Kinston is a city of 19,505 people in North Carolina. Owners hold 43% of the housing stock. 16% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. That trails the North Carolina median by roughly 49%. 27.9% of locals live below the federal poverty line. Home values have risen by half since 2000, reaching $119,300.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $36,878, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 42.9
US median: 38.9
Less educated
16% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
More affordable
home values down 16%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Kinston
What changed most since 1990
Population25,295 → 19,505(−23%)US over the same years: +35%
Homes owned by their occupants52.0% → 42.5%(−9.4 pts)US over the same years: +0.9 pts
Black share57.8% → 67.5%(+9.7 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)20.4%(294)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)21.2%(306)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era43.2%(623)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War7.3%(106)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.3%(4)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 1,443 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Kinston, decade by decade
Kinston population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
25,295
$43,808
$129,364
15.4%
61.6
2000
23,688
$48,511
$141,725
16.6%
60.9
2010
21,677
$39,884
$138,391
15.1%
58.0
2020
19,900
$38,899
$119,022
16.7%
58.7
2024
19,505
$36,878
$119,300
16.4%
61.1
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
