539,400 | 23.1 minutes |
The links go to each place’s Census QuickFacts page. More on Durham in our population guide.
Who provides city and town services
Each runs its own police and fire departments inside its limits: Durham (police news; see our police and fire log), Chapel Hill (police reports), Carrboro (police, fire-rescue) and Morrisville (police, fire). Trash service differs:
| Place | Trash |
|---|---|
| Durham | City curbside collection: garbage weekly, recycling every other week; see our trash and recycling guide |
| Chapel Hill | The town’s Solid Waste Services Division collects household trash and yard trimmings weekly, in town-issued carts |
| Carrboro | The town’s Public Works Department runs solid waste collection |
| Morrisville | GFL Environmental provides garbage, recycling and yard waste service to the town |
How to check an address
- Which city, town and county is it in? Look up the parcel on the county’s site: Durham County’s tax bill search, Orange County’s property tax information or Wake County’s iMAPS. A mailing address is not proof.
- Which schools? For Durham County, use the city’s school locator or call Durham Public Schools’ Office of Student Assignment at 919-560-2059. For Wake County, use the base school lookup. For Chapel Hill and Carrboro, ask Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.
- What will the tax be? Multiply the assessed value by the combined rate above, or use Orange County’s property tax calculator and our property tax guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which has lower property taxes, Durham, Chapel Hill, Morrisville or Carrboro?
For 2026 the combined rate per $100 of assessed value is $0.8871 in the Wake County part of Morrisville, $1.0163 in Durham, $1.3284 in the Orange County part of Chapel Hill and $1.3937 in Carrboro, from the counties’ rate tables. Each county sets values on its own schedule.
What is the typical home value in Durham compared with Chapel Hill?
In August 2026 the Zillow Home Value Index was $389,634 in Durham, $631,034 in Chapel Hill, $470,563 in Morrisville and $424,337 in Carrboro.
Do Chapel Hill and Carrboro pay a school tax?
Yes. Property in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district in Orange County pays a district tax of $0.1479 per $100 for 2026 in addition to the county and town rates, according to Orange County’s rate table.
How long is the commute from Durham?
The mean travel time to work was 22.3 minutes for Durham residents in the 2020-2024 American Community Survey, against 19.5 in Chapel Hill, 21.8 in Morrisville and 23.1 in Carrboro.
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