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COUNTY

Lincoln County

North Carolina · 98,654 residents (2025 est.) · 296 sq mi
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Part of the Charlotte metro area
The short version

Lincoln County is home to 92,716 people in North Carolina. That puts it in the top 5% of US counties for household income. Growth has run 45% since 2000, or 28,936 more people. At a median age of 44.4, this is an older place than the country as a whole. Owners hold 79% of the housing stock. 5% of people here were born outside the United States.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 44.4
US median: 38.9
Less educated
28% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 91%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
92,716
+45%since 2000
from 63,780 in 2000
98,654 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
313 / sq mi
+27%since 2009
from 246 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
44.4
+22%since 2000
from 36.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
296 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
46K59K72K84K97K19902000201020202024Lincoln County
202493K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55%(4,657)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.8%(5,405)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.9%(5,477)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 195.8%(5,364)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.4%(4,975)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411.1%(10,292)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.1%(11,264)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5414.2%(13,164)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6415.2%(14,056)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7411.9%(10,994)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.7%(5,283)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.9%(1,785)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$80,016
+6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $41,421 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$44,098
+134%since 2000
from $18,877 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
51.8%
+25.4 ptssince 2009
from 26.4% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
11.2%
+2.1 ptssince 2000
from 9.2% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.473
+10%since 2010
from 0.429 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade16.1%
US avg: 9.9%
Information11%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade10%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services6.7%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance6.3%
US avg: 5.9%
Public administration5.2%
US avg: 4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical5%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.6%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services1.3%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.2%
US avg: 1.6%
Arts, entertainment, food1.2%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction1.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$321,000
+91%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $92,500 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,015
+16%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $482 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
78.9%
+0.4 ptssince 2000
from 78.5% in 2000
21.1% rent
Vacancy rate
6.8%
−3.0 ptssince 2009
from 9.8% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.50 people
−2%since 2009
from 2.56 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
16.4%
−6.3 ptssince 2009
from 22.7% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
36.7%
−7.1 ptssince 2009
from 43.8% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
4.0
+40%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
89
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic86.7%(55,290)
Black6.4%(4,067)
Hispanic / Latino5.7%(3,656)
Asian0.3%(188)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic82%(75,997)
Black5.9%(5,472)
Hispanic / Latino8.1%(7,542)
Asian0.8%(733)
Other3.2%(2,972)
Diversity Score
40
+12%since 2009
from 35 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
31
−12%since 2020
from 35 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
Mexican4.3%(3,946)
Central American1.7%(1,605)
Costa Rican0.9%(830)
Cuban0.5%(432)
Puerto Rican0.5%(427)
Salvadoran0.3%(299)
Nicaraguan0.3%(256)
Dominican0.3%(249)
Venezuelan0.2%(230)
Guatemalan0.2%(185)
Argentine0.2%(181)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Colombian0.1%(109)
Spaniard0.1%(85)
Peruvian0.1%(57)
Honduran0%(10)
Asian origin
Vietnamese0.3%(239)
Filipino0.2%(174)
Chinese0.2%(164)
Korean0%(44)
Laotian0%(39)
Japanese0%(25)
Hmong0%(13)
Burmese0%(11)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(27)
Ancestry
German16.3%(15,129)
English12.9%(11,973)
American10.9%(10,106)
Irish9.8%(9,068)
Italian3.2%(2,934)
Scottish2.4%(2,203)
Polish2.1%(1,908)
Scotch-Irish1.6%(1,508)
French1.5%(1,365)
Dutch1.2%(1,116)
Swedish0.8%(728)
+ 33 more ancestry groups with data
Norwegian0.4%(409)
Russian0.4%(402)
Hungarian0.3%(267)
Lithuanian0.3%(266)
Welsh0.3%(262)
Arab0.2%(208)
Greek0.2%(186)
British0.1%(128)
Danish0.1%(128)
Romanian0.1%(122)
Egyptian0.1%(119)
Swiss0.1%(108)
West Indian0.1%(108)
Canadian0.1%(93)
Ukrainian0.1%(88)
Slovak0.1%(87)
Lebanese0.1%(71)
Czech0.1%(70)
Austrian0.1%(67)
Australian0.1%(60)
Belgian0.1%(51)
Finnish0%(40)
Turkish0%(37)
Serbian0%(25)
Brazilian0%(22)
Israeli0%(22)
Jamaican0%(20)
Armenian0%(16)
Iranian0%(16)
Croatian0%(13)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
28.3%
+15.4 ptssince 2000
from 13.0% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
89.6%
+17.9 ptssince 2000
from 71.7% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
8.8%
+5.4 ptssince 2000
from 3.4% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
29.3 min
+54%since 2000
from 19.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
76.2%
−8.0 ptssince 2009
from 84.2% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.1%
−3.2 ptssince 2009
from 10.4% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
14.3%
+11.5 ptssince 2009
from 2.8% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
0.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 1.1% 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
3.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 3.4% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.3%
−7.9 ptssince 2011
from 11.2% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
60.9%
−5.6 ptssince 2011
from 66.5% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
71.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 71.2% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
13.6%
+2.9 ptssince 2009
from 10.7% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
40.3%
+13.0 ptssince 2009
from 27.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.9%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 49.6% in 2009
Female
50.1%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 50.4% in 2009
Foreign born
5.5%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 6.0% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
6.4%
−3.7 ptssince 2009
from 10.1% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
14.9%
+0.3 ptssince 2012
from 14.6% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
8.7%
−7.9 ptssince 2013
from 16.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
91.1%
+15.7 ptssince 2017
from 75.4% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
94.2%
+5.1 ptssince 2020
from 89.1% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
90.3%
+2.2 ptssince 2020
from 88.1% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
91.5%
−0.8 ptssince 2016
from 92.3% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
6.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2016
from 6.6% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married26.7%(10,218)
Married60.9%(23,265)
Widowed3.3%(1,270)
Divorced9.1%(3,476)
Women 15+
Never married20.8%(8,115)
Married59.1%(23,027)
Widowed8.3%(3,235)
Divorced11.7%(4,571)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
8.7%
−7.9 ptssince 2013
from 16.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
50.7%
−5.1 ptssince 2020
from 55.8% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
18.4%
+2.9 ptssince 2020
from 15.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
20.8%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 19.7% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
16.5%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 16.5% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.3%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 2.9% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
67.4%
−1.9 ptssince 2020
from 69.3% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
34.9%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 34.2% 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)24.9%(1,179)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)25.5%(1,208)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era37.2%(1,763)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.6%(265)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.4%(21)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 4,741 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 Lincoln County to nearby counties

LINCOLN COUNTY VS
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Income$67,864−15%
Home value$241,600−25%
Population170,172+72%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LINCOLN COUNTY VS
Gaston County
Income$67,478−16%
Home value$266,000−17%
Population246,558+150%
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LINCOLN COUNTY VS
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Income$58,534−27%
Home value$200,000−38%
Population103,325+5%
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LINCOLN COUNTY VS
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Income$87,005+9%
Home value$406,800+27%
Population1,233,383+1150%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Lincoln County, North Carolina?

Lincoln County, North Carolina has about 92,716 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Lincoln County, North Carolina earns about $80,016 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Lincoln County, North Carolina expensive?

In Lincoln County, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $321,000, and the typical rent is about $1,015 a month.

How educated are people in Lincoln County, North Carolina?

About 28.3% of adults age 25 and over in Lincoln County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

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

About 11.2% of people in Lincoln County, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Lincoln County, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Lincoln County, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 42,397 residents, a change of about 84 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 →