The city of Durham dominates the county—it’s both the county seat and by far the largest city, with a population of about 300,000. Durham makes up roughly eighty-five percent of the entire county’s population. The county itself has around 330,000 residents.

Outside of Durham proper, the main other community is the small town of Rougemont, plus a few unincorporated areas. The county is known for its mix of urban neighborhoods, universities, and tech and medical industries, all centered around the city of Durham itself. It’s a dense, growing urban county with very little rural land left.