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COUNTY

Stokes County

North Carolina · 46,126 residents (2025 est.) · 449 sq mi
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The short version

Stokes County is a county of 45,139 people in North Carolina. At a median age of 47.7, this is an older place than the country as a whole. 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. 79% of homes are owner-occupied. The foreign-born share is 1%. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $196,700.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 47.7
US median: 38.9
Less educated
18% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 29%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
45,139
+1%since 2000
from 44,711 in 2000
46,126 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
100 / sq mi
−2%since 2009
from 102 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
47.7
+28%since 2000
from 37.2 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
449 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
36K39K42K45K48K19902000201020202024Stokes County
202445K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.4%(2,002)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.2%(2,348)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.1%(2,310)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 195.5%(2,470)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.5%(2,468)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3410.4%(4,685)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4410.6%(4,764)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5414.4%(6,507)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6415.8%(7,144)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7413.3%(5,989)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 847.3%(3,289)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.6%(1,163)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$62,969
−11%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $38,808 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$33,945
+87%since 2000
from $18,130 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
38.6%
+18.9 ptssince 2009
from 19.8% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
11.2%
+2.1 ptssince 2000
from 9.1% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.418
+5%since 2010
from 0.400 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade18.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Information10.9%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance7.5%
US avg: 5.9%
Wholesale trade7.4%
US avg: 6.9%
Professional, scientific, technical6.7%
US avg: 5.1%
Other services3.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration2.1%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.1%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.8%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.8%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.7%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$196,700
+29%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $84,000 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$775
−5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $449 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
79.2%
−2.9 ptssince 2000
from 82.1% in 2000
20.8% rent
Vacancy rate
9.1%
−3.1 ptssince 2009
from 12.1% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.28 people
−9%since 2009
from 2.50 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
14.7%
−7.7 ptssince 2009
from 22.4% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
39.6%
+7.2 ptssince 2009
from 32.4% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.1
+9%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
50
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic92.5%(41,379)
Black4.6%(2,068)
Hispanic / Latino1.9%(836)
Asian0.2%(82)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic89%(40,160)
Black3.7%(1,650)
Hispanic / Latino3.8%(1,730)
Asian0.1%(33)
Other3.5%(1,566)
Diversity Score
26
+31%since 2009
from 20 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
37
+35%since 2020
from 27 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
Mexican1.8%(817)
Puerto Rican1.2%(522)
Colombian0.2%(107)
Nicaraguan0.1%(34)
Peruvian0.1%(24)
Asian origin
Korean0%(19)
Japanese0%(14)
Pacific Islander origin
Ancestry
English22.6%(10,189)
German11.2%(5,035)
American11%(4,970)
Irish9.9%(4,468)
Italian3%(1,352)
Scotch-Irish2.1%(959)
Scottish1.9%(838)
Polish1.3%(589)
Dutch1.1%(491)
Welsh1%(467)
French0.5%(242)
Norwegian0.2%(98)
+ 26 more ancestry groups with data
Hungarian0.2%(94)
Arab0.2%(91)
Czech0.1%(66)
Egyptian0.1%(64)
Turkish0.1%(62)
Swiss0.1%(55)
Swedish0.1%(39)
Finnish0.1%(38)
Ukrainian0.1%(37)
Canadian0.1%(36)
Israeli0.1%(34)
Serbian0.1%(24)
Danish0.1%(23)
Syrian0%(16)
Latvian0%(16)
Russian0%(16)
British0%(12)
Ethiopian0%(12)
Jordanian0%(11)
Jamaican0%(10)
Greek0%(9)
Belgian0%(2)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
18.2%
+8.9 ptssince 2000
from 9.3% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
91.4%
+18.2 ptssince 2000
from 73.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
6.2%
+3.9 ptssince 2000
from 2.3% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
31.6 min
+52%since 2000
from 20.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
83.4%
−2.4 ptssince 2009
from 85.8% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.4%
−2.3 ptssince 2009
from 9.7% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
7.7%
+5.2 ptssince 2009
from 2.5% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
0.6%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.9% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.5%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 4.2% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.1%
−7.4 ptssince 2011
from 10.5% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
54.9%
−6.4 ptssince 2011
from 61.3% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
68.1%
−3.2 ptssince 2020
from 71.3% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
13.5%
+3.5 ptssince 2009
from 10.0% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
32.6%
+10.5 ptssince 2009
from 22.1% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.0%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 48.4% in 2009
Female
51.0%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 51.6% in 2009
Foreign born
1.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.3%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 9.2% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
20.1%
+5.8 ptssince 2012
from 14.3% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
7.6%
−4.5 ptssince 2013
from 12.1% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
86.7%
+19.3 ptssince 2017
from 67.4% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
92.1%
+8.0 ptssince 2020
from 84.1% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
91.0%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 90.4% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
97.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2016
from 97.4% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
1.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2016
from 2.1% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married28.1%(5,280)
Married56.2%(10,570)
Widowed4.6%(865)
Divorced11.1%(2,087)
Women 15+
Never married18.9%(3,714)
Married55.7%(10,963)
Widowed10.4%(2,052)
Divorced15%(2,948)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
7.6%
−4.5 ptssince 2013
from 12.1% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
50.3%
−3.0 ptssince 2020
from 53.3% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
16.1%
−1.2 ptssince 2020
from 17.3% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
26.3%
+3.4 ptssince 2020
from 22.9% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
22.2%
+4.0 ptssince 2020
from 18.2% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.2%
+0.3 ptssince 2020
from 2.9% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
64.7%
−3.2 ptssince 2020
from 67.9% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
44.9%
+6.9 ptssince 2020
from 38.0% 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%(536)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)13.9%(372)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era40.9%(1,094)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3%(79)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.7%(20)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 2,674 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

Places similar to Stokes County

Thomas County
Pop 46,368
Fremont County
Pop 50,039
Chilton County
Pop 47,708
Polk County
Pop 45,514
Places similar to Stokes County
Head to head

Compare Stokes County to nearby counties

STOKES COUNTY VS
Forsyth County
Income$67,165+7%
Home value$250,400+27%
Population401,718+771%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
STOKES COUNTY VS
Patrick County
Income$53,038−16%
Home value$153,400−22%
Population17,424−62%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
STOKES COUNTY VS
Henry County
Income$50,760−19%
Home value$134,800−31%
Population49,242+7%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
STOKES COUNTY VS
Surry County
Income$55,656−12%
Home value$177,600−10%
Population72,287+57%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Stokes County, North Carolina?

Stokes County, North Carolina has about 45,139 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Stokes County, North Carolina earns about $62,969 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Stokes County, North Carolina expensive?

In Stokes County, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $196,700, and the typical rent is about $775 a month.

How educated are people in Stokes County, North Carolina?

About 18.2% of adults age 25 and over in Stokes County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

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

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

Has Stokes County, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Stokes County, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 7,916 residents, a change of about 21 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 →