Wilkesboro is home to 3,646 people in North Carolina. The median age is 47.9, about 9 years above the US median. 48% of homes are owner-occupied. Households here earn about 43% less than in North Carolina as a whole. About 25% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The poverty rate is 22.6%, above the 12.5% national rate.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $40,907, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 47.9
US median: 38.9
Less educated
25% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Wilkesboro
What changed most since 1990
Homes owned by their occupants60.5% → 48.0%(−12.5 pts)US over the same years: +0.9 pts
Poverty rate11.3% → 22.6%(+11.3 pts)US over the same years: −0.8 pts
Median household income (2024 dollars)$52,686 → $40,907(−22%)US over the same years: +14%
Wilkesboro's population equals 5.5% of Wilkes County's. Its number of people who work from home equals 1.9% of the county's. Its number of households without a car equals 14% of the county's.
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)8.9%(28)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)0%(0)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era21.7%(68)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War12.4%(39)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II3.5%(11)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 314 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
Wilkesboro, decade by decade
Wilkesboro 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
2,540
$52,686
$166,085
22.1%
25.6
2000
3,159
$74,655
$193,095
26.2%
38.0
2010
3,413
$53,079
$237,076
24.9%
45.9
2020
3,687
$44,014
$206,289
25.7%
54.1
2024
3,646
$40,907
$223,700
24.5%
49.3
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.
