The 10 Best Neighborhoods In Durham, NC For 2024


The best Durham neighborhoods are West End and Trinity Park for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Best Neighborhoods In Durham
Source: Public domain

What’s the best part of Durham?

It could be where everyone knows their neighbor. Or it could be where home prices are the highest, meaning it’s where everyone wants to live.

Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Durham are the best based on Saturday Night Science.

Whether you live in the sticks or in an apartment building downtown, you want a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood offers different perks and benefits.

Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits — less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Durham neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?

If you’re thinking of moving to North Carolina and Durham is on the top of your list, check out the best neighborhoods for 2024.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The Best Neighborhoods In Durham For 2024

  1. West End
  2. Trinity Park
  3. Walltown
  4. Lyon Park
  5. Morrehead Hill
  6. Northeast Central Durham
  7. Old West Durham
  8. Fayetteville Street Corridor
  9. St. Teresa
  10. Colonial Village

So what’s the best neighborhood to live in Durham for 2024? According to the most recent census data, West End looks to be the best Durham neighborhood to live in.

Read on to see how we determined the places around Durham that deserve a little bragging rights, or maybe you’re interested in the worst neighborhoods in Durham.

For more North Carolina reading, check out:

The 10 Best Neighborhoods To Live In Durham

1. West End

Population: 1,015
Median Home Value: $299,859 (Eighth best)
Median Income: $29,666 (32nd best)
More on West End: Real Estate

2. Trinity Park

Population: 2,538
Median Home Value: $272,201 (12th best)
Median Income: $45,654 (16th best)
More on Trinity Park: Real Estate

3. Walltown

Population: 1,871
Median Home Value: $271,157 (13th best)
Median Income: $53,573 (12th best)
More on Walltown: Real Estate

4. Lyon Park

Population: 759
Median Home Value: $133,717 (3best)
Median Income: $39,700 (20th best)
More on Lyon Park: Real Estate

5. Morrehead Hill

Population: 843
Median Home Value: $342,715 (Third best)
Median Income: $35,473 (26th best)
More on Morrehead Hill: Real Estate

6. Northeast Central Durham

Population: 3,521
Median Home Value: $83,731 (39th best)
Median Income: $25,537 (38th best)
More on Northeast Central Durham: Real Estate

7. Old West Durham

Population: 2,626
Median Home Value: $295,814 (11th best)
Median Income: $42,458 (19th best)
More on Old West Durham: Real Estate

8. Fayetteville Street Corridor

Population: 9,098
Median Home Value: $140,515 (28th best)
Median Income: $27,210 (37th best)
More on Fayetteville Street Corridor: Real Estate

9. St. Teresa

Population: 249
Median Home Value: $359,836 (Second best)
Median Income: $59,097 (Eighth best)
More on St. Teresa: Real Estate

10. Colonial Village

Population: 545
Median Home Value: $137,362 (29th best)
Median Income: $44,091 (18th best)
More on Colonial Village: Real Estate

Methodology: How We Determined The Best Durham, NC Neighborhoods In 2024

To rank the best neighborhoods in Durham, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.

Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:

  • High incomes
  • Low unemployment rates
  • Low crime
  • High home prices
  • High population densities (A proxy for things to do)

We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 41 in each category, where 1 was the best.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.

And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Durham.” We’re lookin’ at you, West End.

Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Durham, North Carolina has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.

We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Durham.

Summary: Putting A Bow On Our Analysis Of The Best Neighborhoods In Durham

If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Durham where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.

The best neighborhoods in Durham are West End, Trinity Park, Walltown, Lyon Park, Morrehead Hill, Northeast Central Durham, Old West Durham, Fayetteville Street Corridor, St. Teresa, and Colonial Village.

As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Durham aren’t all good. Duke Homestead takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Durham.

The worst neighborhoods in Durham are Duke Homestead, Omah Street Citizens, Latta Road, North Garrett Road Community, and Parkwood.

We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below.

For more North Carolina reading, check out:

Best Neighborhoods To Live In Durham For 2024 Detailed Data

Rank Neighborhood Population Home Value Median Income
1 West End 1,015 $299,859 $29,666
2 Trinity Park 2,538 $272,201 $45,654
3 Walltown 1,871 $271,157 $53,573
4 Lyon Park 759 $133,717 $39,700
5 Morrehead Hill 843 $342,715 $35,473
6 Northeast Central Durham 3,521 $83,731 $25,537
7 Old West Durham 2,626 $295,814 $42,458
8 Fayetteville Street Corridor 9,098 $140,515 $27,210
9 St. Teresa 249 $359,836 $59,097
10 Colonial Village 545 $137,362 $44,091
11 Y. E. Smith Community Organization 2,043 $81,073 $32,460
12 Rockwood 800 $308,157 $57,956
13 East Durham 8,949 $86,897 $28,730
14 Forest Hills 1,647 $342,482 $36,831
15 Southwest Central Durham 5,272 $238,098 $34,215
16 Parkside 139 $308,616 $76,071
17 Tuscaloosa-Lakewood 1,493 $299,859 $38,481
18 Albright Community 826 $100,829 $28,532
19 Plum Street 262 $83,749 $23,602
20 Valley Run 261 $263,643 $32,204
21 Duke University 8,814 $299,859 $25,247
22 Hope Valley 9,260 $444,276 $67,904
23 Burch Avenue 533 $299,859 $24,844
24 Lakewood Park 646 $189,799 $37,969
25 Old North Durham 1,835 $110,656 $35,838
26 Northgate Park 1,455 $137,362 $44,747
27 Watts Hospital-Hillandale 2,787 $240,189 $55,992
28 Southeast Durham Joint Community Council 715 $115,922 $30,008
29 Campus Hill 488 $113,703 $27,722
30 Duke Park 2,162 $177,479 $46,012
31 South Durham 26,198 $218,267 $70,538
32 Duke Forest 2,753 $245,167 $33,147
33 Stadium Heights 1,207 $209,480 $38,955
34 Wellons Village 1,636 $82,410 $28,669
35 Orange County Courtesy Review Area 535 $222,463 $48,524
36 Croasdaile Farm 2,491 $249,823 $59,698
37 Parkwood 2,806 $170,885 $67,648
38 North Garrett Road Community 2,691 $223,473 $59,098
39 Latta Road 2,029 $181,507 $81,203
40 Omah Street Citizens 230 $184,116 $56,359
41 Duke Homestead 1,226 $132,833 $48,778
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.