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6 <br /> • In late-January 2026, the US Census Bureau released five-year American Community <br /> Survey(ACS)estimates, and where applicable, the Fact Book has been updated to reflect <br /> the newly released data. <br /> • The 2022 ACS data (derived from 2018 —2022 sample data) included in the original Fact <br /> Book has been replaced with 2024 ACS data (derived from 2020-2024 sample data). <br /> • Data collected by the Planning Department, on annexation and building permit issuance, <br /> have also been incorporated into the update. <br /> The PowerPoint presentation (Attachment A) represents a sampling of information contained <br /> in the updated Fact Book, as well as housing data that is not part of the Fact Book update. <br /> The slides in the presentation have been selected by staff based on their understanding of <br /> some of the Board's areas of interest, as conveyed during its previous work session <br /> discussions. The following is a summary of some minor changes or differences between the <br /> updated data contained in the presentation and that contained in the original Fact Book: <br /> Slide 1 —Added date of update, February 2026. <br /> Slide 2 — Included 2019 American Community Survey data for comparison to 2024 data. <br /> Slide 3—Between 2022—2024, Orange County's total population increased by 5,049 persons. <br /> The population of the unincorporated portion of the County increased by 1,207 <br /> people. <br /> Slide 4 — No change. <br /> Slide 5 — The Center for Disease Control Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) map was updated <br /> with 2022 data. <br /> Slide 6—480 additional acres were annexed between 2023-2025; 112- acres by Hillsborough <br /> and 368-acres by Mebane. <br /> Slide 7 — 609 additional certificates of occupancy were issued by Orange County between <br /> 2024-2025; 568 for residential properties and 41 for commercial properties. <br /> Slide 8—Between 2022—2024, the County's total number of housing units increased by 2,544 <br /> units, from 60,314 total units to 62,858. <br /> Slide 9 —The Housing Cost Burden for Orange County Homeowners was updated with 2024 <br /> data. There was no appreciable change. <br /> Slide 10—The Housing Cost Burden for Orange County Renters was updated with 2024 data. <br /> There was no appreciable change. <br /> Housing Data: Separate from the data updates to the Fact Book, but relevant to the discussions <br /> regarding growth and land use patterns in the county, staff is providing data and analysis of <br /> residential development activity in Orange County. In Fall 2025, the Board requested information <br /> about residential construction activity throughout Orange County, particularly how many <br /> residential units had been approved but were not yet built or occupied. The Board was interested <br /> in how the county as a whole is responding to the housing needs established in three different <br /> studies done on behalf of the Town of Chapel Hill in 2021 ("Projected Housing Needs 2020 — <br /> 2040"), the NC Chamber Foundation in 2024 ("Housing Supply Gap Analysis"), and the Triangle <br /> Community Foundation in 2025 ("Orange County, North Carolina Affordable Housing Market <br /> Data"). <br /> In response to this request, staff reviewed building activity in unincorporated Orange County and <br /> informally surveyed the Planning departments of the municipalities in Orange County. This work <br /> was done in January 2026, and captures the status of building activity throughout the entire county <br /> for 2025. It was updated to include the Chapel Hill conditional zoning approvals at their February <br /> 25 meeting. Table 1 shows the results of the survey for Approved but Unbuilt Residential Units in <br />