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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 the country thanks in part to a strong economy and tons of entertainment, it's not all rainbows and sunshine in Durham. Some neighborhoods aren't as great as others.
So the question arises, which Durham neighborhoods are the worst, and which are the best?
Today, we'll use science and data 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 worst places to live. These places don't quite measure up to Durham's reputation.
The Worst Neighborhoods In Durham For 2022
So what's the worst neighborhood to live in Durham for 2022? 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.
Once you're done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from worst to best. Looking for places to avoid outside of the city? You can also check out the worst suburbs of Durham.
For more North Carolina reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In North Carolina
- Cheapest Places To Live In North Carolina
- Most Dangerous Cities In North Carolina
The 10 Worst Neighborhoods In Durham For 2022
/10
Population: 488
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $113,703 (8th worst)
Median Income: $27,722 (6th worst)
More on Campus Hill: Data
/10
Population: 715
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $115,922 (9th worst)
Median Income: $30,008 (11th worst)
More on Southeast Durham Joint Community Council: Data
/10
Population: 262
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $83,749 (4th worst)
Median Income: $23,602 (worst)
More on Plum Street: Data
/10
Population: 8,814
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $299,859 (34th worst)
Median Income: $25,247 (3rd worst)
More on Duke University: Data
/10
Population: 2,043
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $81,073 (worst)
Median Income: $32,460 (13th worst)
More on Y. E. Smith Community Organization: Data
/10
Population: 2,753
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $245,167 (26th worst)
Median Income: $33,147 (14th worst)
More on Duke Forest: Data
/10
Population: 1,226
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $132,833 (10th worst)
Median Income: $48,778 (29th worst)
More on Duke Homestead: Data
/10
Population: 3,521
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $83,731 (3rd worst)
Median Income: $25,537 (4th worst)
More on Northeast Central Durham: Data
/10
Population: 1,636
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $82,410 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $28,669 (8th worst)
More on Wellons Village: Data
/10
Population: 1,207
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $209,480 (20th worst)
Median Income: $38,955 (2worst)
More on Stadium Heights: Data
Methodology: How we determined the worst Durham neighborhoods in 2022
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 threw the following criteria into this analysis in order to get the best, most complete results possible. We used this set of criteria for each neighborhood in Durham:
- 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)
- High crime (Estimated)
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 criteria into a "Worst Score".
The neighborhood with the lowest "Worst Score" ranks as the worst neighborhood of Durham.
Read on below to learn more about these terrible places around Durham to live. Or skip to the end to see the list of all 41 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased. Hold on to your pants.
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 we 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:
- Richest Cities In North Carolina
- Safest Cities in North Carolina
- Worst Places To Live In North Carolina
