CITY · 1990 CENSUS

Wilmington

North Carolina · 55,530 residents · 51.4 sq mi

Time machine

VIEWING

COMPARE TO

The short version

Wilmington is a city of 55,530 people in North Carolina. 47% of homes are owner-occupied. There are 20,308 fewer people here than in 2000. The poverty rate is 22.1%, above the 13.2% national rate. That trails the North Carolina median by roughly 23%. Median home value sits at $62,200.

At a glance

Lower income

below the US median

US median: $30,130

Mid-age

median age 32.9

US median: 33.0

Average education

21% hold a bachelor's degree

US average: 20%

More affordable

home values down 33%, inflation adjusted

US median home: $93,722

Section 01

Population & growth

Total population

55,530

−27%vs 2000

vs 75,838 in 2000

1990 – 2025

Median age

32.9

−4%vs 2000

vs 34.1 in 2000

US average: 33.0

Land area

51.4 sq mi

Population, 1990 – 2024

2024121K

Age distribution, 1990

Under 56.3%(3,525)

US avg: 7.3%

5 to 95.7%(3,166)

US avg: 7.3%

10 to 146.1%(3,397)

US avg: 6.9%

15 to 198.5%(4,722)

US avg: 7.1%

20 to 2410.3%(5,723)

US avg: 7.5%

25 to 3416.3%(9,064)

US avg: 17.5%

35 to 4413.3%(7,364)

US avg: 15.1%

45 to 548.8%(4,901)

US avg: 10.2%

55 to 648.7%(4,856)

US avg: 8.5%

65 to 749.4%(5,228)

US avg: 7.3%

75 to 845%(2,798)

US avg: 4%

85 and over1.4%(786)

US avg: 1.2%

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE

Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income

$20,609

−13%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $31,099 in 2000

US average: $30,130

1990 – 2024

Per capita income

$12,077

−44%vs 2000

vs $21,503 in 2000

US average: $14,340

Poverty rate

22.1%

+2.5 ptsvs 2000

vs 19.6% in 2000

US average: 13.2%

Section 03

Housing

Median home value

$62,200

−33%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $121,600 in 2000

US average: $93,722

1990 – 2024

Median gross rent

$392

−14%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $602 in 2000

US average: $450

Owner-occupied

47.1%

−1.5 ptsvs 2000

vs 48.6% in 2000

52.9% rent

Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000

White, non-Hispanic69.4%(52,639)

Black25.6%(19,423)

Hispanic / Latino2.6%(1,991)

Asian0.9%(677)

Other0%

1990

White, non-Hispanic65.1%(36,130)

Black33.8%(18,785)

Hispanic / Latino0.7%(393)

Asian0.5%(288)

Other0.6%(327)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

Hispanic origin

Mexican3.6%(4,338)

Central American2%(2,393)

Honduran1.4%(1,691)

Puerto Rican1.4%(1,650)

South American0.8%(1,015)

Colombian0.4%(478)

Cuban0.4%(444)

Dominican0.3%(341)

Chilean0.2%(279)

Panamanian0.2%(233)

Guatemalan0.2%(194)

Spaniard0.2%(185)

+ 7 more hispanic origin groups with data

Salvadoran0.1%(180)

Argentine0.1%(115)

Venezuelan0.1%(101)

Nicaraguan0.1%(83)

Ecuadorian0%(34)

Costa Rican0%(12)

Peruvian0%(8)

Asian origin

Korean0.4%(443)

Chinese0.3%(385)

Filipino0.2%(230)

Burmese0.1%(144)

Asian Indian0.1%(116)

Hmong0.1%(94)

Vietnamese0%(60)

Thai0%(35)

Cambodian0%(24)

Pakistani0%(22)

Japanese0%(13)

Kazakh0%(9)

Pacific Islander origin

Samoan0.1%(108)

Chamorro0%(42)

Native Hawaiian0%(32)

Ancestry

English14.9%(17,985)

Irish11.4%(13,830)

German10.9%(13,151)

Italian5.7%(6,851)

American4.7%(5,731)

Scottish2.9%(3,475)

French2.1%(2,586)

Polish2.1%(2,497)

Scotch-Irish1.9%(2,288)

Subsaharan African1.1%(1,340)

British0.9%(1,037)

Dutch0.8%(975)

+ 43 more ancestry groups with data

Norwegian0.7%(885)

Swedish0.7%(884)

Danish0.5%(563)

Greek0.5%(562)

Arab0.4%(539)

Russian0.4%(521)

Welsh0.4%(503)

Brazilian0.4%(463)

West Indian0.4%(449)

Czech0.3%(422)

French Canadian0.3%(397)

Swiss0.3%(358)

Canadian0.3%(312)

Hungarian0.2%(301)

Ukrainian0.2%(255)

Lithuanian0.2%(250)

Lebanese0.2%(249)

Jamaican0.2%(205)

Slovak0.1%(172)

Austrian0.1%(170)

Croatian0.1%(167)

Australian0.1%(108)

Belgian0.1%(96)

Portuguese0.1%(83)

Ghanaian0.1%(70)

Finnish0.1%(68)

Palestinian0.1%(64)

Barbadian0.1%(61)

Romanian0%(55)

Jordanian0%(53)

Ethiopian0%(49)

Nigerian0%(48)

Haitian0%(43)

Israeli0%(39)

Armenian0%(36)

Iranian0%(35)

Serbian0%(32)

Moroccan0%(26)

Slovene0%(26)

Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(18)

Egyptian0%(14)

Latvian0%(14)

Cape Verdean0%(12)

RANKED:Largest English population · Largest Irish population · Largest German population · Largest Italian population · Largest American population

Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

20.7%

−10.2 ptsvs 2000

vs 31.0% in 2000

US average: 20.3%

High school or higher

73.1%

−10.0 ptsvs 2000

vs 83.0% in 2000

US average: 75.2%

Graduate degree

6.1%

−2.4 ptsvs 2000

vs 8.5% in 2000

US average: 7.1%

Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute

15.2 min

+29%vs 2000

vs 11.8 min in 2000

US average: 21.9

Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)

Men 15+

Never married46.1%(22,097)

Married42.7%(20,433)

Widowed2.6%(1,269)

Divorced8.6%(4,096)

Women 15+

Never married41.3%(23,437)

Married36.9%(20,907)

Widowed7.9%(4,484)

Divorced13.9%(7,884)

SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024

Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured

10.9%

−5.8 ptssince 2013

from 16.7% in 2013

US average: 8.4%

Employer-based

51.0%

−1.3 ptssince 2020

from 52.3% in 2020

US average: 54.8%

Direct-purchase

20.6%

−0.1 ptssince 2020

from 20.7% in 2020

US average: 13.8%

Medicare

20.3%

+0.3 ptssince 2020

from 20.0% in 2020

US average: 18.4%

Medicaid

16.5%

+0.9 ptssince 2020

from 15.6% in 2020

US average: 20.9%

VA health care

2.2%

−0.1 ptssince 2020

from 2.3% in 2020

US average: 2.2%

Any private

69.2%

−0.2 ptssince 2020

from 69.4% in 2020

US average: 67.1%

Any public

33.9%

+1.2 ptssince 2020

from 32.7% 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)28.7%(1,566)

US avg: 26.4%

Gulf War (1990s)22%(1,197)

US avg: 24.3%

Vietnam era34.5%(1,879)

US avg: 33.1%

Korean War7.5%(411)

US avg: 4.5%

World War II0.6%(32)

US avg: 1%

Share of the 5,451 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