Chatham County, North Carolina

Chatham County
Chatham County Courthouse in Pittsboro
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°42′N 79°15′W / 35.70°N 79.25°W / 35.70; -79.25
Country United States
State North Carolina
Founded1771
Named afterWilliam Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
SeatPittsboro
Largest communitySiler City
Area
  Total
708.93 sq mi (1,836.1 km2)
  Land681.68 sq mi (1,765.5 km2)
  Water27.25 sq mi (70.6 km2)  3.84%
Population
 (2020)
  Total
76,285
  Estimate 
(2023)
81,624
  Density111.91/sq mi (43.21/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
  Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts4th, 9th
Websitewww.chathamcountync.gov

Chatham County (locally /ˈætəm/ CHAT-əm) is a county located in the Piedmont area of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is also the location of the geographic center of North Carolina, northwest of Sanford. As of the 2020 census, the population was 76,285. Its county seat is Pittsboro.

Chatham County is part of the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 2,368,947 in 2023.