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CITY

Winston-Salem

North Carolina · 257,271 residents (2025 est.) · 133.584 sq mi
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Notable rankings
#90Largest by populationof 4,896257,271
The short version

Winston-Salem has notably lower household income than the US average, with a median household income of $59,268. Population has grown 36% since 2000. Median home value has more than doubled since 2000, reaching $233,800.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 35.9
US median: 38.9
More educated
39% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 30%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
252,037
+36%since 2000
from 185,776 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,887 / sq mi
+13%since 2009
from 1,674 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
35.9
+4%since 2000
from 34.6 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:257,271 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
133K165K198K230K263K1990201020202024Winston-Salem
2024252K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.9%(14,943)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.8%(14,507)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.8%(17,115)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 198.5%(21,348)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.8%(19,672)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3414%(35,299)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.2%(30,748)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.8%(29,618)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.9%(30,099)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 748.9%(22,330)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.5%(11,464)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.9%(4,894)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$59,268
−12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $37,006 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$37,345
+66%since 2000
from $22,468 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
40.2%
+15.6 ptssince 2009
from 24.6% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
17.7%
+2.5 ptssince 2000
from 15.2% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.506
+3%since 2010
from 0.491 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade11.5%
US avg: 9.9%
Information9.9%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade7%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services6.6%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance6%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical5.7%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration5%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing1.8%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.3%
US avg: 1.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.3%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$233,800
+30%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $99,000 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,087
+15%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $518 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
55.6%
−0.2 ptssince 2000
from 55.8% in 2000
44.4% rent
Vacancy rate
10.6%
−2.0 ptssince 2009
from 12.6% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
20.8%
−4.3 ptssince 2009
from 25.1% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
47.2%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 46.0% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.9
+19%since 2009
from 3.3 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
53
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Winston-Salem on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic52.4%(97,420)
Black36.4%(67,648)
Hispanic / Latino8.6%(16,043)
Asian1.1%(2,082)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic43.6%(109,867)
Black31.2%(78,616)
Hispanic / Latino18.2%(45,789)
Asian2.3%(5,756)
Other4.8%(12,009)
Diversity Score
85
+10%since 2009
from 77 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican10.1%(25,400)
Puerto Rican1.8%(4,591)
Salvadoran1.6%(4,019)
South American1.4%(3,627)
Dominican0.7%(1,676)
Honduran0.7%(1,664)
Colombian0.4%(1,107)
Guatemalan0.4%(966)
Cuban0.4%(890)
Venezuelan0.3%(773)
Nicaraguan0.2%(500)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.2%(500)
Chilean0.2%(466)
Uruguayan0.2%(382)
Spaniard0.1%(338)
Ecuadorian0.1%(328)
Panamanian0.1%(230)
Argentine0%(71)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.6%(1,593)
Chinese0.6%(1,502)
Filipino0.4%(945)
Vietnamese0.2%(443)
Japanese0.1%(303)
Korean0.1%(294)
Nepalese0.1%(166)
Burmese0.1%(139)
Bhutanese0%(111)
Taiwanese0%(110)
Thai0%(70)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(111)
Chamorro0%(16)
Ancestry
English10.1%(25,531)
German8.1%(20,318)
Irish6.4%(16,239)
American5.1%(12,873)
Italian2.6%(6,664)
Scottish1.7%(4,309)
Scotch-Irish1.4%(3,604)
French1%(2,537)
Polish0.9%(2,162)
West Indian0.7%(1,674)
Arab0.6%(1,570)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
Greek0.5%(1,269)
Norwegian0.4%(1,134)
Swedish0.4%(1,097)
Dutch0.4%(1,017)
British0.4%(944)
Russian0.4%(911)
Welsh0.3%(851)
Jamaican0.3%(826)
Danish0.3%(727)
Egyptian0.3%(698)
Nigerian0.3%(674)
Swiss0.2%(559)
Haitian0.2%(493)
Hungarian0.2%(450)
Croatian0.2%(435)
Lebanese0.2%(410)
Canadian0.2%(393)
Portuguese0.1%(373)
Slovak0.1%(363)
Ukrainian0.1%(330)
Czech0.1%(292)
Ethiopian0.1%(255)
Austrian0.1%(250)
Ghanaian0.1%(239)
Brazilian0.1%(216)
Lithuanian0.1%(208)
Iranian0.1%(205)
Moroccan0.1%(153)
Finnish0.1%(133)
Romanian0%(123)
Belgian0%(118)
Guyanese0%(116)
Serbian0%(87)
Turkish0%(82)
Israeli0%(77)
Armenian0%(48)
Bulgarian0%(41)
Syrian0%(38)
Slovene0%(17)
Kenyan0%(16)
Barbadian0%(15)
Latvian0%(10)
Iraqi0%(6)
RANKED:Largest English population · Largest Mexican population · Largest German population · Largest Irish population · Largest American population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
39.5%
+9.2 ptssince 2000
from 30.3% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
89.1%
+8.9 ptssince 2000
from 80.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
16.7%
+5.7 ptssince 2000
from 11.0% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.5 min
+74%since 2000
from 12.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
71.7%
−9.8 ptssince 2009
from 81.4% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
9.5%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 9.4% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
1.1%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 1.9% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
14.1%
+11.4 ptssince 2009
from 2.8% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.0%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 2.5% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.3%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
8.2%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 9.2% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.7%
−4.2 ptssince 2011
from 9.8% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
61.5%
−1.6 ptssince 2011
from 63.1% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
13.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 13.3% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
43.9%
−21.5 ptssince 2009
from 65.4% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
46.6%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 47.5% in 2009
Female
53.4%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 52.5% in 2009
Foreign born
11.2%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 10.1% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.7%
−40.8 ptssince 2009
from 46.5% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
12.8%
+2.6 ptssince 2012
from 10.2% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
11.2%
−70.8 ptssince 2013
from 82.0% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
88.4%
+12.9 ptssince 2017
from 75.5% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
80.5%
−2.9 ptssince 2016
from 83.4% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
15.1%
+1.7 ptssince 2016
from 13.4% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married43.9%(41,554)
Married46%(43,555)
Widowed2.2%(2,065)
Divorced7.9%(7,485)
Women 15+
Never married41.4%(45,889)
Married39.1%(43,273)
Widowed7.7%(8,569)
Divorced11.8%(13,082)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
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WINSTON-SALEM VS
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WINSTON-SALEM VS
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Winston-Salem, North Carolina?

Winston-Salem, North Carolina has about 252,037 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Winston-Salem, North Carolina?

The typical household in Winston-Salem, North Carolina earns about $59,268 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Winston-Salem, North Carolina expensive?

In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $233,800, and the typical rent is about $1,087 a month.

How educated are people in Winston-Salem, North Carolina?

About 39.5% of adults age 25 and over in Winston-Salem, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Winston-Salem, North Carolina?

About 17.7% of people in Winston-Salem, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Winston-Salem, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Winston-Salem, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 108,552 residents, a change of about 76 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →