Carrboro, NC: Population, ZIP Codes & Nearby Cities

Carrboro is a small incorporated city in Orange County, North Carolina. In the dataset behind this page it has an estimated population of 21,190, sits at 35.926°N, 79.088°W, and observes Eastern time. Below you will find how it ranks inside North Carolina, which ZIP codes it uses, the closest places around it, and how far it is from major US cities.

What are the key facts about Carrboro, NC?

What is the population of Carrboro, NC?

Carrboro has an estimated population of 21,190. That makes it the 56th largest of the 733 places we list in North Carolina, and the 2nd largest of 4 places in Orange County. The typical place in North Carolina has about 1,470 residents, so Carrboro is roughly 14.4 times the size of a typical neighbor in the state.

Estimates for places of this size carry wider margins of error than those for big cities, so treat the figure as a guide to scale. Our guide to understanding city population numbers explains why sources disagree.

Places in North Carolina with a similar population include Kill Devil Hills (20,951), Clemmons (20,867), Havelock (20,677), Swansboro (20,507), Henderson (20,238). Comparing these pages is a quick way to see how Carrboro differs from communities of the same scale.

How dense is Carrboro?

Carrboro has about 3,271 people per square mile (1,263 per square kilometer), which we classify as suburban. Within North Carolina, it is denser than about 100% of the listed places. Land at this level is usually a mix of single-family neighborhoods, shopping corridors and parks, where driving is common but destinations are close. Read how to interpret population density to see how we draw these lines.

What ZIP codes does Carrboro use?

The postal data lists 2 ZIP codes for Carrboro: 27516, 27510. Several codes in one place usually reflect separate delivery areas, post offices or large buildings with their own code. Codes beginning with 2 are assigned to the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast coast (D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the Carolinas). Learn more in our guide to how ZIP codes work or check any code with the ZIP code lookup.

What time zone is Carrboro in?

Carrboro is in the Eastern time zone, which is UTC−5 from Coordinated Universal Time in standard time (IANA zone America/New_York). The area observes daylight saving time, so clocks move forward in March and back in November. The nearest listed place in a different time zone is Fairfield Glade, TN, about 323 miles away, which gives a sense of how far the nearest zone boundary may be. Current local time: see the Eastern time hub. For the rules behind these zones, read US time zones explained.

Where is Carrboro located in North Carolina?

Carrboro lies in the northern part of North Carolina, at 35.926° north latitude and 79.088° west longitude. The state capital, Raleigh, is about 26 miles to the east. The closest listed place in another state is Danville, VA, roughly 49 miles to the north, which shows how near Carrboro is to a state line. For big-city services, the nearest place with more than 100,000 people is Durham, NC, 11 miles to the east.

Which cities are near Carrboro, NC?

The closest listed place to Carrboro is Chapel Hill, NC, 2.7 miles to the east. Of the eight nearest places below, 2 are in the same county. Distances are straight-line (great-circle) miles measured between place centers; see how distance is calculated.

Which county is Carrboro in?

Carrboro is in Orange County, which has the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code 37135. The county contains 4 places in our data, 3 of which have their own page here and 1 smaller communities that appear only in county and state lists. Other places in the county include Chapel Hill (64,051), Hillsborough (7,161), Efland (668). Codes like this one help separate places that share a name; see the guide to counties and FIPS codes.

How far is Carrboro from major US cities?

Among six major hubs, Carrboro is closest to Atlanta, GA at about 337 miles and farthest from Los Angeles, CA at about 2,213 miles in a straight line. Road distances are usually 10 to 30 percent longer. Try the distance calculator for any other pair.

Are there other places called Carrboro?

No. In our data, Carrboro in Orange County, North Carolina is the only place with this name, so the name alone is enough to identify it, though adding the state is still good practice in addresses and forms.

Planning a move to Carrboro?

If you are weighing Carrboro, start with the practical numbers: how far it is from where you live, whether it changes your time zone, and how its size and density compare with your current city. Use the distance calculator to measure the trip from where you live. The radius search tool lists every place within any distance of it. Our checklist for comparing cities explains what to check next.

Where to go next

Population and density come from a compiled dataset and are estimates. They may differ from official Census Bureau counts. Verify important figures at census.gov.