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METRO AREA · 1990 CENSUS

Wilmington Metro

Wilmington, NC · 3 counties · 200,124 residents · 1,914 sq mi
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The short version

Wilmington is a metro area of 200,124 people. There are 74,408 fewer people here than in 2000. 70% of homes are owner-occupied. Median home value sits at $69,386. 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Households take in $25,758 at the median, 15% less than the US figure.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $30,130
Older
median age 35.0
US median: 33.0
Less educated
17% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 20%
More affordable
home values down 19%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $93,722
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
200,124
−27%vs 2000
vs 274,532 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
105 / sq mi
−27%vs 2000
vs 143 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
35.0
−8%vs 2000
vs 38.2 in 2000
US average: 33.0
Land area
1,914 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
175K251K327K403K479K19902000201020202024Wilmington
2024453K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 1990
Under 56.3%(12,661)
US avg: 7.3%
5 to 96.4%(12,807)
US avg: 7.3%
10 to 146.4%(12,905)
US avg: 6.9%
15 to 197.4%(14,884)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 247.4%(14,813)
US avg: 7.5%
25 to 3416%(32,043)
US avg: 17.5%
35 to 4415.4%(30,823)
US avg: 15.1%
45 to 5411.1%(22,212)
US avg: 10.2%
55 to 6410.2%(20,337)
US avg: 8.5%
65 to 748.7%(17,485)
US avg: 7.3%
75 to 843.7%(7,386)
US avg: 4%
85 and over0.9%(1,768)
US avg: 1.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$25,758
−12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $38,392 in 2000
US average: $30,130
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$12,962
−40%vs 2000
vs $21,469 in 2000
US average: $14,340
Poverty rate
14.8%
+1.8 ptsvs 2000
vs 13.0% in 2000
US average: 13.2%
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$69,386
−19%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $113,052 in 2000
US average: $93,722
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$397
−10%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $584 in 2000
US average: $450
Owner-occupied
70.4%
−1.7 ptsvs 2000
vs 72.0% in 2000
29.6% rent
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic78.4%(215,248)
Black17.1%(46,996)
Hispanic / Latino2.5%(6,732)
Asian0.6%(1,589)
Other0%
1990
White, non-Hispanic78%(156,105)
Black21%(41,994)
Hispanic / Latino0.6%(1,249)
Asian0.4%(709)
Other0.7%(1,316)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

