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COUNTY

Pender County

North Carolina · 72,111 residents (2025 est.) · 871 sq mi
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Part of the Wilmington metro area
The short version

Pender County is home to 65,550 people in North Carolina. The population has risen by half since 2000, adding 24,468 people. That puts it in the top 5% of US counties for household income. Owners hold 83% of the housing stock. 4% of people here were born outside the United States. There are 75 people per square mile.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 41.6
US median: 38.9
Average education
31% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 89%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
65,550
+60%since 2000
from 41,082 in 2000
72,111 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
75 / sq mi
+33%since 2009
from 57 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
41.6
+7%since 2000
from 38.8 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
871 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
25K36K47K58K69K19902000201020202024Pender County
202466K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.4%(3,558)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.8%(3,778)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.2%(4,741)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.4%(4,177)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 244.5%(2,932)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411.1%(7,279)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.9%(9,126)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5413.4%(8,755)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.1%(9,272)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7411.4%(7,505)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.9%(3,231)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.8%(1,196)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$80,396
+23%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $35,902 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$40,192
+125%since 2000
from $17,882 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
52.9%
+30.3 ptssince 2009
from 22.6% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
9.7%
−3.9 ptssince 2000
from 13.6% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.432
Unchangedsince 2010
from 0.431 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information12.2%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade11.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Retail trade7.7%
US avg: 9.9%
Finance & insurance6.7%
US avg: 5.9%
Other services5.7%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration4%
US avg: 4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical3.8%
US avg: 5.1%
Education & health services2.9%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.8%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.3%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.2%
US avg: 2.2%
Manufacturing0.2%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$299,000
+89%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $86,900 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,106
+24%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $491 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
82.7%
+0.1 ptssince 2000
from 82.6% in 2000
17.3% rent
Vacancy rate
20.6%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 21.1% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.54 people
+5%since 2009
from 2.42 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
23.1%
−5.2 ptssince 2009
from 28.3% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
45.0%
+6.3 ptssince 2009
from 38.7% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.7
+22%since 2009
from 3.1 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
91
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic71.7%(29,441)
Black23.2%(9,536)
Hispanic / Latino3.6%(1,496)
Asian0.2%(72)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic74%(48,528)
Black12.1%(7,945)
Hispanic / Latino8.8%(5,787)
Asian0.7%(454)
Other4.3%(2,836)
Diversity Score
53
+3%since 2009
from 52 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
32
−21%since 2020
from 40 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
Mexican5.9%(3,899)
Puerto Rican0.6%(424)
Dominican0.6%(384)
Honduran0.4%(243)
Spaniard0.2%(128)
Guatemalan0.1%(96)
Colombian0.1%(69)
Venezuelan0.1%(54)
Cuban0%(26)
Peruvian0%(19)
+ 2 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Indonesian0.2%(105)
Filipino0.1%(86)
Nepalese0.1%(77)
Chinese0.1%(68)
Korean0.1%(55)
Asian Indian0.1%(50)
Hmong0%(31)
Japanese0%(12)
Thai0%(4)
Pacific Islander origin
Ancestry
English14.3%(9,396)
German10.9%(7,119)
Irish10.6%(6,920)
American5.5%(3,588)
Italian4.6%(3,046)
Scottish2.7%(1,777)
Polish2.1%(1,374)
Scotch-Irish2%(1,340)
French1.4%(926)
Dutch0.7%(445)
Hungarian0.7%(439)
British0.6%(402)
+ 30 more ancestry groups with data
Norwegian0.5%(307)
Russian0.3%(222)
Swedish0.3%(212)
Welsh0.3%(212)
Finnish0.3%(198)
Portuguese0.3%(182)
Danish0.3%(168)
Arab0.2%(147)
Austrian0.2%(137)
Swiss0.2%(136)
Slovak0.2%(133)
Canadian0.2%(127)
Czech0.2%(112)
Ukrainian0.2%(102)
Greek0.1%(86)
Lithuanian0.1%(65)
Macedonian0.1%(48)
Romanian0.1%(38)
West Indian0.1%(33)
Brazilian0%(31)
Syrian0%(29)
Turkish0%(28)
Slovene0%(21)
Jamaican0%(19)
Lebanese0%(18)
Iraqi0%(11)
Armenian0%(10)
Belgian0%(4)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
30.6%
+17.1 ptssince 2000
from 13.6% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
90.8%
+14.0 ptssince 2000
from 76.8% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
10.1%
+6.5 ptssince 2000
from 3.6% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
30.1 min
+53%since 2000
from 19.7 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
74.3%
−5.6 ptssince 2009
from 79.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
11.3%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 12.1% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
13.2%
+7.3 ptssince 2009
from 5.9% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
0.7%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.0% 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
3.2%
−2.6 ptssince 2009
from 5.8% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.8%
−3.3 ptssince 2011
from 8.1% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
60.9%
+0.6 ptssince 2011
from 60.3% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
70.7%
−1.5 ptssince 2020
from 72.2% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.9%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 12.3% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
39.1%
+15.2 ptssince 2009
from 23.9% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.7%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 50.2% in 2009
Female
49.3%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 49.8% in 2009
Foreign born
4.2%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 4.1% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
9.4%
−5.1 ptssince 2009
from 14.5% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
15.3%
−1.8 ptssince 2012
from 17.1% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
8.8%
−9.4 ptssince 2013
from 18.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
88.6%
+17.7 ptssince 2017
from 70.9% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
94.5%
+2.5 ptssince 2020
from 92.0% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
87.8%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 87.3% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
92.1%
−1.3 ptssince 2016
from 93.4% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
6.8%
+1.5 ptssince 2016
from 5.2% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married28.5%(7,636)
Married56.2%(15,070)
Widowed3.6%(972)
Divorced11.7%(3,142)
Women 15+
Never married21.3%(5,671)
Married57%(15,179)
Widowed10.3%(2,736)
Divorced11.5%(3,067)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
8.8%
−9.4 ptssince 2013
from 18.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
52.0%
+1.6 ptssince 2020
from 50.4% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
18.6%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 18.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
21.0%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 21.0% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
18.5%
−1.2 ptssince 2020
from 19.7% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
4.5%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 4.7% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
71.4%
+2.5 ptssince 2020
from 68.9% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
37.1%
−1.7 ptssince 2020
from 38.8% 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)32.3%(1,525)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)29.4%(1,388)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era33.5%(1,585)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4%(187)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.8%(86)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 4,726 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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Pop 74,967
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Pop 82,153
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Pop 61,951
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Places similar to Pender County
Head to head

Compare Pender County to nearby counties

PENDER COUNTY VS
New Hanover County
Income$75,166−7%
Home value$387,800+30%
Population245,959+241%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PENDER COUNTY VS
Onslow County
Income$68,148−15%
Home value$236,400−21%
Population217,175+201%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PENDER COUNTY VS
Duplin County
Income$55,148−31%
Home value$137,400−54%
Population51,571−28%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PENDER COUNTY VS
Bladen County
Income$42,422−47%
Home value$135,100−55%
Population30,007−58%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Pender County, North Carolina?

Pender County, North Carolina has about 65,550 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Pender County, North Carolina earns about $80,396 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Pender County, North Carolina expensive?

In Pender County, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $299,000, and the typical rent is about $1,106 a month.

How educated are people in Pender County, North Carolina?

About 30.6% of adults age 25 and over in Pender County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

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

About 9.7% of people in Pender County, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Pender County, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Pender County, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 36,695 residents, a change of about 127 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 →