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METRO AREA · 2020 ACS

Winston-Salem Metro

Winston-Salem, NC · 5 counties · 675,966 residents · 2,009.002 sq mi
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The short version

Winston-Salem has lower-than-average household income, with a median household income of $52,844. Population has grown 19% since 2000. Median home value has risen by half since 2000, reaching $158,436.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Older
median age 41.2
US median: 38.8
Less educated
27% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
675,966
+19%since 2000
from 569,207 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
336 / sq mi
+19%since 2000
from 283 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
41.2
+13%since 2000
from 36.6 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Population, 1990 – 2024
468K528K589K649K710K1990201020202024Winston-Salem
2024690K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.3%(36,037)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96%(40,328)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 146.5%(43,820)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.7%(45,590)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.2%(41,750)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3412.1%(81,456)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4411.6%(78,548)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5413.2%(89,034)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6414%(94,910)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7410.8%(73,130)
US avg: 10%
75 to 845.5%(37,387)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2.1%(13,976)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$52,844
−13%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $40,479 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$29,697
+41%since 2000
from $21,135 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
34.1%
+8.0 ptssince 2009
from 26.2% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
15.3%
+4.9 ptssince 2000
from 10.4% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Retail trade15.5%
US avg: 10%
Information11.5%
US avg: 11.1%
Wholesale trade7%
US avg: 6.7%
Other services6.5%
US avg: 6.6%
Finance & insurance5.1%
US avg: 5.5%
Public administration5.1%
US avg: 4.7%
Professional, scientific, technical4.6%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.6%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.2%
US avg: 2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.7%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.8%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$158,436
+5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $100,377 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$778
+5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $495 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
66.5%
−4.6 ptssince 2000
from 71.1% in 2000
33.5% rent
Afford Score
3.0
+1%since 2009
from 3.0 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Winston-Salem on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic76.1%(433,153)
Black16.9%(96,060)
Hispanic / Latino5%(28,744)
Asian0.8%(4,572)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic65.4%(442,388)
Black17%(114,680)
Hispanic / Latino11.5%(77,803)
Asian1.8%(12,196)
Other2.8%(18,847)
Segregation Score
47
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
Mexican6.5%(43,284)
Central American1.4%(9,133)
Puerto Rican1%(6,725)
Salvadoran0.9%(5,774)
South American0.5%(3,533)
Cuban0.3%(1,741)
Colombian0.2%(1,503)
Dominican0.2%(1,471)
Honduran0.2%(1,403)
Guatemalan0.2%(1,391)
Peruvian0.1%(749)
Venezuelan0.1%(654)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Spaniard0.1%(615)
Nicaraguan0.1%(269)
Panamanian0%(237)
Argentine0%(204)
Chilean0%(181)
Ecuadorian0%(149)
Bolivian0%(46)
Uruguayan0%(37)
Asian origin
Chinese0.5%(2,841)
Asian Indian0.5%(2,458)
Filipino0.3%(1,868)
Cambodian0.2%(1,254)
Vietnamese0.1%(755)
Korean0.1%(694)
Pakistani0.2%(579)
Japanese0.1%(316)
Taiwanese0.1%(234)
Nepalese0%(166)
Burmese0%(141)
Thai0%(140)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Laotian0%(97)
Hmong0%(94)
Bhutanese0%(22)
Malaysian0%(20)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(86)
Ancestry
German11.5%(77,243)
English10.3%(69,543)
American9.2%(61,750)
Irish8%(53,612)
Scottish2.3%(15,272)
Italian2.2%(15,083)
Scotch-Irish2%(13,574)
French1.2%(7,877)
Polish1%(6,959)
Dutch0.9%(6,346)
Welsh0.6%(3,986)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
British0.6%(3,914)
Swedish0.4%(2,876)
Norwegian0.4%(2,858)
Greek0.3%(2,322)
West Indian0.3%(2,005)
French Canadian0.3%(1,947)
Russian0.2%(1,579)
Canadian0.2%(1,304)
Swiss0.2%(1,231)
Portuguese0.2%(1,093)
Hungarian0.2%(977)
Egyptian0.2%(909)
Jamaican0.1%(824)
Danish0.1%(755)
Ukrainian0.1%(746)
Slovak0.1%(689)
Finnish0.1%(632)
Brazilian0.1%(630)
Lebanese0.1%(622)
Czech0.1%(621)
Austrian0.1%(535)
Arab0.1%(432)
Croatian0.1%(422)
Lithuanian0.1%(374)
Belgian0%(255)
Iranian0%(245)
Nigerian0%(232)
Romanian0%(221)
Barbadian0%(167)
Armenian0%(146)
Turkish0%(140)
Haitian0%(134)
Israeli0%(127)
Ghanaian0%(123)
Serbian0%(112)
Syrian0%(80)
Guyanese0%(61)
Slovene0%(52)
Ethiopian0%(36)
Latvian0%(33)
Bulgarian0%(29)
Moroccan0%(17)
Kenyan0%(13)
Iraqi0%(4)
RANKED:Largest German population · Largest English population · Largest American population · Largest Irish population · Largest Mexican population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
27.1%
+5.9 ptssince 2000
from 21.2% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
87.6%
+9.7 ptssince 2000
from 77.9% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
9.7%
+3.0 ptssince 2000
from 6.6% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
24.0 min
+66%since 2000
from 14.5 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
82.0%
−2.0 ptssince 2009
from 84.0% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
6.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 6.2% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.0%
−4.1 ptssince 2011
from 9.1% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
60.4%
−3.2 ptssince 2011
from 63.6% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Management & professional
36.3%
−25.8 ptssince 2009
from 62.1% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.0%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 48.4% in 2009
Female
52.0%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 51.6% in 2009
Foreign born
6.9%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 6.2% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
10.9%
−73.9 ptssince 2013
from 84.8% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married34%(91,937)
Married53.6%(144,979)
Widowed3%(8,100)
Divorced9.3%(25,254)
Women 15+
Never married29.8%(88,437)
Married48.4%(143,396)
Widowed9.5%(28,048)
Divorced12.4%(36,674)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
In this metro

