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COUNTY

Guilford County

North Carolina · 562,234 residents (2025 est.) · 646 sq mi
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Part of the Greensboro metro area
The short version

Guilford County is a county of 547,940 people in North Carolina. Growth has run 30% since 2000, or 126,892 more people. The typical home is worth $259,900, having more than doubled since 2000. Owners hold 60% of the housing stock. Density works out to 848 people per square mile. About 39% of adults have finished a four-year degree.

At a glance
Lower income
median household income $68,642, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 37.5
US median: 38.9
Average education
39% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 27%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place

What stands out about Guilford County

What changed most since 1990

  • White share71.4% → 46.0% (−25.4 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
  • Black share26.3% → 33.5% (+7.1 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts
  • Median home value (2024 dollars)$188,645 → $259,900 (+38%)US over the same years: +67%

Among the 100 counties in North Carolina

  • 24th in household income$68,642
  • 13th in share with a bachelor's degree39.0%
  • 31st in home value$259,900
  • 8th in diversity score82.5
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
547,940
+30%since 2000
from 421,048 in 2000
562,234 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
848 / sq mi
+30%since 2000
from 652 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
37.5
+7%since 2000
from 34.9 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
646 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
327K388K448K508K568K19902000201020202024Guilford County
2024548K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.6%(30,494)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.2%(34,241)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.2%(33,953)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 198.3%(45,279)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.4%(40,743)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413.3%(73,141)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.4%(68,196)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.3%(67,646)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.2%(67,063)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.4%(51,727)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.6%(25,328)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.8%(10,129)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$68,642
−12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $42,618 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$39,376
+69%since 2000
from $23,340 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
46.1%
+17.7 ptssince 2009
from 28.4% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
14.6%
+4.0 ptssince 2000
from 10.6% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.479
+1%since 2010
from 0.474 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade13%
US avg: 9.9%
Information11.7%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance7.1%
US avg: 5.9%
Other services7%
US avg: 6.7%
Professional, scientific, technical6.6%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration5.2%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade4.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Transportation & warehousing2.7%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.3%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$259,900
+27%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $112,600 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,163
+8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $590 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
59.9%
−2.7 ptssince 2000
from 62.7% in 2000
40.1% rent
Vacancy rate
7.7%
−3.3 ptssince 2009
from 11.0% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.38 people
−1%since 2009
from 2.40 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
19.2%
−7.7 ptssince 2009
from 26.9% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
48.4%
+1.8 ptssince 2009
from 46.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.8
+17%since 2009
from 3.2 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
51
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic62.9%(264,847)
Black29%(122,279)
Hispanic / Latino3.8%(15,985)
Asian2.4%(10,211)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic46%(252,302)
Black33.5%(183,433)
Hispanic / Latino10.1%(55,083)
Asian5.4%(29,493)
Other5%(27,629)
Diversity Score
83
+17%since 2009
from 71 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
42
−9%since 2020
from 46 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
Mexican5.1%(28,038)
Central American1.5%(8,031)
Puerto Rican1.3%(7,366)
South American0.7%(3,669)
Salvadoran0.6%(3,304)
Dominican0.5%(2,471)
Guatemalan0.3%(1,844)
Honduran0.3%(1,484)
Colombian0.2%(1,290)
Cuban0.2%(1,252)
Nicaraguan0.2%(957)
Venezuelan0.1%(661)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Spaniard0.1%(581)
Argentine0.1%(534)
Peruvian0.1%(472)
Ecuadorian0.1%(372)
Costa Rican0.1%(282)
Chilean0%(162)
Panamanian0%(160)
Uruguayan0%(78)
Bolivian0%(34)
Asian origin
Vietnamese1.2%(6,572)
Asian Indian1.1%(6,292)
Chinese0.7%(3,620)
Pakistani0.4%(2,296)
Filipino0.4%(2,002)
Laotian0.3%(1,543)
Burmese0.2%(1,364)
Korean0.2%(1,071)
Nepalese0.2%(964)
Kazakh0.1%(769)
Cambodian0.1%(683)
Thai0.1%(344)
+ 9 more asian origin groups with data
Japanese0.1%(299)
Bhutanese0%(206)
Taiwanese0%(115)
Hmong0%(62)
Mongolian0%(44)
Okinawan0%(40)
Malaysian0%(26)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(267)
Samoan0%(25)
Ancestry
English10.8%(58,947)
German7.7%(42,357)
American6.4%(34,840)
Irish6.2%(33,960)
Subsaharan African3.4%(18,405)
Italian2.7%(15,016)
Scottish2.2%(11,995)
Scotch-Irish1.5%(8,344)
French1.2%(6,664)
Polish1.1%(5,866)
West Indian1.1%(5,863)
Nigerian0.7%(3,848)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Arab0.7%(3,633)
Dutch0.6%(3,162)
Swedish0.4%(2,410)
Welsh0.4%(2,368)
Haitian0.4%(2,357)
Jamaican0.4%(2,078)
British0.4%(1,979)
Norwegian0.3%(1,852)
Russian0.3%(1,764)
French Canadian0.3%(1,450)
Greek0.2%(1,249)
Lebanese0.2%(918)
Swiss0.2%(899)
Ukrainian0.2%(888)
Hungarian0.2%(828)
Ethiopian0.1%(792)
Canadian0.1%(689)
Czech0.1%(677)
Egyptian0.1%(659)
Danish0.1%(659)
Portuguese0.1%(607)
Slovak0.1%(561)
Austrian0.1%(559)
Iranian0.1%(503)
Lithuanian0.1%(461)
Brazilian0.1%(449)
Romanian0.1%(438)
Barbadian0.1%(328)
Guyanese0.1%(312)
Croatian0.1%(310)
Jordanian0.1%(299)
Ghanaian0.1%(280)
Moroccan0%(273)
Somali0%(270)
Finnish0%(245)
Kenyan0%(170)
Turkish0%(158)
Serbian0%(154)
Belgian0%(149)
Slovene0%(137)
Israeli0%(130)
Syrian0%(114)
Armenian0%(109)
Bulgarian0%(109)
Iraqi0%(93)
Latvian0%(45)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
39.0%
+8.7 ptssince 2000
from 30.3% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
90.8%
+7.8 ptssince 2000
from 83.0% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
14.8%
+5.7 ptssince 2000
from 9.0% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
22.0 min
+66%since 2000
from 13.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
73.3%
−9.0 ptssince 2009
from 82.3% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
8.4%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 9.3% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
1.2%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
13.9%
+10.3 ptssince 2009
from 3.6% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.7%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.7% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
6.7%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 7.1% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.6%
−5.5 ptssince 2011
from 10.1% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
64.1%
−3.0 ptssince 2011
from 67.1% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
76.3%
+1.5 ptssince 2020
from 74.8% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.4%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 11.7% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
40.3%
+5.2 ptssince 2009
from 35.1% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
47.5%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 47.9% in 2009
Female
52.5%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 52.1% in 2009
Foreign born
11.8%
+3.4 ptssince 2009
from 8.5% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.8%
−3.9 ptssince 2009
from 9.7% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
12.3%
+2.0 ptssince 2012
from 10.3% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
8.4%
−7.9 ptssince 2013
from 16.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
91.2%
+20.3 ptssince 2017
from 70.9% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
95.4%
+5.3 ptssince 2020
from 90.1% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
85.1%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 84.3% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
83.1%
−3.8 ptssince 2016
from 87.0% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
7.6%
+1.4 ptssince 2016
from 6.2% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married39.9%(83,793)
Married49.2%(103,171)
Widowed3%(6,362)
Divorced7.9%(16,540)
Women 15+
Never married37.4%(89,507)
Married42.8%(102,504)
Widowed7.8%(18,731)
Divorced12%(28,644)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
8.4%
−7.9 ptssince 2013
from 16.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
53.7%
−1.1 ptssince 2020
from 54.8% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
15.2%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 15.1% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
17.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 17.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
20.4%
+1.9 ptssince 2020
from 18.5% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.8%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 2.1% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
66.6%
−1.4 ptssince 2020
from 68.0% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
35.5%
+1.8 ptssince 2020
from 33.7% 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)25.3%(6,234)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)23.3%(5,739)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era31.9%(7,856)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.1%(1,001)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.5%(375)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 24,634 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

