COUNTY · 1990 CENSUS

New Hanover County

North Carolina · 120,284 residents · 192 sq mi

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The short version

New Hanover County is home to 120,284 people in North Carolina. There are 40,023 fewer people here than in 2000. Median home value sits at $71,400. Median household income is $27,320, close to the national figure. 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

At a glance

Lower income

below the US median

US median: $30,130

Mid-age

median age 33.9

US median: 33.0

Average education

21% hold a bachelor's degree

US average: 20%

More affordable

home values down 26%, inflation adjusted

US median home: $93,722

Section 01

Population & growth

Total population

120,284

−25%vs 2000

vs 160,307 in 2000

1990 – 2025

Median age

33.9

−7%vs 2000

vs 36.3 in 2000

US average: 33.0

Land area

192 sq mi

Population, 1990 – 2024

2024235K

Age distribution, 1990

Under 56.2%(7,434)

US avg: 7.3%

5 to 96.2%(7,474)

US avg: 7.3%

10 to 146.4%(7,748)

US avg: 6.9%

15 to 197.9%(9,446)

US avg: 7.1%

20 to 248.5%(10,212)

US avg: 7.5%

25 to 3416.6%(19,950)

US avg: 17.5%

35 to 4416%(19,205)

US avg: 15.1%

45 to 5410.8%(12,943)

US avg: 10.2%

55 to 649%(10,806)

US avg: 8.5%

65 to 747.9%(9,549)

US avg: 7.3%

75 to 843.6%(4,355)

US avg: 4%

85 and over1%(1,162)

US avg: 1.2%

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Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income

$27,320

−10%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $40,172 in 2000

US average: $30,130

1990 – 2024

Per capita income

$13,863

−40%vs 2000

vs $23,123 in 2000

US average: $14,340

Poverty rate

14.0%

+1.0 ptsvs 2000

vs 13.1% in 2000

US average: 13.2%

Section 03

Housing

Median home value

$71,400

−26%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $127,900 in 2000

US average: $93,722

1990 – 2024

Median gross rent

$417

−13%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $631 in 2000

US average: $450

Owner-occupied

62.7%

−2.0 ptsvs 2000

vs 64.7% in 2000

37.3% rent

Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000

White, non-Hispanic78.9%(126,453)

Black16.8%(27,001)

Hispanic / Latino2%(3,276)

Asian0.8%(1,325)

Other0%

1990

White, non-Hispanic79%(95,020)

Black20%(24,038)

Hispanic / Latino0.6%(747)

Asian0.5%(593)

Other0.5%(633)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

Hispanic origin

Mexican3.4%(7,897)

Central American1.6%(3,674)

Puerto Rican1.3%(2,970)

Honduran0.9%(2,116)

South American0.7%(1,647)

Cuban0.3%(813)

Colombian0.3%(776)

Salvadoran0.3%(757)

Chilean0.2%(389)

Guatemalan0.2%(370)

Dominican0.2%(358)

Panamanian0.1%(336)

+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data

Spaniard0.1%(327)

Venezuelan0.1%(190)

Bolivian0.1%(122)

Argentine0%(115)

Nicaraguan0%(83)

Ecuadorian0%(34)

Peruvian0%(21)

Costa Rican0%(12)

Asian origin

Korean0.4%(933)

Chinese0.3%(786)

Filipino0.1%(345)

Vietnamese0.1%(265)

Asian Indian0.1%(262)

Burmese0.1%(144)

Hmong0%(94)

Taiwanese0%(80)

Japanese0%(72)

Thai0%(64)

Indonesian0%(62)

Nepalese0%(32)

+ 3 more asian origin groups with data

Cambodian0%(29)

Pakistani0%(22)

Kazakh0%(9)

Pacific Islander origin

Chamorro0.1%(130)

Samoan0%(108)

Native Hawaiian0%(54)

Ancestry

English15.8%(37,267)

Irish13.1%(30,919)

German11.7%(27,431)

Italian6%(14,135)

American5%(11,693)

Scottish2.9%(6,713)

Polish2.4%(5,723)

French2.2%(5,170)

Scotch-Irish1.9%(4,420)

Swedish1%(2,337)

Subsaharan African0.9%(2,017)

Welsh0.8%(1,780)

+ 46 more ancestry groups with data

Dutch0.7%(1,729)

British0.7%(1,718)

Norwegian0.6%(1,517)

Arab0.6%(1,369)

Russian0.5%(1,169)

Greek0.4%(1,041)

French Canadian0.4%(927)

Brazilian0.4%(891)

Hungarian0.4%(886)

Danish0.4%(863)

Ukrainian0.3%(741)

West Indian0.3%(739)

Canadian0.3%(650)

Czech0.3%(617)

Slovak0.2%(549)

Swiss0.2%(543)

Lebanese0.2%(507)

Lithuanian0.2%(489)

Portuguese0.2%(479)

Austrian0.2%(466)

Romanian0.1%(333)

Croatian0.1%(266)

Jordanian0.1%(226)

Haitian0.1%(223)

Jamaican0.1%(220)

Belgian0.1%(202)

Australian0.1%(201)

Nigerian0.1%(197)

Syrian0.1%(170)

Guyanese0.1%(167)

Moroccan0.1%(160)

Slovene0.1%(147)

Finnish0.1%(133)

Iranian0%(97)

Serbian0%(92)

Palestinian0%(84)

Egyptian0%(80)

Ghanaian0%(70)

Ethiopian0%(65)

Turkish0%(63)

Barbadian0%(61)

Armenian0%(59)

Israeli0%(54)

Cape Verdean0%(20)

Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(18)

Latvian0%(14)

RANKED:Largest English population · Largest Irish population · Largest German population · Largest Italian population · Largest American population

Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

21.2%

−9.8 ptsvs 2000

vs 31.0% in 2000

US average: 20.3%

High school or higher

78.1%

−8.2 ptsvs 2000

vs 86.3% in 2000

US average: 75.2%

Graduate degree

5.9%

−2.8 ptsvs 2000

vs 8.7% in 2000

US average: 7.1%

Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute

17.2 min

+33%vs 2000

vs 12.9 min in 2000

US average: 21.9

Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)

Men 15+

Never married39.1%(36,906)

Married50.5%(47,681)

Widowed2.6%(2,455)

Divorced7.8%(7,368)

Women 15+

Never married32.7%(34,810)

Married45.8%(48,711)

Widowed8%(8,507)

Divorced13.4%(14,275)

SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024

Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured

9.6%

−6.6 ptssince 2013

from 16.2% in 2013

US average: 8.4%

Employer-based

53.9%

−0.9 ptssince 2020

from 54.8% in 2020

US average: 54.8%

Direct-purchase

20.3%

−0.7 ptssince 2020

from 21.0% in 2020

US average: 13.8%

Medicare

20.6%

+0.4 ptssince 2020

from 20.2% in 2020

US average: 18.4%

Medicaid

14.1%

+1.0 ptssince 2020

from 13.1% in 2020

US average: 20.9%

VA health care

2.8%

−0.2 ptssince 2020

from 3.0% in 2020

US average: 2.2%

Any private

72.3%

−0.4 ptssince 2020

from 72.7% in 2020

US average: 67.1%

Any public

33.1%

+1.5 ptssince 2020

from 31.6% 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)29.6%(3,907)

US avg: 26.4%

Gulf War (1990s)25.4%(3,349)

US avg: 24.3%

Vietnam era34.1%(4,502)

US avg: 33.1%

Korean War4.5%(592)

US avg: 4.5%

World War II0.4%(48)

US avg: 1%

Share of the 13,192 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.

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