What is the population of Graham city?

Graham city has 17,537 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #61 of 777 in North Carolina.

What is the median household income in Graham city?

Median household income in Graham city is $54,783 a year, 30.2% below the national figure of $78,538.

How much does it cost to rent or buy in Graham city?

Median gross rent is $990 a month and the median home value is $200,600, so rent absorbs about 21.7% of median household income.

Is Graham city affordable compared with the rest of the US?

Homes cost about 3.7× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Graham city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 21.7% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.

Aerial view of a dense city center, illustrating the US cities ZIP code directory

North Carolina · Census place 27280

Graham, NC population, income and ZIP codes

Quick answer

The population of the city of Graham, North Carolina (Graham, NC — Census place “Graham city”) is 17,537 residents, ranking #61 of 777 places in North Carolina. Median household income is $54,783, the median home is worth $200,600 and median gross rent runs $990 a month. Looking for the Graham North Carolina ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Graham, NC: 27253.

Population: 17,537Graham city residents
Median household income: $54,783Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
Median home value: $200,600Owner-occupied units
Median gross rent: $990Rent plus utilities, monthly
Median age: 36.4 yrsAll residents
Homeownership rate: 52.2%Owner-occupied households

Graham ZIP codes (North Carolina)

Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Graham.

The Graham NC ZIP code list below covers 1 ZIP code. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.

27253

What the numbers mean in Graham city

Housing cost measured against local earnings.

A household earning the Graham city median would spend about 21.7% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 3.7× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 18.1% of residents and 52.2% of households own their home.

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year

Graham city, NC in context

How this area compares with national benchmarks.

Graham city is a mid-size town in North Carolina, with 17,537 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #61 of 777 ranked by population — larger than 92% of them. The median age here is 36.4 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly younger profile than the country as a whole. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.

Households in Graham city earn a median of $54,783 a year, 30.2% below the national figure of $78,538 and 11% below the $61,228 median for the 459 North Carolina cities we cover. Household income here is measured before tax and pooled across everyone at the address, which is why it reads higher than typical individual earnings in the same area. Poverty reaches 18.1% of residents here, above the 12.4% national rate.

The typical owner-occupied home in Graham city is valued at $200,600, 33.9% below the national figure and 9% below the $219,800 peer median, while median gross rent runs $990 a month, 29.6% below the national figure, or roughly $11,880 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 21.7% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is within the standard affordability guideline. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 3.7×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is easier here than in the average US market. 52.2% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans more heavily on renters. Gross rent folds in the utilities a tenant pays separately, so it is closer to the real monthly outlay than a headline rent figure.

Every value on this page is published directly by the Census for this area — nothing is modelled or interpolated. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.

Compare with nearby places

Places of similar size in North Carolina.

More North Carolina coverage.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this area.

What is the population of Graham city?: Graham city has 17,537 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #61 of 777 in North Carolina.
What is the median household income in Graham city?: Median household income in Graham city is $54,783 a year, 30.2% below the national figure of $78,538.
How much does it cost to rent or buy in Graham city?: Median gross rent is $990 a month and the median home value is $200,600, so rent absorbs about 21.7% of median household income.
Is Graham city affordable compared with the rest of the US?: Homes cost about 3.7× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Graham city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 21.7% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
How current is this Graham city data?: All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.