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COUNTY

Brunswick County

North Carolina · 174,702 residents (2025 est.) · 850 sq mi
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Part of the Wilmington metro area
The short version

Brunswick County is home to 152,568 people in North Carolina. The median age is 56.4, about 17 years above the US median. The population has more than doubled since 2000, adding 79,425 people. Owners hold 85% of the housing stock. Few US counties rank higher on income. 4% of residents were born outside the United States.

At a glance
Lower income
median household income $77,024, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 56.4
US median: 38.9
Average education
35% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 102%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place

What stands out about Brunswick County

What changed most since 1990

  • Population50,985 → 152,568 (+199%)US over the same years: +35%
  • Median age37.2 → 56.4 (+19.2 years)US over the same years: +6.0 years
  • Black share18.0% → 8.3% (−9.7 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts

Among the 100 counties in North Carolina

  • 16th in household income$77,024
  • 18th in share with a bachelor's degree34.7%
  • 16th in home value$349,800
  • 74th in diversity score41.8
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
152,568
+109%since 2000
from 73,143 in 2000
174,702 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
179 / sq mi
+109%since 2000
from 86 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
56.4
+34%since 2000
from 42.2 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
850 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
41K71K102K132K163K19902000201020202024Brunswick County
2024153K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 53.6%(5,478)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 93.8%(5,744)
US avg: 6%
10 to 144.2%(6,335)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 193.8%(5,779)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 244%(6,079)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 349.1%(13,887)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 449.6%(14,599)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410.1%(15,431)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6418.1%(27,632)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7422.1%(33,763)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 849.7%(14,843)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2%(2,998)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$77,024
+18%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $35,888 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$45,985
+132%since 2000
from $19,857 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
51.2%
+26.5 ptssince 2009
from 24.7% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
9.2%
−3.3 ptssince 2000
from 12.6% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.439
Unchangedsince 2010
from 0.438 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information13%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade9.8%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance7.2%
US avg: 5.9%
Retail trade7.1%
US avg: 9.9%
Other services6.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Professional, scientific, technical4.3%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration3.6%
US avg: 4.8%
Education & health services2.9%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food2%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.8%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.9%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.9%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$349,800
+102%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $95,200 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,351
+39%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $535 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
84.6%
+2.4 ptssince 2000
from 82.2% in 2000
15.4% rent
Vacancy rate
30.2%
−8.6 ptssince 2009
from 38.9% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.19 people
−1%since 2009
from 2.21 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
22.1%
−4.4 ptssince 2009
from 26.5% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
44.9%
+2.5 ptssince 2009
from 42.4% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
4.5
+10%since 2009
from 4.1 in 2009
1990 – 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
82
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic81.1%(59,354)
Black14.3%(10,459)
Hispanic / Latino2.7%(1,960)
Asian0.3%(192)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic80.8%(123,338)
Black8.3%(12,620)
Hispanic / Latino5.6%(8,583)
Asian0.7%(1,002)
Other4.6%(7,025)
Diversity Score
42
+7%since 2009
from 39 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
36
−7%since 2020
from 39 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
Mexican2.7%(4,182)
Puerto Rican0.6%(970)
Dominican0.4%(552)
Peruvian0.3%(447)
Colombian0.2%(324)
Honduran0.2%(292)
Spaniard0.2%(284)
Cuban0.1%(162)
Guatemalan0.1%(155)
Nicaraguan0.1%(94)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.3%(416)
Filipino0.1%(212)
Chinese0.1%(129)
Nepalese0%(66)
Japanese0%(55)
Korean0%(37)
Taiwanese0%(36)
Thai0%(28)
Okinawan0%(17)
Laotian0%(10)
Kazakh0%(7)
+ 1 more asian origin group with data
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(34)
Ancestry
English16%(24,387)
Irish15%(22,864)
German13.8%(21,120)
Italian6.9%(10,452)
American6.1%(9,313)
Scottish3.2%(4,887)
Polish2.8%(4,275)
Scotch-Irish2.3%(3,568)
French2.3%(3,450)
Welsh0.8%(1,202)
Swedish0.7%(1,012)
+ 39 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch0.7%(1,001)
British0.6%(976)
Norwegian0.5%(761)
Hungarian0.5%(703)
Russian0.5%(701)
Czech0.3%(459)
Greek0.3%(427)
Lithuanian0.3%(409)
Austrian0.3%(405)
Arab0.3%(390)
Slovak0.3%(383)
West Indian0.3%(382)
Danish0.2%(308)
Ukrainian0.2%(279)
Swiss0.2%(266)
Portuguese0.2%(261)
Canadian0.1%(227)
Romanian0.1%(205)
Lebanese0.1%(193)
Serbian0.1%(156)
Jamaican0.1%(151)
Finnish0.1%(133)
Belgian0.1%(115)
Armenian0.1%(98)
Brazilian0.1%(95)
Iranian0.1%(89)
Palestinian0.1%(88)
Latvian0%(69)
Slovene0%(58)
Turkish0%(58)
Nigerian0%(46)
Egyptian0%(37)
Croatian0%(33)
Moroccan0%(32)
Haitian0%(24)
Syrian0%(20)
Guyanese0%(14)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
34.7%
+18.6 ptssince 2000
from 16.1% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
93.5%
+15.2 ptssince 2000
from 78.3% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
12.7%
+7.6 ptssince 2000
from 5.1% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.7 min
+56%since 2000
from 16.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
74.5%
−3.7 ptssince 2009
from 78.2% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.8%
−6.5 ptssince 2009
from 14.3% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.6%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.8% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
14.7%
+11.4 ptssince 2009
from 3.4% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
0.9%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 1.8% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.0%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
2.4%
−2.7 ptssince 2009
from 5.1% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.7%
−7.6 ptssince 2011
from 12.3% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
49.1%
−6.9 ptssince 2011
from 56.0% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
66.8%
+2.7 ptssince 2020
from 64.1% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
13.2%
+2.5 ptssince 2009
from 10.7% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
38.4%
+11.4 ptssince 2009
from 27.1% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.1%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 48.6% in 2009
Female
51.9%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 51.4% in 2009
Foreign born
3.6%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.4% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
10.8%
−4.9 ptssince 2009
from 15.7% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
15.6%
+0.3 ptssince 2012
from 15.3% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
7.5%
−8.0 ptssince 2013
from 15.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
93.3%
+15.7 ptssince 2017
from 77.6% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
96.6%
+2.7 ptssince 2020
from 93.9% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
89.1%
+2.8 ptssince 2020
from 86.3% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
95.0%
+0.9 ptssince 2016
from 94.1% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
3.6%
−0.3 ptssince 2016
from 3.9% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married21.6%(13,845)
Married66.3%(42,562)
Widowed4%(2,559)
Divorced8.2%(5,276)
Women 15+
Never married17.5%(12,387)
Married59.7%(42,214)
Widowed10.5%(7,441)
Divorced12.3%(8,727)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
7.5%
−8.0 ptssince 2013
from 15.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
48.0%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 49.0% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
24.5%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 23.9% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
35.4%
+1.5 ptssince 2020
from 33.9% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
14.5%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 15.0% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
4.1%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 4.7% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
69.6%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 69.0% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
48.1%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 47.4% 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)17.5%(2,475)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)19.4%(2,740)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era45.6%(6,460)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.3%(473)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.3%(40)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 14,158 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

