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CITY · 2020 ACS

Winston-Salem

North Carolina · 249,545 residents · 134 sq mi
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The short version

Winston-Salem is a city of 249,545 people in North Carolina. Growth has run 34% since 2000, or 63,769 more people. Owners hold 53% of the housing stock. The typical home is worth $152,000, having risen by half since 2000. 19.2% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Median household income is $47,269, under the $66,278 national median.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 36.2
US median: 38.8
Average education
34% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
249,545
+34%since 2000
from 185,776 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
36.2
+5%since 2000
from 34.6 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
134 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
133K165K198K230K263K19902000201020202024Winston-Salem
2024252K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.8%(14,467)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.3%(15,787)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 146.7%(16,747)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 197.5%(18,819)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.9%(19,625)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3414.1%(35,273)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4412.2%(30,438)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5411.7%(29,115)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6412.1%(30,250)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 749.1%(22,697)
US avg: 10%
75 to 844.5%(11,295)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2%(5,032)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$47,269
−15%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $37,006 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$29,130
+30%since 2000
from $22,468 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
31.1%
+6.5 ptssince 2009
from 24.6% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
19.2%
+4.0 ptssince 2000
from 15.2% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information12.3%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade11.3%
US avg: 10%
Other services7.5%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration6.2%
US avg: 4.7%
Wholesale trade5.5%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance4.6%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical4.3%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.4%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.1%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services0.3%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.3%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.3%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$152,000
+2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $99,000 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$827
+6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $518 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
52.9%
−2.9 ptssince 2000
from 55.8% in 2000
47.1% rent
Persons per household
2.44 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.44 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.2
−3%since 2009
from 3.3 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic44%(109,714)
Black32%(79,788)
Hispanic / Latino17.2%(42,841)
Asian2.5%(6,275)
Other3.4%(8,425)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican9.1%(22,320)
Central American2.1%(5,086)
Puerto Rican1.4%(3,450)
Salvadoran1.1%(2,659)
South American0.9%(2,145)
Honduran0.5%(1,213)
Dominican0.5%(1,138)
Guatemalan0.4%(911)
Colombian0.3%(704)
Venezuelan0.2%(546)
Cuban0.2%(470)
Peruvian0.2%(450)
+ 7 more hispanic origin groups with data
Spaniard0.1%(330)
Nicaraguan0.1%(224)
Chilean0.1%(177)
Argentine0.1%(161)
Ecuadorian0%(107)
Asian origin
Chinese0.7%(1,787)
Asian Indian0.6%(1,466)
Filipino0.3%(773)
Korean0.2%(395)
Vietnamese0.1%(326)
Pakistani0.1%(273)
Japanese0.1%(196)
Nepalese0.1%(166)
Burmese0.1%(140)
Thai0%(118)
Cambodian0%(112)
Taiwanese0%(88)
+ 5 more asian origin groups with data
Hmong0%(66)
Bhutanese0%(22)
Laotian0%(11)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(51)
Ancestry
German9%(22,239)
English8.1%(19,949)
Irish6.4%(15,703)
American5.4%(13,342)
Italian2.5%(6,105)
Scottish2.2%(5,336)
Scotch-Irish1.6%(3,918)
French1.2%(2,978)
Polish1%(2,514)
Dutch0.9%(2,191)
Welsh0.7%(1,669)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
British0.6%(1,388)
West Indian0.5%(1,345)
Norwegian0.5%(1,254)
Greek0.4%(1,086)
Swedish0.4%(1,074)
Egyptian0.3%(750)
Swiss0.3%(704)
Jamaican0.3%(685)
Russian0.3%(620)
Arab0.2%(400)
Danish0.2%(387)
Hungarian0.1%(367)
Czech0.1%(308)
Ukrainian0.1%(279)
Slovak0.1%(254)
Austrian0.1%(222)
Iranian0.1%(218)
Portuguese0.1%(205)
Nigerian0.1%(203)
Finnish0.1%(194)
Canadian0.1%(186)
Lithuanian0.1%(178)
Belgian0.1%(167)
Lebanese0.1%(149)
Barbadian0.1%(137)
Cape Verdean0.1%(127)
Brazilian0%(110)
Turkish0%(103)
Haitian0%(96)
Serbian0%(91)
Ghanaian0%(75)
Syrian0%(66)
Israeli0%(63)
Romanian0%(55)
Armenian0%(52)
Croatian0%(39)
Slovene0%(35)
Bulgarian0%(29)
Ethiopian0%(21)
Latvian0%(18)
Kenyan0%(13)
Moroccan0%(12)
Iraqi0%(4)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
34.3%
+3.9 ptssince 2000
from 30.3% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
87.9%
+7.7 ptssince 2000
from 80.2% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
14.0%
+3.0 ptssince 2000
from 11.0% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.1 min
+71%since 2000
from 12.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
79.3%
−2.1 ptssince 2009
from 81.4% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
9.5%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 9.2% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.6%
−4.2 ptssince 2011
from 9.8% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
61.0%
−2.1 ptssince 2011
from 63.1% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
72.2%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
40.2%
+4.3 ptssince 2009
from 35.9% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
46.8%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 47.5% in 2009
Female
53.2%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 52.5% in 2009
Foreign born
9.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 10.1% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
12.1%
−5.9 ptssince 2013
from 18.0% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
92.0%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
85.3%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
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
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
12.1%
−5.9 ptssince 2013
from 18.0% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
49.5%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
14.8%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
17.0%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
21.9%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
2.2%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
63.0%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
36.4%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)17.3%(2,103)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)19%(2,309)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era35.9%(4,358)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War7.1%(863)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II3.3%(400)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 12,150 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
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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 249,545 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Winston-Salem, North Carolina earns about $47,269 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 $152,000, and the typical rent is about $827 a month.

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

About 34.3% 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 19.2% 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 106,060 residents, a change of about 74 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 →