The 10 Most Dangerous And Worst Neighborhoods In Durham, NC


The most dangerous and worst Durham neighborhoods are Campus Hill and Southeast Durham Joint Community Council for 2023 based on Saturday Night Science.

Worst Neighborhoods In Durham
Source: Public domain

Durham’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.

It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Durham.

And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in North Carolina thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Durham. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.

So the question arises, which Durham neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?

Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Durham hoods need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Durham area if you will. Realistically, you can’t expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Parkside ranks way above the rest.

We examined 41 of Durham’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live. These places don’t quite measure up to Durham’s reputation.

The Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Durham For 2023

  1. Campus Hill
  2. Southeast Durham Joint Community Council
  3. Plum Street
  4. Duke University
  5. Y. E. Smith Community Organization
  6. Duke Forest
  7. Duke Homestead
  8. Northeast Central Durham
  9. Wellons Village
  10. Stadium Heights

So what’s the worst neighborhood to live in Durham for 2023? According to the most recent census data, Campus Hill looks to be the worst neighborhood in Durham.

Read on to see how we determined the places around Durham that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don’t blame the messenger.

For more North Carolina reading, check out:


Table Of Contents: Top 10 | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Durham For 2023

1. Campus Hill

Population: 488

Median Home Value: $113,703 (8th worst)
Median Income: $27,722 (6th worst)

2. Southeast Durham Joint Community Council

Population: 715

Median Home Value: $115,922 (9th worst)
Median Income: $30,008 (11th worst)

3. Plum Street

Population: 262

Median Home Value: $83,749 (4th worst)
Median Income: $23,602 (worst)

4. Duke University

Population: 8,814

Median Home Value: $299,859 (34th worst)
Median Income: $25,247 (3rd worst)

5. Y. E. Smith Community Organization

Population: 2,043

Median Home Value: $81,073 (worst)
Median Income: $32,460 (13th worst)

6. Duke Forest

Population: 2,753

Median Home Value: $245,167 (26th worst)
Median Income: $33,147 (14th worst)

7. Duke Homestead

Population: 1,226

Median Home Value: $132,833 (10th worst)
Median Income: $48,778 (29th worst)

8. Northeast Central Durham

Population: 3,521

Median Home Value: $83,731 (3rd worst)
Median Income: $25,537 (4th worst)

9. Wellons Village

Population: 1,636

Median Home Value: $82,410 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $28,669 (8th worst)

10. Stadium Heights

Population: 1,207

Median Home Value: $209,480 (20th worst)
Median Income: $38,955 (2worst)

Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Durham neighborhoods in 2023

To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Durham:

  • High crime (Estimated)
  • High unemployment (Less jobs)
  • Low median income (Less pay)
  • Low population density (No things to do)
  • Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)

Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Durham, North Carolina for each of these criteria from worst to best.

Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”

The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Durham.

The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2023. This report is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in Durham.

Skip to the end to see the list of all 41 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.

Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around Durham

Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Durham with Campus Hill landing at the bottom of the pack.

As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Durham aren’t all bad. Parkside takes the cake as the best place to live in Durham.

We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.

For more North Carolina reading, check out:

Most Dangerous Neighborhoods To Live In Durham For 2023?

Rank Neighborhood Population Home Value Median Income
1 Campus Hill 488 $113,703 $27,722
2 Southeast Durham Joint Community Council 715 $115,922 $30,008
3 Plum Street 262 $83,749 $23,602
4 Duke University 8,814 $299,859 $25,247
5 Y. E. Smith Community Organization 2,043 $81,073 $32,460
6 Duke Forest 2,753 $245,167 $33,147
7 Duke Homestead 1,226 $132,833 $48,778
8 Northeast Central Durham 3,521 $83,731 $25,537
9 Wellons Village 1,636 $82,410 $28,669
10 Stadium Heights 1,207 $209,480 $38,955
11 Albright Community 826 $100,829 $28,532
12 Old West Durham 2,626 $295,814 $42,458
13 Burch Avenue 533 $299,859 $24,844
14 East Durham 8,949 $86,897 $28,730
15 Fayetteville Street Corridor 9,098 $140,515 $27,210
16 Northgate Park 1,455 $137,362 $44,747
17 North Garrett Road Community 2,691 $223,473 $59,098
18 Valley Run 261 $263,643 $32,204
19 Colonial Village 545 $137,362 $44,091
20 Watts Hospital-Hillandale 2,787 $240,189 $55,992
21 Latta Road 2,029 $181,507 $81,203
22 Orange County Courtesy Review Area 535 $222,463 $48,524
23 Omah Street Citizens 230 $184,116 $56,359
24 Forest Hills 1,647 $342,482 $36,831
25 Parkwood 2,806 $170,885 $67,648
26 Lakewood Park 646 $189,799 $37,969
27 South Durham 26,198 $218,267 $70,538
28 Lyon Park 759 $133,717 $39,700
29 Croasdaile Farm 2,491 $249,823 $59,698
30 Southwest Central Durham 5,272 $238,098 $34,215
31 Old North Durham 1,835 $110,656 $35,838
32 Hope Valley 9,260 $444,276 $67,904
33 West End 1,015 $299,859 $29,666
34 Duke Park 2,162 $177,479 $46,012
35 Tuscaloosa-Lakewood 1,493 $299,859 $38,481
36 Trinity Park 2,538 $272,201 $45,654
37 Morrehead Hill 843 $342,715 $35,473
38 St. Teresa 249 $359,836 $59,097
39 Walltown 1,871 $271,157 $53,573
40 Rockwood 800 $308,157 $57,956
41 Parkside 139 $308,616 $76,071
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.