Largest cities

Winston-SalemCENTRAL257,271Kernersville29,128Thomasville27,733Clemmons22,808Lexington20,238Lewisville14,421King7,977Mocksville6,282Walkertown6,120Midway5,104Tyro3,833Rural Hall3,607Welcome3,521Bermuda Run3,323Wallburg3,255Yadkinville3,055Tobaccoville2,770Jonesville2,356Denton1,610Walnut Cove1,609Southmont1,525Advance1,408Boonville1,203Germanton1,087Cooleemee1,002East Bend646Pinnacle540Farmington409Yadkin College400Bethania367

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

Metros similar to Winston-Salem

Little Rock
Pop 777,607
Greensboro
Pop 805,945
Deltona
Pop 746,933
Toledo
Pop 599,376
Places similar to Winston-Salem
Head to head

Compare Winston-Salem side by side

WINSTON-SALEM VS
Little Rock
Income$67,436+28%
Home value$214,329+35%
Population777,607+9%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WINSTON-SALEM VS
Greensboro
Income$65,866+25%
Home value$237,517+50%
Population805,945+13%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WINSTON-SALEM VS
Deltona
Income$71,355+35%
Home value$322,299+103%
Population746,933+5%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WINSTON-SALEM VS
Toledo
Income$65,600+24%
Home value$179,767+13%
Population599,376−16%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Winston-Salem, NC?

Winston-Salem, NC has about 675,966 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Winston-Salem, NC earns about $52,844 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 $158,436, and the typical rent is about $778 a month.

How educated are people in Winston-Salem, NC?

About 27.1% 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 15.3% 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 187,841 residents, a change of about 38 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 →