Guilford County, decade by decade

Guilford County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
1990347,420$72,357$188,64524.8%52.5
2000421,048$77,635$205,11830.3%64.7
2010488,406$65,708$221,25232.4%74.3
2020541,299$66,412$209,56236.6%81.7
2024547,940$68,642$259,90039.0%82.5

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

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Pop 538,433
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Places similar to Guilford County
Head to head

Compare Guilford County to nearby counties

GUILFORD COUNTY VS
Rockingham County
Income$57,053−17%
Home value$168,600−35%
Population94,195−83%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
GUILFORD COUNTY VS
Alamance County
Income$65,651−4%
Home value$241,500−7%
Population186,177−67%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
GUILFORD COUNTY VS
Randolph County
Income$61,022−11%
Home value$197,100−24%
Population149,516−73%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
GUILFORD COUNTY VS
Forsyth County
Income$67,165−2%
Home value$250,400−4%
Population401,718−29%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Guilford County, North Carolina?

Guilford County, North Carolina has about 547,940 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Guilford County, North Carolina earns about $68,642 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Guilford County, North Carolina expensive?

In Guilford County, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $259,900, and the typical rent is about $1,163 a month.

How educated are people in Guilford County, North Carolina?

About 39.0% of adults age 25 and over in Guilford County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

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

About 14.6% of people in Guilford County, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Guilford County, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Guilford County, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 200,520 residents, a change of about 58 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 →

Guilford County, North Carolina: demographics, income & housing data · CensusEasy