Boone, NC vs Durham, NC

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Boone

71.1

#1016 nationally

Durham

69.4

#1213 nationally

Durham leads in median household income ($67,432 vs $28,242). Boone leads in average commute (13.8 min vs 22.8 min). Boone leads in walk score (49 vs 33).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Boone, NC	Durham, NC
WhereAtHome Score	71.1 (#1016)	69.4 (#1213)
Population	19,811	283,506
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$491,253	$395,976
Median Household Income	$28,242	$67,432
Average Commute	13.8 min	22.8 min
Walk Score	49	33
Crime Level	2.5	Moderate
School Rating	N/A	6.4
Cost of Living Index	109	102
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+6.0	D+61.9