Brunswick County, decade by decade

Brunswick County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
199050,985$56,354$168,96510.7%39.5
200073,143$65,376$173,42216.1%40.0
2010107,431$65,895$274,04823.4%41.4
2020136,693$72,435$267,13329.5%41.6
2024152,568$77,024$349,80034.7%41.8

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.

Drill deeper

Places similar to Brunswick County

Scott County
Pop 175,259
Madera County
Pop 167,927
McLean County
Pop 171,419
Kenton County
Pop 175,779
Places similar to Brunswick County
Head to head

Compare Brunswick County to nearby counties

BRUNSWICK COUNTY VS
New Hanover County
Income$75,166−2%
Home value$387,800+11%
Population245,959+41%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BRUNSWICK COUNTY VS
Columbus County
Income$49,442−36%
Home value$146,000−58%
Population50,487−71%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BRUNSWICK COUNTY VS
Pender County
Income$80,396+4%
Home value$299,000−15%
Population72,111−59%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BRUNSWICK COUNTY VS
Bladen County
Income$42,422−45%
Home value$135,100−61%
Population30,007−83%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Brunswick County, North Carolina?

Brunswick County, North Carolina has about 152,568 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Brunswick County, North Carolina earns about $77,024 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Brunswick County, North Carolina expensive?

In Brunswick County, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $349,800, and the typical rent is about $1,351 a month.

How educated are people in Brunswick County, North Carolina?

About 34.7% of adults age 25 and over in Brunswick County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

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

About 9.2% of people in Brunswick County, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Brunswick County, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Brunswick County, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 101,583 residents, a change of about 199 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 →