Orange County, North Carolina
County seat: Hillsborough · Population 152,498 (2025) · 398 sq mi
Orange County is the 21st most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 152,498 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Hillsborough. It is part of the North Central Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 5 cities and towns and the 5 neighboring counties.
Orange County facts
- County seat
- Hillsborough
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 152,498 +2.6% since 2020
- Land area
- 398 sq mi 63rd largest of 100
- Water area
- 3 sq mi
- Population density
- 384 per sq mi
- Established
- 1752
- Same name
- One of 8 Orange Counties in the US
- Named after
- William V, Prince of Orange Prince of Orange, General Stadtholder of the United Provinces (1748-1806)
- Largest city
- Chapel Hill 60,643 in the county
- Median household income
- $90,089
- Cities and towns
- 5 plus 1 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 15
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37135
Cities and towns in Orange County
Orange County has 5 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Orange County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapel Hill | Town | 60,643 | Durham County |
| Carrboro | Town | 20,962 | |
| Hillsborough (county seat) | Town | 9,778 | |
| Mebane | City | 4,743 | Alamance County |
| Durham | City | 147 | Durham and Wake counties |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Efland | 1,611 |
ZIP codes in Orange County
15 ZIP codes reach into Orange County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 27231 also Caswell and Person counties
- 27243
- 27278 also Durham County
- 27302 also Alamance and Caswell counties
- 27510
- 27514
- 27516 also Chatham County
- 27517 also Chatham and Durham counties
- 27541 also Person and Caswell counties
- 27572 also Person, Durham and Granville counties
- 27583 also Person and Durham counties
- 27599
- 27705 also Durham County
- 27707 also Durham County
- 27712 also Durham County
Population of Orange County, 2020–2025
Orange County grew by 3,787 people (+2.6%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 1,159 more births than deaths and a net gain of 4,103 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 143,748 |
| 2021 | 148,919 |
| 2022 | 150,554 |
| 2023 | 151,717 |
| 2024 | 151,745 |
| 2025 | 152,498 |
Neighboring counties
- Alamance County west · 186,177 people
- Durham County east · 347,240 people
- Chatham County south · 85,111 people
- Person County north · 40,636 people
- Caswell County northwest · 22,563 people
Printable Orange County map
The PDF is a vector file with real text: it prints sharp on Letter paper and you can search it for a town. The PNG is 2400 pixels wide for slides and documents. Both are free to use with a credit to WhichCounty.
- PDF (Letter) (100 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (77 KB)
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Sources
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files (1:500,000).
- Population: Census Bureau county and city estimates, Vintage 2025. CDP populations: American Community Survey 2020–2024.
- Places and ZIP codes: Census Bureau 2026 Gazetteer and 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area relationship files.
- County seat, founding year and name origin: Wikidata (CC0), checked against state sources.
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