METRO AREA · 2000 CENSUS

Winston-Salem Metro

Winston-Salem, NC · 5 counties · 569,207 residents · 2,009.002 sq mi

Time machine

VIEWING

COMPARE TO

The short version

Winston-Salem has roughly average household income, with a median household income of $40,479. Population has grown 17% since 1990. Median home value is $100,377.

At a glance

Average income

near the US median

US median: $42,589

Mid-age

median age 36.6

US median: 35.2

Average education

21% hold a bachelor's degree

US average: 24%

Stable housing

home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted

US median home: $120,530

Section 01

Population & growth

Total population

569,207

+17%since 1990

from 488,125 in 1990

1990 – 2025

Population density

283 / sq mi

+17%since 1990

from 243 / sq mi in 1990

Median age

36.6

+6%since 1990

from 34.5 in 1990

US average: 35.2

Population, 1990 – 2024

2024690K

Age distribution, 2000

Under 56.6%(37,736)

US avg: 6.8%

5 to 97%(39,632)

US avg: 7.3%

10 to 146.7%(38,212)

US avg: 7.3%

15 to 196.3%(35,772)

US avg: 7.2%

20 to 246.1%(34,787)

US avg: 6.7%

25 to 3414.6%(83,237)

US avg: 14.2%

35 to 4416.4%(93,155)

US avg: 16%

45 to 5414%(79,957)

US avg: 13.4%

55 to 649.5%(54,167)

US avg: 8.6%

65 to 747%(39,842)

US avg: 6.5%

75 to 844.3%(24,498)

US avg: 4.4%

85 and over1.4%(8,212)

US avg: 1.5%

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE

Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income

$40,479

+5%inflation adjusted, since 1990

from $29,218 in 1990

US average: $42,589

1990 – 2024

Per capita income

$21,135

+45%since 1990

from $14,571 in 1990

US average: $21,522

Poverty rate

10.4%

+0.2 ptssince 1990

from 10.3% in 1990

US average: 12.4%

Section 03

Housing

Median home value

$100,377

+11%inflation adjusted, since 1990

from $68,338 in 1990

US average: $120,530

1990 – 2024

Median gross rent

$495

+3%inflation adjusted, since 1990

from $364 in 1990

US average: $602

Owner-occupied

71.1%

+1.5 ptssince 1990

from 69.6% in 1990

28.9% rent

RELATED:See current rent listings in Winston-Salem on RentDataNow

Section 04

Race & ethnicity

1990

White, non-Hispanic81.9%(399,774)

Black17.2%(83,920)

Hispanic / Latino0.6%(3,081)

Asian0.5%(2,430)

2000

White, non-Hispanic76.1%(433,153)

Black16.9%(96,060)

Hispanic / Latino5%(28,744)

Asian0.8%(4,572)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

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

Hispanic origin

Mexican7.2%(49,585)

Central American1.6%(11,070)

Puerto Rican1.2%(8,520)

Salvadoran1%(6,293)

South American0.9%(6,080)

Colombian0.4%(2,552)

Dominican0.4%(2,460)

Honduran0.4%(2,419)

Cuban0.3%(1,882)

Venezuelan0.2%(1,323)

Guatemalan0.2%(1,303)

Spaniard0.2%(1,126)

+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data

Peruvian0.1%(717)

Nicaraguan0.1%(591)

Chilean0.1%(501)

Ecuadorian0.1%(469)

Uruguayan0.1%(430)

Panamanian0.1%(311)

Costa Rican0%(153)

Argentine0%(71)

Bolivian0%(17)

Asian origin

Asian Indian0.5%(2,894)

Chinese0.4%(2,392)

Filipino0.4%(2,177)

Vietnamese0.1%(890)

Pakistani0.1%(705)

Korean0.1%(631)

Cambodian0.1%(614)

Japanese0.1%(461)

Taiwanese0%(238)

Thai0%(223)

Nepalese0%(199)

Laotian0%(190)

+ 10 more asian origin groups with data

Bhutanese0%(140)

Burmese0%(139)

Indonesian0%(64)

Kazakh0%(57)

Hmong0%(52)

Bangladeshi0%(35)

Sri Lankan0%(16)

Singaporean0%(7)

Malaysian0%(6)

Uzbek0%(4)

Pacific Islander origin

Native Hawaiian0.1%(356)

Samoan0%(152)

Marshallese0%(78)

Chamorro0%(16)

Guamanian0%(7)

Ancestry

English14%(96,509)

German11.2%(77,044)

Irish8.5%(58,835)

American7.3%(50,685)

