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 Economic & Community Development |
| Demographics |
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Population |
The 2000 population of Carrboro was 16,782. This is a 45 percent increase from 1990, the highest percentage increase in Orange county. Carrboro added over 5,200 people to its population between 1990 and 2000. About 62 percent of the people that were added to Orange county in the 1990s were added in either Carrboro or Chapel Hill. The following pages will highlight important demographic changes that have taken place over the past decade. |
Ethnic Composition |
Carrboro has the highest Hispanic/Latino population in Orange county with 2,062. This was a 936 percent increase from 1990 when the Hispanic/Latino population was 199. This group accounts for 12.3 percent of the population. Specifically, those with a Mexican origin have increased from 64 in 1990 to 1,530 in 2000. That is a 2,291 percent increase. This sub-group accounts for 9.1 percent of the population in Carrboro.
Note regarding the chart: The reason the Hispanic/Latino population cannot be shown in this chart is because of the way the census defines Hispanic origin. A person can be of any race and be of Hispanic/Latino origin. If one’s origin is either Mexican-American, Chicano, Mexican, Mexicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or Central or South American then one is considered of Hispanic/Latino origin.
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Age Composition |
The combined age groups of the years 20 to 54 make up more than 69 percent of Carrboro’s total population. The percent changes from 1990 highlights some changes worthy of notice. The age group of 20 to 24 have decreased 5 percent since 1990, an indication of a decline of the proportion of undergraduate students living in Carrboro. The population increased in the rest of the age groups between 25 to 54 since 1990. This points to the growing trend of Carrboro’s population as a community of graduate students, young professionals, married couples and families. The school age population (age 5 to 19) has increased from 1,281 in 1990 to 2,653 in 2000. This is a 107 percent increase. This raises obvious concerns about school overcrowding and the need to build more schools and hire more teachers. Along with this increase in children, married couple families with children under 18 increased by 91 percent. About 25 percent of the households in Carrboro are now "family" households, defined as having individuals under the age of 18. All of this points to the fact that Carrboro has become a place where families desire to live. The biggest increase took place in the age groups of 45 to 54 and those over the age of 85. The largest age group in Carrboro is the 25 to 34 age group. They account for about 25 percent of the population. |
Age |
Number |
% of Population |
% Change from 1990 |
| Under 5 Years |
905 |
5.4 |
63% |
| 5 to 9 Years |
934 |
5.6 |
97% |
| 10 to 14 Years |
844 |
5.0 |
122% |
| 15 to 19 Years |
875 |
5.2 |
104% |
| 20 to 24 Years |
3,221 |
19.2 |
-5% |
| 25 to 34 Years |
4,177 |
24.9 |
23% |
| 35 to 44 Years |
2,587 |
15.4 |
73% |
| 45 to 54 Years |
1,722 |
10.3 |
173% |
| 55-59 Years |
367 |
2.2 |
117% |
| 60 to 64 Years |
292 |
1.7 |
23% |
| 65 to 74 Years |
402 |
2.4 |
26% |
| 75 to 84 Years |
315 |
1.9 |
110% |
| 85 Years and Over |
141 |
0.8 |
513% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau |
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Housing |
Carrboro continues to be mostly a community consisting of rental units as 68 percent of the housing stock is renter occupied. However, in the last ten years owner occupied housing has increased at a rate three times faster than that of rental housing. Rental housing increased 22 percent in the 1990s while owner occupied housing jumped 74 percent. In 1990, owner occupied housing accounted for 22.4 percent of the housing stock and in 2000 it accounted for 32 percent. In 1980, owner occupied housing only comprised 21.2 percent of the housing stock.
Carrboro continues to have the highest population density in the state. Density increased from 2,584 persons/square mile in 1990 to 3,753 persons/square mile in 2000.
The median cost of an owner-occupied housing unit in Carrboro in 2000 was $143,242. This is up from $93,008 in 1990, a 54 percent increase (Source: AnySite Technologies, LLC, 2000). |
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Income |
The 2000 per capita income for Carrboro is $22,303 and the median household income is $35,273. This is much lower than the median household income level of the Raleigh-Durham metro area which is around $66,000. The household income levels of Carrboro break roughly into equal thirds. Thirty percent of the households earn less than $20,000 a year. Thirty five percent of the households make between $20,000 and $50,000 a year, while 35 percent of households make more than $50,000 a year. |
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Household Expenditures |
| 2000 Total Avg. HH Expenditures |
$42,082 |
| 2000 Avg. HH Expenditure on Auto |
$6,008 |
| at Restaurant |
$2,597 |
| on Healthcare/Insurance |
$1,601 |
| on Home Improvement |
$1,595 |
| on Travel |
$934 |
| on Audio/Video |
$783 |
| on Liquor |
$664 |
| on Accounting & Legal |
$567 |
| on Jewelry |
$444 |
| at Beauty, Barber |
$240 |
| on Pets |
$227 |
| on Lawn Services |
$170 |
| at Florists |
$156 |
| at Cleaning/Laundry |
$126 |
| on Rental Services |
$111 |
| on Moving & Storage |
$108 |
| on Caterers |
$68 |
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Economy |
Employment |
Current employment levels in Carrboro are strong with a 2000 unemployment rate of 3.6 percent. This is better than the national unemployment rate of 4 percent but higher than the Raleigh-Durham rate of 1.8 percent. The overwhelming majority of employment in Carrboro is concentrated in two sectors, services and retail. These two sectors provide 73 percent of the employment in Carrboro. A detailed breakdown of these two sectors appears below.
Some of the biggest employers in Carrboro are the school system, businesses that provide services to other businesses, management services, grocery stores, and restaurants.
Source: Axiom, MapInfo Corporation, 2000 |
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Category |
Number of Businesses |
Number of Employees |
| Services Detail |
193 |
1,395 |
| Educational Services |
7 |
229 |
| Business Services |
33 |
200 |
| Other Services |
18 |
185 |
| Management Services |
21 |
176 |
| Amusement & Recreational Services |
14 |
131 |
| Child Day Care Services |
8 |
104 |
| Laboratories |
5 |
85 |
| Engineering Services |
14 |
57 |
| Personal Services |
29 |
48 |
| Membership Organizations, Excluding Religious |
3 |
39 |
| Hospitals |
0 |
32 |
| Nursing & Personal Care Facilities |
1 |
25 |
| Auto Repair |
9 |
23 |
| Miscellaneous Repair Services |
4 |
17 |
| Religious Organizations |
6 |
16 |
| Offices & Clinics of Health Practitioners |
10 |
15 |
| Retail Trade Detail |
92 |
897 |
| Grocery Stores |
8 |
266 |
| Restaurants |
21 |
257 |
| Other Retail Establishments |
19 |
126 |
| Drug Stores |
4 |
48 |
| Apparel Stores |
6 |
29 |
| Sporting Goods & Bicycles |
2 |
13 |
| Motor Vehicle Dealers |
3 |
10 |
| Furniture Stores |
6 |
8 |
| Gasoline Service Stations |
2 |
7 |
| Hardware |
1 |
6 |
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