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COUNTY

Rowan County

North Carolina · 155,096 residents (2025 est.) · 512 sq mi
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The short version

Rowan County is home to 149,875 people in North Carolina. 23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $238,400. 6% of locals were born outside the United States. Owners hold 72% of the housing stock. Renters pay $1,013 a month at the median.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.4
US median: 38.9
Less educated
23% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 49%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
149,875
+15%since 2000
from 130,340 in 2000
155,096 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
293 / sq mi
+9%since 2009
from 269 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
40.4
+11%since 2000
from 36.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
512 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
107K118K130K142K154K19902000201020202024Rowan County
2024150K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.6%(8,444)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.9%(8,898)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.5%(9,688)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.4%(9,663)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.4%(9,603)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.8%(19,115)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412%(17,924)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.8%(19,116)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.9%(20,831)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.8%(16,146)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.2%(7,837)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.7%(2,610)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$65,725
−4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $37,494 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$33,667
+86%since 2000
from $18,071 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
42.7%
+18.7 ptssince 2009
from 24.1% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
16.0%
+5.4 ptssince 2000
from 10.6% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.445
+2%since 2010
from 0.434 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade14.8%
US avg: 9.9%
Information12.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade9%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance5.5%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.9%
US avg: 5.1%
Other services4.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration3.2%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2.8%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.3%
US avg: 1.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.1%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.8%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.3%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$238,400
+49%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $88,000 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,013
+12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $496 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
72.3%
−1.2 ptssince 2000
from 73.6% in 2000
27.7% rent
Vacancy rate
9.4%
−1.5 ptssince 2009
from 10.8% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.48 people
−1%since 2009
from 2.51 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
20.1%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 21.5% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
42.6%
+3.5 ptssince 2009
from 39.2% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.6
+34%since 2009
from 2.7 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
59
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic78.1%(101,859)
Black15.7%(20,440)
Hispanic / Latino4.1%(5,369)
Asian0.8%(1,086)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic67.8%(101,687)
Black15.5%(23,231)
Hispanic / Latino11.9%(17,788)
Asian0.8%(1,200)
Other4%(5,969)
Diversity Score
62
+25%since 2009
from 50 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
32
−18%since 2020
from 39 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
Mexican7.6%(11,387)
Central American1.7%(2,548)
Honduran1%(1,424)
Puerto Rican0.7%(1,065)
Cuban0.6%(940)
Salvadoran0.5%(736)
Venezuelan0.2%(286)
Colombian0.2%(266)
Guatemalan0.2%(253)
Spaniard0.1%(172)
Dominican0.1%(120)
+ 4 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.1%(100)
Chilean0%(47)
Asian origin
Vietnamese0.2%(325)
Chinese0.2%(261)
Hmong0.1%(174)
Asian Indian0.1%(159)
Korean0.1%(127)
Filipino0%(68)
Thai0%(63)
Laotian0%(2)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(73)
Samoan0%(22)
Fijian0%(8)
Ancestry
German14.3%(21,448)
English11.1%(16,660)
American10.6%(15,947)
Irish7.9%(11,879)
Italian2.5%(3,674)
Scotch-Irish2.4%(3,574)
Scottish2%(3,007)
Polish1.1%(1,623)
French1%(1,553)
Swedish0.6%(928)
Dutch0.5%(778)
+ 33 more ancestry groups with data
Welsh0.5%(739)
Norwegian0.5%(718)
British0.3%(497)
Arab0.3%(395)
Hungarian0.2%(313)
West Indian0.2%(294)
Swiss0.2%(231)
Lebanese0.1%(194)
Finnish0.1%(170)
Russian0.1%(158)
Slovak0.1%(156)
Jamaican0.1%(141)
Greek0.1%(140)
Danish0.1%(129)
Romanian0.1%(121)
Canadian0.1%(116)
Czech0.1%(114)
Haitian0.1%(107)
Portuguese0.1%(98)
Moroccan0.1%(93)
Austrian0%(71)
Armenian0%(41)
Ukrainian0%(35)
Nigerian0%(28)
Bulgarian0%(24)
Barbadian0%(13)
Croatian0%(12)
Brazilian0%(10)
Israeli0%(8)
Slovene0%(4)
Serbian0%(3)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
23.3%
+9.1 ptssince 2000
from 14.2% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
88.9%
+14.7 ptssince 2000
from 74.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
7.3%
+3.4 ptssince 2000
from 3.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
26.2 min
+68%since 2000
from 15.6 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
78.0%
−6.6 ptssince 2009
from 84.6% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
10.2%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 10.4% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.6%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.4% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
8.4%
+6.2 ptssince 2009
from 2.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
0.9%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.3% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
6.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 6.6% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.3%
−4.7 ptssince 2011
from 10.1% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
60.0%
−0.7 ptssince 2011
from 60.7% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
68.7%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 69.7% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
11.2%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 12.1% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
34.0%
+7.4 ptssince 2009
from 26.7% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.5%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 49.2% in 2009
Female
50.5%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 50.8% in 2009
Foreign born
6.3%
+1.6 ptssince 2009
from 4.7% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.2%
−4.5 ptssince 2009
from 11.7% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
15.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2012
from 15.2% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
9.3%
−8.3 ptssince 2013
from 17.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
90.2%
+16.9 ptssince 2017
from 73.3% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
94.3%
+5.8 ptssince 2020
from 88.5% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
89.3%
+2.1 ptssince 2020
from 87.1% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
89.1%
−1.8 ptssince 2016
from 90.9% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
9.1%
+1.7 ptssince 2016
from 7.5% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married33%(19,921)
Married54.3%(32,840)
Widowed3.4%(2,026)
Divorced9.3%(5,640)
Women 15+
Never married26.9%(16,802)
Married50.7%(31,635)
Widowed9.5%(5,922)
Divorced12.9%(8,059)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
9.3%
−8.3 ptssince 2013
from 17.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
50.1%
+1.7 ptssince 2020
from 48.4% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
13.4%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 14.4% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
20.0%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 20.7% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
23.5%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 22.9% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.7%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 3.8% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
62.0%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 61.0% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
41.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 41.2% 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)20.4%(1,719)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)26.1%(2,199)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era35.1%(2,958)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.1%(348)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.7%(55)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 8,425 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 Rowan County to nearby counties

ROWAN COUNTY VS
Cabarrus County
Income$89,005+35%
Home value$354,800+49%
Population249,725+61%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ROWAN COUNTY VS
Davie County
Income$75,057+14%
Home value$253,900+7%
Population45,855−70%
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ROWAN COUNTY VS
Davidson County
Income$64,172−2%
Home value$219,100−8%
Population180,182+16%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ROWAN COUNTY VS
Iredell County
Income$81,419+24%
Home value$321,400+35%
Population211,798+37%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Rowan County, North Carolina?

Rowan County, North Carolina has about 149,875 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Rowan County, North Carolina earns about $65,725 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Rowan County, North Carolina expensive?

In Rowan County, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $238,400, and the typical rent is about $1,013 a month.

How educated are people in Rowan County, North Carolina?

About 23.3% of adults age 25 and over in Rowan County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

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

About 16.0% of people in Rowan County, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Rowan County, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Rowan County, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 39,270 residents, a change of about 36 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 →