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COUNTY

Alexander County

North Carolina · 36,958 residents (2025 est.) · 260 sq mi
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The short version

Alexander County is home to 36,412 people in North Carolina. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 17% of adults. 81% of homes are owner-occupied. The median age is 43.8, about 5 years above the US median. The foreign-born share is 3%. The typical home is worth $211,800, having more than doubled since 2000.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 43.8
US median: 38.9
Less educated
17% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 38%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
36,412
+8%since 2000
from 33,603 in 2000
36,958 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
140 / sq mi
Unchangedsince 2009
from 140 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
43.8
+20%since 2000
from 36.6 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
260 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
27K29K32K35K38K19902000201020202024Alexander County
202436K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55%(1,805)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95%(1,819)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.7%(2,089)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 195.7%(2,071)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.1%(1,848)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.4%(4,524)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.3%(4,494)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5413.1%(4,784)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.4%(5,257)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7412%(4,355)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 847.5%(2,742)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.7%(624)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$65,354
−7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $38,684 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$33,425
+81%since 2000
from $18,507 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
42.3%
+23.2 ptssince 2009
from 19.1% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
12.6%
+4.1 ptssince 2000
from 8.5% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.442
−1%since 2010
from 0.446 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade23.6%
US avg: 9.9%
Information11.5%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance6.8%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical5.8%
US avg: 5.1%
Wholesale trade5.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services2.3%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration2%
US avg: 4.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.9%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.9%
US avg: 1.2%
Transportation & warehousing1.7%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services1%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food0.5%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$211,800
+38%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $84,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$764
−4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $439 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
80.7%
+0.2 ptssince 2000
from 80.5% in 2000
19.3% rent
Vacancy rate
12.9%
−1.8 ptssince 2009
from 14.7% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.47 people
−11%since 2009
from 2.76 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
11.9%
−11.8 ptssince 2009
from 23.8% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
32.7%
−5.4 ptssince 2009
from 38.1% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.2
+16%since 2009
from 2.8 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.
Gentrification Score
59
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic91%(30,562)
Black4.6%(1,536)
Hispanic / Latino2.5%(841)
Asian1%(347)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic85.5%(31,134)
Black5%(1,828)
Hispanic / Latino5.6%(2,031)
Asian1%(363)
Other2.9%(1,056)
Diversity Score
33
+22%since 2009
from 27 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
24
−5%since 2020
from 25 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican3.6%(1,298)
Puerto Rican0.9%(341)
Colombian0.2%(84)
Cuban0.1%(48)
Honduran0.1%(44)
Asian origin
Chinese0.4%(142)
Asian Indian0.3%(113)
Filipino0.2%(81)
Korean0.1%(23)
Ancestry
American25.1%(9,143)
German16.3%(5,947)
English13.2%(4,820)
Irish11.6%(4,236)
Scotch-Irish2.2%(803)
Scottish2%(741)
Italian1%(371)
Polish0.9%(332)
French0.9%(310)
Dutch0.5%(188)
West Indian0.4%(157)
British0.4%(153)
+ 20 more ancestry groups with data
Haitian0.4%(149)
Welsh0.3%(108)
Swiss0.2%(90)
Australian0.2%(78)
Norwegian0.2%(78)
Swedish0.2%(66)
Greek0.2%(61)
Russian0.2%(59)
Belgian0.2%(58)
Czech0.1%(53)
Nigerian0.1%(42)
Latvian0.1%(22)
Slovak0%(15)
Arab0%(4)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
16.7%
+7.4 ptssince 2000
from 9.3% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
85.8%
+17.1 ptssince 2000
from 68.7% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
5.4%
+2.7 ptssince 2000
from 2.6% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.6 min
+72%since 2000
from 14.9 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
84.9%
+2.0 ptssince 2009
from 82.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.8%
−3.0 ptssince 2009
from 10.8% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
6.1%
+2.9 ptssince 2009
from 3.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
0.9%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 1.2% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.0%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
3.1%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 3.7% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.0%
−7.1 ptssince 2011
from 12.1% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
56.3%
−6.1 ptssince 2011
from 62.4% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
68.5%
−3.4 ptssince 2020
from 71.9% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
16.4%
+3.6 ptssince 2009
from 12.8% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
28.5%
+6.1 ptssince 2009
from 22.4% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
51.2%
+1.6 ptssince 2009
from 49.6% in 2009
Female
48.8%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 50.4% in 2009
Foreign born
3.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 3.3% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.3%
−2.2 ptssince 2009
from 9.5% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
18.8%
+2.7 ptssince 2012
from 16.1% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
8.1%
−7.0 ptssince 2013
from 15.1% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
85.1%
+18.3 ptssince 2017
from 66.8% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
90.1%
+4.7 ptssince 2020
from 85.4% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
91.7%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 90.5% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
93.7%
−2.0 ptssince 2016
from 95.7% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
4.8%
+1.3 ptssince 2016
from 3.5% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married30%(4,673)
Married54.6%(8,519)
Widowed3.7%(580)
Divorced11.7%(1,826)
Women 15+
Never married22.2%(3,352)
Married53.5%(8,082)
Widowed11.6%(1,755)
Divorced12.7%(1,912)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
8.1%
−7.0 ptssince 2013
from 15.1% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
49.3%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 48.5% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
14.0%
−2.6 ptssince 2020
from 16.6% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
24.8%
+1.5 ptssince 2020
from 23.3% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
22.7%
+2.3 ptssince 2020
from 20.4% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.4%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 2.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
62.1%
−1.7 ptssince 2020
from 63.8% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
43.4%
+3.2 ptssince 2020
from 40.2% 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)17.6%(377)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)16.5%(353)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era41.7%(892)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War1.7%(36)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.9%(41)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 2,137 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

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Head to head

Compare Alexander County to nearby counties

ALEXANDER COUNTY VS
Catawba County
Income$67,864+4%
Home value$241,600+14%
Population170,172+360%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ALEXANDER COUNTY VS
Iredell County
Income$81,419+25%
Home value$321,400+52%
Population211,798+473%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ALEXANDER COUNTY VS
Caldwell County
Income$56,425−14%
Home value$192,200−9%
Population81,105+119%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ALEXANDER COUNTY VS
Wilkes County
Income$51,721−21%
Home value$168,800−20%
Population66,233+79%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Alexander County, North Carolina?

Alexander County, North Carolina has about 36,412 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Alexander County, North Carolina?

The typical household in Alexander County, North Carolina earns about $65,354 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Alexander County, North Carolina expensive?

In Alexander County, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $211,800, and the typical rent is about $764 a month.

How educated are people in Alexander County, North Carolina?

About 16.7% of adults age 25 and over in Alexander County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Alexander County, North Carolina?

About 12.6% of people in Alexander County, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Alexander County, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Alexander County, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 8,868 residents, a change of about 32 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 →