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Durham Residents Rank City Services Among Nation’s Best in 2024 Satisfaction Survey

Phyllis Coley @phyllis_coley

DURHAM, NC – Results from the City of Durham’s 2024 Resident Satisfaction Survey reveal that residents enjoy living and working in the Bull City, with customer service from City employees ranking 27 percentage points above the national average.

Key Findings

  • Quality of Life: 79% of residents rate Durham as an excellent or good place to live, and 77% as an excellent or good place to work.
  • Exceptional Customer Service: 66% of respondents are satisfied with City employee customer service, placing Durham significantly above the national average.
  • Top Priorities for Improvement: Residents want greater focus on police protection, street maintenance, and sidewalk improvements over the next two years.

The survey results also show that 74% of residents are satisfied with their neighborhood’s quality of life, and 66% feel the City provides high-quality customer service.

City Manager Bo Ferguson highlighted the survey’s importance, noting that it is a valuable tool for City leaders to gather resident input and guide funding decisions.

“I’m incredibly proud that Durham continues to be recognized as a great place to live and work,” Ferguson said. “Our City employees work hard every day to earn residents’ trust and appreciation, and these results reflect their dedication. We also hear our residents on the areas they want us to improve—like street maintenance, public transit, and police protection. Their feedback is essential as we prioritize our goals, particularly as we begin planning next year’s budget.”

Top-Rated City Services

  • Fire response time: 86% satisfaction
  •  Fire & life safety programming: 70% satisfaction
  • City employee customer service: 66% satisfaction
  • Water & sewer utilities: 66% satisfaction
  • Parks & Recreation programs: 59% satisfaction

Notable improvements since 2023 include better communication on local issues, ease of contacting the City, and enhanced neighborhood quality of life.

The survey, conducted by ETC Institute in December 2024, gathered input from a randomly selected sample of 600 households with a margin of error of +/- 4%.

Survey results were presented to the Durham City Council earlier today during their annual budget retreat. To view the full report, visit the City’s website.