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Section Two: Secondary Data and the Local Food and <br />Agricultural Economy <br />The research region has a wide range of services and organizations, as well as positive <br />economic and social trends, that bode well for the development of a regional value added <br />food and agricultural processing facility. <br />I. General Demographics <br />The region encompassing Alamance, Chatham, Durham, and Orange counties had a <br />population estimated at 569,709 in 2006. Durham is by far the largest and most urban in <br />nature, with 246,896 people, followed by Alamance (142,661), Orange (120,100), and <br />Chatham (60,052). <br />Select demographics for each county are presented in the following tables:l <br />Table: Durham County <br />Population <br />Population 2006 246,896 <br />Population Density 2000 768 <br />Percent Population Change 1990-2000 22.8% <br />Median Age 32.2 <br />Percent Born in NC 54.8% <br />Income and Poverty <br />Median Household Income 2000 $43,337 <br />Per Capita Income 2000 $23,156 <br />Population in Poverty 2000 28,557 <br />Poverty Rate 2000 13.4% <br />Education <br />Percent with Less Than High School 17.0% <br />Education <br />Percent with High School Diploma 19.2% <br />Percent with Bachelor's Degree or Higher 40.1 % <br />Graduation Rate 68.8% <br />Labor Force and Employment <br />Percent Working Age Population 67.4% <br />Unemployment Rate 2006 3.9% <br />Agriculture and Natural Resources <br />1 Source: North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center <br />10 <br />