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MICROPOLITAN AREA

Rockingham Micro

Rockingham, NC · 1 counties · 42,041 residents (2025 est.) · 474 sq mi
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The short version

With 42,344 people, Rockingham is a metro area. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 16% of adults. The typical home is worth $127,800, having more than doubled since 2000. 25.2% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Median household income is $44,883, under the $82,259 national median. 4% of residents were born outside the United States.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.5
US median: 38.9
Less educated
16% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 30%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

42,344
−9%since 2000
from 46,564 in 2000
42,041 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
89 / sq mi
−9%since 2000
from 98 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
40.5
+14%since 2000
from 35.5 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
474 sq mi
Population, 19902024
42K43K44K46K47K19902000201020202024Rockingham
202442K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.4%(2,728)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 94.9%(2,091)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.7%(3,263)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.2%(2,622)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.5%(2,759)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.5%(5,273)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.9%(5,050)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.3%(5,191)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.5%(5,697)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7411%(4,674)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.2%(2,191)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.9%(805)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

$44,883
−15%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $28,830 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
$25,908
+79%since 2000
from $14,485 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
29.3%
+14.3 ptssince 2009
from 14.9% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
25.2%
+5.7 ptssince 2000
from 19.6% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
0.475
−2%since 2010
from 0.484 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade15.1%
US avg: 9.9%
Information10.3%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance8.5%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical6.9%
US avg: 5.1%
Wholesale trade5.5%
US avg: 6.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing4.3%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction3.9%
US avg: 1.2%
Other services3.5%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration2.2%
US avg: 4.8%
Education & health services1.6%
US avg: 0.9%
Transportation & warehousing0.9%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food0.5%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing0.4%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

$127,800
+30%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $54,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
$724
−2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $404 in 2000
US average: $1,442
65.9%
−6.0 ptssince 2000
from 71.9% in 2000
34.1% rent
14.4%
−2.4 ptssince 2009
from 16.8% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
2.43 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.44 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
23.7%
−4.1 ptssince 2009
from 27.8% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
39.1%
+4.5 ptssince 2009
from 34.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
2.8
+24%since 2009
from 2.3 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.
51
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic63.4%(29,522)
Black30.4%(14,160)
Hispanic / Latino2.8%(1,319)
Asian0.6%(299)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic54.7%(23,145)
Black31.2%(13,227)
Hispanic / Latino7.8%(3,297)
Asian1%(418)
Other5.3%(2,257)
74
+13%since 2009
from 66 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
26
+30%since 2020
from 20 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
Mexican6.1%(2,592)
Puerto Rican0.9%(375)
Colombian0.2%(93)
Spaniard0.2%(65)
Cuban0.1%(62)
Panamanian0.1%(42)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.4%(150)
Korean0.2%(83)
Vietnamese0.1%(54)
Filipino0.1%(38)
Pacific Islander origin
Tongan0%(2)
Ancestry
American8.5%(3,584)
English7.4%(3,118)
Irish4.6%(1,967)
German3.6%(1,534)
Scotch-Irish2.5%(1,041)
Scottish2%(849)
Italian1.7%(733)
French0.6%(251)
Danish0.4%(185)
Polish0.3%(136)
West Indian0.2%(82)
Dutch0.2%(78)
+ 26 more ancestry groups with data
British0.2%(64)
Russian0.1%(61)
Ukrainian0.1%(59)
Norwegian0.1%(52)
Croatian0.1%(44)
Welsh0.1%(32)
Arab0.1%(29)
Czech0.1%(28)
Swiss0.1%(23)
Egyptian0.1%(22)
Haitian0.1%(22)
Jamaican0.1%(22)
Swedish0%(16)
Slovene0%(11)
Serbian0%(10)
Greek0%(8)
Slovak0%(7)
Turkish0%(5)
Section 05

Education

16.0%
+5.9 ptssince 2000
from 10.1% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
83.5%
+14.3 ptssince 2000
from 69.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
5.7%
+2.2 ptssince 2000
from 3.5% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

24.1 min
+60%since 2000
from 15.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
84.8%
−3.4 ptssince 2009
from 88.2% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
9.5%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 9.2% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
0.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
4.4%
+3.2 ptssince 2009
from 1.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
0.9%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.6% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
0.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
10.7%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 9.9% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

9.8%
−6.1 ptssince 2011
from 15.9% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
57.3%
+4.2 ptssince 2011
from 53.1% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
64.3%
−4.9 ptssince 2020
from 69.2% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
18.1%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 17.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
31.4%
+6.7 ptssince 2009
from 24.6% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

48.1%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 49.2% in 2009
51.9%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 50.8% in 2009
4.1%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 3.3% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
5.7%
−4.5 ptssince 2009
from 10.2% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
17.1%
−4.6 ptssince 2012
from 21.7% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
11.6%
−8.3 ptssince 2013
from 19.9% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
87.4%
+22.2 ptssince 2017
from 65.2% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
92.2%
+7.7 ptssince 2020
from 84.5% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
92.9%
+5.1 ptssince 2020
from 87.8% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
91.9%
−1.8 ptssince 2016
from 93.7% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
6.7%
+1.0 ptssince 2016
from 5.7% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married36.3%(5,979)
Married46.1%(7,582)
Widowed4.1%(679)
Divorced13.5%(2,222)
Women 15+
Never married33.9%(6,027)
Married42.7%(7,607)
Widowed11.1%(1,984)
Divorced12.3%(2,182)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

11.6%
−8.3 ptssince 2013
from 19.9% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
38.1%
−4.5 ptssince 2020
from 42.6% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
10.8%
−3.0 ptssince 2020
from 13.8% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
22.7%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 22.0% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
34.5%
+4.9 ptssince 2020
from 29.6% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.0%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 2.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
48.0%
−7.4 ptssince 2020
from 55.4% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
51.0%
+3.5 ptssince 2020
from 47.5% 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)18.2%(335)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)22.7%(417)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era42.6%(783)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War1.8%(34)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 1,838 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
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Rockingham, NC?

Rockingham, NC has about 42,344 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Rockingham, NC?

The typical household in Rockingham, NC earns about $44,883 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Rockingham, NC expensive?

In Rockingham, NC, the median home is worth about $127,800, and the typical rent is about $724 a month.

How educated are people in Rockingham, NC?

About 16.0% of adults age 25 and over in Rockingham, NC hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Rockingham, NC?

About 25.2% of people in Rockingham, NC live below the federal poverty line.

Has Rockingham, NC grown since 1990?

Yes, Rockingham, NC has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 2,174 residents, a change of about -5 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →