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COUNTY

Burke County

North Carolina · 88,655 residents (2025 est.) · 506 sq mi
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The short version

Burke County is a county of 87,795 people in North Carolina. At a median age of 44.9, this is an older place than the country as a whole. 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $185,400. 75% of homes are owner-occupied. The foreign-born share is 5%.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 44.9
US median: 38.9
Less educated
21% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 31%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
87,795
−2%since 2000
from 89,148 in 2000
88,655 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
173 / sq mi
−1%since 2009
from 176 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
44.9
+22%since 2000
from 36.9 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
506 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
74K79K83K88K92K19902000201020202024Burke County
202488K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.8%(4,209)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95%(4,349)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.3%(4,613)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 195.4%(4,714)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.6%(4,917)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.3%(10,830)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.8%(10,331)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.9%(11,303)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6415.4%(13,498)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7412.4%(10,925)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 846.6%(5,836)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.6%(2,270)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$58,592
−10%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $35,629 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$32,977
+90%since 2000
from $17,397 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
38.4%
+22.4 ptssince 2009
from 16.0% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
15.6%
+4.9 ptssince 2000
from 10.7% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.443
+2%since 2010
from 0.434 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade22.8%
US avg: 9.9%
Information12.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade5.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance4.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3.9%
US avg: 5.1%
Other services3.3%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration2.2%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing1.8%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.1%
US avg: 1.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$185,400
+31%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $77,600 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$884
+8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $450 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
74.5%
+0.4 ptssince 2000
from 74.1% in 2000
25.5% rent
Vacancy rate
10.0%
−4.0 ptssince 2009
from 14.0% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.34 people
−7%since 2009
from 2.52 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
15.9%
−7.9 ptssince 2009
from 23.8% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
31.4%
−9.1 ptssince 2009
from 40.5% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.2
+10%since 2009
from 2.9 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
56
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic84.9%(75,727)
Black6.7%(5,953)
Hispanic / Latino3.6%(3,180)
Asian3.5%(3,093)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic79.1%(69,461)
Black6.1%(5,312)
Hispanic / Latino8.5%(7,457)
Asian3.5%(3,072)
Other2.8%(2,493)
Diversity Score
45
+21%since 2009
from 37 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
29
−10%since 2020
from 32 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
Central American3.9%(3,408)
Guatemalan3.2%(2,792)
Mexican2.5%(2,217)
Puerto Rican0.7%(605)
Cuban0.4%(362)
Honduran0.4%(340)
Salvadoran0.3%(244)
Spaniard0.2%(211)
Chilean0.1%(51)
Peruvian0%(36)
+ 4 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Hmong2.3%(2,014)
Chinese0.3%(250)
Filipino0.3%(230)
Laotian0.3%(227)
Thai0.1%(95)
Cambodian0.1%(91)
Asian Indian0.1%(70)
Korean0%(31)
Japanese0%(28)
Taiwanese0%(13)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(18)
Ancestry
American14.8%(12,964)
English12.1%(10,606)
German11.1%(9,746)
Irish9.4%(8,241)
Scottish2.7%(2,360)
Scotch-Irish1.9%(1,628)
Italian1.8%(1,609)
Polish1.5%(1,299)
Dutch0.9%(754)
French0.8%(718)
Norwegian0.5%(432)
British0.4%(329)
+ 33 more ancestry groups with data
Welsh0.3%(244)
Greek0.3%(222)
Swedish0.2%(150)
West Indian0.1%(131)
Arab0.1%(119)
Hungarian0.1%(119)
Swiss0.1%(100)
Haitian0.1%(87)
Romanian0.1%(75)
Danish0.1%(62)
Russian0.1%(59)
Ghanaian0.1%(59)
Canadian0.1%(54)
Austrian0%(41)
Egyptian0%(40)
Czech0%(40)
Lebanese0%(36)
Ukrainian0%(34)
Moroccan0%(31)
Israeli0%(26)
Belgian0%(24)
Barbadian0%(18)
Slovak0%(14)
Syrian0%(12)
Brazilian0%(10)
Latvian0%(8)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
21.0%
+8.2 ptssince 2000
from 12.8% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
86.0%
+18.3 ptssince 2000
from 67.6% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
7.4%
+3.5 ptssince 2000
from 3.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
23.4 min
+78%since 2000
from 13.2 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
83.8%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 82.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
9.6%
−1.5 ptssince 2009
from 11.1% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.4% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
5.4%
+1.8 ptssince 2009
from 3.6% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
0.5%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 1.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.8%
−2.6 ptssince 2009
from 7.4% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.4%
−6.7 ptssince 2011
from 11.1% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
57.7%
−1.0 ptssince 2011
from 58.7% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
69.5%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 68.2% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
15.4%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 16.5% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
31.5%
+5.3 ptssince 2009
from 26.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.1%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.7% in 2009
Female
49.9%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 50.3% in 2009
Foreign born
5.3%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 4.7% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
6.4%
−3.6 ptssince 2009
from 10.0% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
18.9%
Unchangedsince 2012
from 18.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
11.0%
−5.7 ptssince 2013
from 16.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
84.7%
+18.9 ptssince 2017
from 65.8% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
91.0%
+6.5 ptssince 2020
from 84.5% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
91.2%
+2.3 ptssince 2020
from 88.9% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
90.7%
−1.0 ptssince 2016
from 91.7% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
5.8%
+1.0 ptssince 2016
from 4.7% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married33.2%(12,364)
Married54.4%(20,232)
Widowed3.6%(1,342)
Divorced8.8%(3,280)
Women 15+
Never married22.3%(8,351)
Married51.9%(19,407)
Widowed11.1%(4,137)
Divorced14.7%(5,511)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
11.0%
−5.7 ptssince 2013
from 16.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
49.0%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 49.1% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
15.6%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 15.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
24.1%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 24.7% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
21.0%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 21.9% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.2%
−0.4 ptssince 2020
from 3.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
62.0%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 62.0% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
42.0%
−0.8 ptssince 2020
from 42.8% 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)19.1%(873)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)13.9%(634)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era42.4%(1,931)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.1%(232)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.6%(28)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 4,559 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

Places similar to Burke County

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Pop 86,949
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Pop 81,603
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Pop 99,695
Cullman County
Pop 94,009
Places similar to Burke County
Head to head

Compare Burke County to nearby counties

BURKE COUNTY VS
Caldwell County
Income$56,425−4%
Home value$192,200+4%
Population81,105−9%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BURKE COUNTY VS
McDowell County
Income$57,168−2%
Home value$171,100−8%
Population45,198−49%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BURKE COUNTY VS
Avery County
Income$61,428+5%
Home value$265,800+43%
Population18,110−80%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BURKE COUNTY VS
Rutherford County
Income$51,410−12%
Home value$201,800+9%
Population65,745−26%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Burke County, North Carolina?

Burke County, North Carolina has about 87,795 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Burke County, North Carolina earns about $58,592 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Burke County, North Carolina expensive?

In Burke County, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $185,400, and the typical rent is about $884 a month.

How educated are people in Burke County, North Carolina?

About 21.0% of adults age 25 and over in Burke County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

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

About 15.6% of people in Burke County, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Burke County, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Burke County, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 12,051 residents, a change of about 16 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 →