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COUNTY

Sampson County

North Carolina · 61,504 residents (2025 est.) · 946 sq mi
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The short version

With 59,470 people, Sampson County is a county in North Carolina. 16% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $150,700. The poverty rate is 21.8%, above the 12.5% national rate. That trails the North Carolina median by roughly 28%. Owners hold 74% of the housing stock.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 39.7
US median: 38.9
Less educated
16% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
59,470
−1%since 2000
from 60,161 in 2000
61,504 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
63 / sq mi
−6%since 2009
from 67 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
39.7
+13%since 2000
from 35.0 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
946 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
46K51K56K61K66K19902000201020202024Sampson County
202459K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.5%(3,855)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 97.1%(4,203)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.7%(3,960)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.7%(3,966)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.2%(3,676)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411.3%(6,725)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.9%(7,100)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.7%(7,573)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.8%(7,619)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.8%(6,424)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.7%(3,368)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.7%(1,001)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$52,432
−9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $31,793 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$27,307
+82%since 2000
from $14,976 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
36.5%
+17.9 ptssince 2009
from 18.7% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
21.8%
+4.3 ptssince 2000
from 17.6% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.451
−1%since 2010
from 0.457 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade13.2%
US avg: 9.9%
Information11.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade9.5%
US avg: 6.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing8.5%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction8.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Finance & insurance5.8%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.2%
US avg: 5.1%
Other services3.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration2.3%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services1.6%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food0.6%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$150,700
+25%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $66,400 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$834
+18%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $387 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
73.8%
+0.4 ptssince 2000
from 73.5% in 2000
26.2% rent
Vacancy rate
16.4%
+2.1 ptssince 2009
from 14.3% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.68 people
−3%since 2009
from 2.77 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
18.2%
−8.5 ptssince 2009
from 26.7% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
39.2%
−3.1 ptssince 2009
from 42.3% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.9
+15%since 2009
from 2.5 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
37
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic56.8%(34,190)
Black29.7%(17,871)
Hispanic / Latino10.8%(6,477)
Asian0.3%(157)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic49.2%(29,244)
Black24%(14,293)
Hispanic / Latino22%(13,098)
Asian0.4%(255)
Other4.3%(2,580)
Diversity Score
81
+6%since 2009
from 77 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
24
+8%since 2020
from 23 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
Mexican12.1%(7,219)
Central American6.5%(3,868)
Honduran2.7%(1,629)
Guatemalan1.9%(1,107)
Salvadoran1.2%(722)
Cuban0.6%(382)
Dominican0.5%(271)
Puerto Rican0.3%(166)
Colombian0.2%(142)
Nicaraguan0.1%(70)
+ 5 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Vietnamese0.3%(149)
Asian Indian0.1%(38)
Filipino0.1%(31)
Thai0%(15)
Nepalese0%(11)
Chinese0%(8)
Korean0%(3)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0.1%(57)
Ancestry
English7.7%(4,601)
American6.5%(3,876)
Irish3.3%(1,971)
German2%(1,188)
Scotch-Irish1.1%(672)
Italian0.8%(470)
Scottish0.8%(458)
French0.4%(249)
Arab0.4%(232)
Palestinian0.4%(211)
Dutch0.2%(124)
+ 28 more ancestry groups with data
Polish0.2%(118)
West Indian0.2%(98)
British0.1%(84)
Ukrainian0.1%(82)
Nigerian0.1%(81)
Haitian0.1%(75)
Welsh0.1%(62)
Danish0.1%(60)
Norwegian0.1%(34)
Czech0.1%(32)
Lithuanian0.1%(32)
Jamaican0%(17)
Lebanese0%(12)
Syrian0%(9)
Swedish0%(8)
Finnish0%(7)
Greek0%(5)
Serbian0%(4)
Swiss0%(3)
Belgian0%(2)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
16.2%
+5.2 ptssince 2000
from 11.1% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
84.1%
+15.0 ptssince 2000
from 69.1% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
4.7%
+1.4 ptssince 2000
from 3.2% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
26.5 min
+47%since 2000
from 18.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
82.4%
+2.5 ptssince 2009
from 79.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
10.1%
−5.3 ptssince 2009
from 15.4% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.9%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
4.9%
+3.2 ptssince 2009
from 1.7% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
0.6%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.8%
−2.2 ptssince 2009
from 7.0% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.3%
−5.4 ptssince 2011
from 10.6% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
56.4%
−6.4 ptssince 2011
from 62.7% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
66.7%
−2.2 ptssince 2020
from 68.9% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
13.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 13.2% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
31.6%
+5.2 ptssince 2009
from 26.4% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.9%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.5% in 2009
Female
50.1%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 50.5% in 2009
Foreign born
10.6%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 9.5% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
6.9%
−2.6 ptssince 2009
from 9.5% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
15.7%
−1.2 ptssince 2012
from 16.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
15.6%
−4.0 ptssince 2013
from 19.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
84.7%
+26.4 ptssince 2017
from 58.3% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
89.1%
+3.1 ptssince 2020
from 86.0% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
95.5%
+6.1 ptssince 2020
from 89.4% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
80.7%
−3.3 ptssince 2016
from 83.9% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
18.7%
+3.4 ptssince 2016
from 15.3% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married34.3%(8,062)
Married51.1%(12,015)
Widowed4.3%(1,004)
Divorced10.3%(2,416)
Women 15+
Never married27.8%(6,663)
Married47.5%(11,381)
Widowed12.8%(3,060)
Divorced11.9%(2,851)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
15.6%
−4.0 ptssince 2013
from 19.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
41.3%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 41.1% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
11.8%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 12.7% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
20.3%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 21.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
26.7%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 26.5% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.0%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 2.5% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
52.5%
+0.4 ptssince 2020
from 52.1% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
43.7%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 44.3% 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)26.3%(810)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)22.2%(683)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era29.6%(913)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War1.5%(45)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 3,083 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 62,987
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Head to head

Compare Sampson County to nearby counties

SAMPSON COUNTY VS
Duplin County
Income$55,148+5%
Home value$137,400−9%
Population51,571−16%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAMPSON COUNTY VS
Cumberland County
Income$61,291+17%
Home value$199,200+32%
Population338,473+450%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAMPSON COUNTY VS
Bladen County
Income$42,422−19%
Home value$135,100−10%
Population30,007−51%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAMPSON COUNTY VS
Wayne County
Income$59,733+14%
Home value$178,700+19%
Population122,278+99%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Sampson County, North Carolina?

Sampson County, North Carolina has about 59,470 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Sampson County, North Carolina earns about $52,432 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Sampson County, North Carolina expensive?

In Sampson County, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $150,700, and the typical rent is about $834 a month.

How educated are people in Sampson County, North Carolina?

About 16.2% of adults age 25 and over in Sampson County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

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

About 21.8% of people in Sampson County, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Sampson County, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Sampson County, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 12,173 residents, a change of about 26 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 →