Hispanic origin
Mexican3.5%(15,978)
Puerto Rican1%(4,364)
South American0.6%(2,757)
Honduran0.6%(2,651)
Dominican0.3%(1,294)
Colombian0.3%(1,169)
Cuban0.2%(1,001)
Salvadoran0.2%(834)
Spaniard0.2%(739)
Guatemalan0.1%(621)
Peruvian0.1%(487)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Chilean0.1%(458)
Panamanian0.1%(391)
Venezuelan0.1%(304)
Nicaraguan0%(177)
Argentine0%(136)
Bolivian0.1%(122)
Uruguayan0%(11)
Asian origin
Korean0.2%(1,025)
Chinese0.2%(983)
Asian Indian0.2%(728)
Filipino0.1%(643)
Vietnamese0.1%(266)
Nepalese0%(175)
Indonesian0.1%(167)
Burmese0.1%(144)
Japanese0%(139)
Hmong0%(125)
Taiwanese0%(116)
Thai0%(96)
+ 5 more asian origin groups with data
Cambodian0%(35)
Pakistani0%(22)
Okinawan0%(17)
Kazakh0%(16)
Laotian0%(10)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(142)
Chamorro0%(136)
Ancestry
English15.7%(71,050)
Irish13.4%(60,703)
German12.3%(55,670)
Italian6.1%(27,633)
American5.4%(24,594)
Scottish3%(13,377)
Polish2.5%(11,372)
French2.1%(9,546)
Scotch-Irish2.1%(9,328)
Swedish0.8%(3,561)
Welsh0.7%(3,194)
Dutch0.7%(3,175)
+ 48 more ancestry groups with data
British0.7%(3,096)
French Canadian0.6%(2,670)
Norwegian0.6%(2,585)
Russian0.5%(2,092)
Hungarian0.4%(2,028)
Arab0.4%(1,906)
Greek0.3%(1,554)
Danish0.3%(1,339)
Czech0.3%(1,188)
West Indian0.3%(1,154)
Ukrainian0.2%(1,122)
Slovak0.2%(1,065)
Brazilian0.2%(1,017)
Austrian0.2%(1,008)
Canadian0.2%(1,004)
Lithuanian0.2%(963)
Swiss0.2%(945)
Portuguese0.2%(922)
Lebanese0.2%(718)
Romanian0.1%(576)
Finnish0.1%(464)
Jamaican0.1%(390)
Belgian0.1%(321)
Croatian0.1%(299)
Serbian0.1%(248)
Haitian0.1%(247)
Nigerian0.1%(243)
Jordanian0.1%(226)
Slovene0%(226)
Australian0.1%(220)
Syrian0%(219)
Moroccan0%(192)
Iranian0%(186)
Guyanese0%(181)
Armenian0%(167)
Turkish0%(149)
Egyptian0%(117)
Latvian0%(83)
Ghanaian0%(70)
Ethiopian0%(65)
Barbadian0%(61)
Israeli0%(54)
Macedonian0.1%(48)
Iraqi0%(11)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
17.2%
−7.2 ptsvs 2000
vs 24.4% in 2000
US average: 20.3%
High school or higher
73.9%
−8.8 ptsvs 2000
vs 82.7% in 2000
US average: 75.2%
Graduate degree
4.9%
−2.1 ptsvs 2000
vs 7.0% in 2000
US average: 7.1%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.4 min
+30%vs 2000
vs 14.9 min in 2000
US average: 21.9
Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married31.5%(58,387)
Married56.8%(105,313)
Widowed3.2%(5,986)
Divorced8.5%(15,786)
Women 15+
Never married26%(52,868)
Married52.1%(106,104)
Widowed9.2%(18,684)
Divorced12.8%(26,069)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
8.8%
−7.5 ptssince 2013
from 16.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
51.6%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 52.3% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
21.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 21.6% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
25.6%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 24.7% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
14.9%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 14.7% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.5%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 3.8% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
71.3%
+0.3 ptssince 2020
from 71.0% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
38.7%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 37.7% 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)24.7%(7,907)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)23.3%(7,477)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era39.1%(12,547)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.9%(1,252)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.5%(174)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 32,076 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
In this metro

Largest cities

WilmingtonCENTRAL126,809Leland35,731Murraysville16,339Myrtle Grove12,637Oak Island9,337Hampstead9,292Kings Grant9,003Ogden8,249Porters Neck7,654St. James7,318Boiling Spring Lakes6,875Carolina Beach6,870Silver Lake6,563Wrightsboro6,287Northchase5,896Carolina Shores5,540Shallotte5,335Sunset Beach4,642Southport4,434Burgaw3,903Skippers Corner3,792Belville3,199Calabash3,069Bayshore2,949Wrightsville Beach2,397Kure Beach2,145Navassa1,889Sea Breeze1,849Northwest1,096Rocky Point1,020

The 30 most populous of 45 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

3 component counties

New Hanover CountyCENTRAL245,959Brunswick CountyCENTRAL174,702Pender County72,111
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Wilmington

Pensacola
Pop 544,949
Lansing
Pop 479,722
Savannah
Pop 438,314
Visalia
Pop 485,146
Places similar to Wilmington
Head to head

Compare Wilmington side by side

WILMINGTON VS
Pensacola
Income$76,743+198%
Home value$284,678+310%
Population544,949+11%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WILMINGTON VS
Lansing
Income$72,596+182%
Home value$213,204+207%
Population479,722−3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WILMINGTON VS
Savannah
Income$77,692+202%
Home value$302,959+337%
Population438,314−11%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WILMINGTON VS
Visalia
Income$71,300+177%
Home value$330,100+376%
Population485,146−2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Wilmington, NC?

Wilmington, NC has about 200,124 residents according to the 1990 Census.

What is the median household income in Wilmington, NC?

The typical household in Wilmington, NC earns about $25,758 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Wilmington, NC expensive?

In Wilmington, NC, the median home is worth about $69,386, and the typical rent is about $397 a month.

How educated are people in Wilmington, NC?

About 17.2% of adults age 25 and over in Wilmington, NC hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Wilmington, NC?

About 14.8% of people in Wilmington, NC live below the federal poverty line.

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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 →