Italian2.6%(17,793)

Scottish2.2%(14,905)

Scotch-Irish1.7%(11,850)

Polish1.1%(7,391)

Subsaharan African1%(7,065)

French1%(6,840)

Dutch0.7%(5,013)

Welsh0.5%(3,205)

+ 50 more ancestry groups with data

British0.4%(2,870)

Swedish0.4%(2,857)

West Indian0.4%(2,855)

Norwegian0.4%(2,834)

Greek0.3%(2,239)

Arab0.3%(2,156)

Russian0.3%(1,817)

Canadian0.2%(1,529)

French Canadian0.2%(1,281)

Swiss0.2%(1,279)

Jamaican0.2%(1,181)

Portuguese0.2%(1,175)

Hungarian0.2%(1,153)

Danish0.2%(1,149)

Nigerian0.2%(995)

Egyptian0.1%(789)

Lebanese0.1%(739)

Ukrainian0.1%(717)

Slovak0.1%(659)

Croatian0.1%(612)

Finnish0.1%(598)

Haitian0.1%(585)

Czech0.1%(547)

Brazilian0.1%(542)

Ghanaian0.1%(519)

Lithuanian0.1%(419)

Austrian0.1%(380)

Belgian0%(310)

Romanian0%(292)

Ethiopian0.1%(268)

Iranian0%(249)

Guyanese0%(218)

Turkish0%(214)

Moroccan0%(200)

Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(173)

Israeli0%(147)

Palestinian0%(126)

Serbian0%(118)

Syrian0%(91)

Armenian0%(83)

Bulgarian0%(80)

Barbadian0%(72)

Macedonian0%(71)

Latvian0%(67)

Slovene0%(62)

Australian0%(20)

Jordanian0%(19)

Cape Verdean0%(18)

Kenyan0%(16)

Iraqi0%(6)

RANKED:Largest English population · Largest German population · Largest Irish population · Largest American population · Largest Mexican population

Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

21.2%

+3.6 ptssince 1990

from 17.6% in 1990

US average: 24.4%

High school or higher

77.9%

+6.5 ptssince 1990

from 71.4% in 1990

US average: 80.3%

Graduate degree

6.6%

+1.3 ptssince 1990

from 5.3% in 1990

US average: 8.8%

Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute

14.5 min

−22%since 1990

from 18.5 min in 1990

US average: 17.6

Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status

Men 15+

Never married24.9%(53,631)

Married64.2%(138,504)

Widowed2.3%(5,025)

Divorced8.6%(18,634)

Women 15+

Never married19.9%(47,354)

Married58.9%(139,922)

Widowed10.9%(25,792)

Divorced10.3%(24,503)

SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2000

In this metro

Largest cities

The 30 most populous of 32 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

5 component counties

Forsyth CountyCENTRAL401,718 Davidson CountyCENTRAL180,182 Stokes CountyCENTRAL46,126 Davie CountyCENTRAL45,855 Yadkin County38,325

Drill deeper

Metros similar to Winston-Salem

Head to head

Compare Winston-Salem side by side

WINSTON-SALEM VS

Little Rock

Income$67,436+67%

Home value$214,329+114%

Population777,607+9%

SEE FULL COMPARISON →

WINSTON-SALEM VS

Greensboro

Income$65,866+63%

Home value$237,517+137%

Population805,945+13%

SEE FULL COMPARISON →

WINSTON-SALEM VS

Deltona

Income$71,355+76%

Home value$322,299+221%

Population746,933+5%

SEE FULL COMPARISON →

WINSTON-SALEM VS

Toledo

Income$65,600+62%

Home value$179,767+79%

Population599,376−16%

SEE FULL COMPARISON →

Frequently asked

How many people live in Winston-Salem, NC?

Winston-Salem, NC has about 569,207 residents according to the 2000 Census.

What is the median household income in Winston-Salem, NC?

The typical household in Winston-Salem, NC earns about $40,479 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Winston-Salem, NC expensive?

In Winston-Salem, NC, the median home is worth about $100,377, and the typical rent is about $495 a month.

How educated are people in Winston-Salem, NC?

About 21.2% of adults age 25 and over in Winston-Salem, NC hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Winston-Salem, NC?

About 10.4% of people in Winston-Salem, NC live below the federal poverty line.

Has Winston-Salem, NC grown since 1990?

Yes, Winston-Salem, NC has grown since 1990. The population has added about 81,082 residents, a change of about 17 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

Metro rankings

Largest US metros Highest income metros Fastest growing metros

Compare

Compare Winston-Salem with another metro

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

How we source and harmonize this data →