United States › North Carolina › Rocky Mount CITY
Rocky Mount North Carolina · 55,120 residents (2025 est.) · 44.7 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO 1990 Census 2000 Census 2009 ACS 2010 ACS 2011 ACS 2012 ACS 2013 ACS 2014 ACS 2015 ACS 2016 ACS 2017 ACS 2018 ACS 2019 ACS 2020 ACS 2021 ACS 2022 ACS 2023 ACS
The short version
Rocky Mount is a city of 54,297 people in North Carolina. Owners hold 49% of the housing stock. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 23% of adults. The typical home is worth $165,700, having more than doubled since 2000. 4% of people here were born outside the United States. That trails the North Carolina median by roughly 23%.
At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.7
US median: 38.9
Less educated
23% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01
Population & growth from 55,893 in 2000
55,120 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1,215 / sq mi
−8%since 2009
from 1,324 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
from 35.2 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Population, 1990 – 2024
48K 51K 54K 57K 60K 1990 2000 2010 2020 2024 Rocky Mount Age distribution, 2024
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy $55,534
−7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $32,661 in 2000
US average: $82,259
from $17,804 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
from 19.8% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
from 20.1% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
from 0.477 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Professional, scientific, technical 6.2%
Public administration 3.9%
Transportation & warehousing 1.6%
Arts, entertainment, food 1.1%
Education & health services 0.5%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 0.3%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
$165,700
+7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $85,400 in 2000
US average: $376,019
$957
+6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $496 in 2000
US average: $1,442
from 55.0% in 2000
51.0% rent
from 14.5% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
from 2.38 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
from 31.8% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
from 47.1% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
from 2.9 in 2009
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity 2000
White, non-Hispanic 40.3%(22,548)
Hispanic / Latino 1.8%(1,033)
2024
White, non-Hispanic 26%(14,138)
Hispanic / Latino 5.5%(2,997)
from 64 in 2009
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry Ancestry
+ 22 more ancestry groups with data from 20.1% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
from 74.1% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
from 6.1% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06
Commute & transportation from 12.7 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
from 81.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
from 11.1% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
from 1.8% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
from 2.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
from 1.7% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
from 13.2% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07
Work & employment from 14.1% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
from 60.8% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
from 68.3% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
from 14.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
from 28.9% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08
People & community from 2.7% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
from 9.5% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
from 16.2% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
from 16.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
from 65.7% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
from 85.0% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
from 85.0% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
from 94.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
from 3.0% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married 44.7%(8,999)
Women 15+
Never married 40.1%(9,711)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage from 16.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
from 44.9% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
from 13.6% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
from 22.4% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
from 27.9% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
from 3.7% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
from 57.0% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
from 46.4% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
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) 19.6%(749)
Gulf War (1990s) 25.1%(959)
Share of the 3,824 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
Drill deeper
Places similar to Rocky Mount Head to head
Compare Rocky Mount to nearby cities ROCKY MOUNT VS
Tarboro
Income $49,796 −10%
Home value $185,500 +12%
Population 10,979 −80%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ROCKY MOUNT VS
Wilson
Income $52,485 −5%
Home value $210,700 +27%
Population 49,572 −10%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ROCKY MOUNT VS
Zebulon
Income $79,112 +42%
Home value $320,700 +94%
Population 11,933 −78%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ROCKY MOUNT VS
Roanoke Rapids
Income $53,690 −3%
Home value $142,700 −14%
Population 14,386 −74%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Rocky Mount, North Carolina? Rocky Mount, North Carolina has about 54,297 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Rocky Mount, North Carolina? The typical household in Rocky Mount, North Carolina earns about $55,534 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Rocky Mount, North Carolina expensive? In Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $165,700, and the typical rent is about $957 a month.
How educated are people in Rocky Mount, North Carolina? About 22.9% of adults age 25 and over in Rocky Mount, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Rocky Mount, North Carolina? About 19.7% of people in Rocky Mount, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.
Has Rocky Mount, North Carolina grown since 1990? Yes, Rocky Mount, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 5,132 residents, a change of about 10 percent over that period.
Keep going
Explore from here 