STATE · ADMITTED 1789 · 2000 CENSUS

North Carolina

8,049,313 residents · 100 counties · 776 cities · 48,618 sq mi · 2,672 census tracts

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North Carolina is a state of 8,049,313 people. Growth has run 21% since 1990, or 1,420,676 more people. Median home value sits at $95,800. 22% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median household income is $39,184, close to the national figure.

Section 01

Population & growth

Total population

8,049,313

+21%since 1990

from 6,628,637 in 1990

1990 – 2024

Median age

35.3

+6%since 1990

from 33.2 in 1990

US average: 35.2

Land area

48,618 sq mi

Population, 1990 – 2024

202410.7M

Age distribution, 2000

Under 56.7%(539,509)

US avg: 6.8%

5 to 97%(562,553)

US avg: 7.3%

10 to 146.8%(551,367)

US avg: 7.3%

15 to 196.7%(539,931)

US avg: 7.2%

20 to 247.2%(577,508)

US avg: 6.7%

25 to 3415.1%(1,213,415)

US avg: 14.2%

35 to 4416%(1,287,120)

US avg: 16%

45 to 5413.5%(1,085,150)

US avg: 13.4%

55 to 649%(723,712)

US avg: 8.6%

65 to 746.6%(533,777)

US avg: 6.5%

75 to 844.1%(329,810)

US avg: 4.4%

85 and over1.3%(105,461)

US avg: 1.5%

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE

Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income

$39,184

+12%inflation adjusted, since 1990

from $26,647 in 1990

US average: $42,589

1990 – 2024

Per capita income

$20,307

+58%since 1990

from $12,885 in 1990

US average: $21,522

Poverty rate

12.3%

−0.7 ptssince 1990

from 13.0% in 1990

US average: 12.4%

Section 03

Housing

Median home value

$95,800

+11%inflation adjusted, since 1990

from $65,300 in 1990

US average: $120,530

1990 – 2024

Median gross rent

$548

+9%inflation adjusted, since 1990

from $382 in 1990

US average: $602

Owner-occupied

69.4%

+1.3 ptssince 1990

from 68.0% in 1990

30.6% rent

Section 04

Race & ethnicity

1990

White, non-Hispanic75.6%(5,011,248)

Black22%(1,455,340)

Hispanic / Latino1%(69,020)

Asian0.8%(50,395)

2000

White, non-Hispanic70.2%(5,647,155)

Black21.4%(1,723,301)

Hispanic / Latino4.7%(378,963)

Asian1.4%(112,416)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

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

Hispanic origin

Mexican5.6%(600,832)

Central American2.1%(228,000)

Puerto Rican1.3%(134,733)

South American1%(103,545)

Honduran0.8%(81,812)

Salvadoran0.7%(69,893)

Guatemalan0.5%(50,232)

Colombian0.4%(40,883)

Dominican0.4%(37,934)

Cuban0.3%(35,761)

Venezuelan0.2%(18,341)

Spaniard0.2%(17,457)

+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data

Ecuadorian0.1%(14,727)

Peruvian0.1%(12,523)

Nicaraguan0.1%(10,327)

Panamanian0.1%(8,724)

Argentine0.1%(6,541)

Costa Rican0.1%(6,279)

Chilean0.1%(5,962)

Uruguayan0%(1,579)

Bolivian0%(1,412)

Paraguayan0%(467)

Asian origin

Asian Indian1.2%(131,175)

Chinese0.5%(48,685)

Vietnamese0.4%(38,481)

Filipino0.3%(28,611)

Korean0.2%(22,921)

Hmong0.1%(12,568)

Pakistani0.1%(10,702)

Nepalese0.1%(7,868)

Burmese0.1%(7,790)

Japanese0.1%(7,284)

Laotian0.1%(5,957)

Cambodian0%(4,502)

+ 13 more asian origin groups with data

Thai0%(4,093)

Taiwanese0%(3,049)

Kazakh0%(2,175)

Bangladeshi0%(2,168)

Sri Lankan0%(1,069)

Indonesian0%(797)

Uzbek0%(686)

Bhutanese0%(545)

Malaysian0%(288)

Mien0%(287)

Okinawan0%(127)

Mongolian0%(58)

Singaporean0%(54)

Pacific Islander origin

Native Hawaiian0.1%(7,150)

Samoan0%(3,819)

Chamorro0%(3,792)

Guamanian0%(254)

Tongan0%(179)

Marshallese0%(125)

Fijian0%(119)

Chuukese0%(4)

Ancestry

English12.7%(1,367,875)

German9.4%(1,012,317)

Irish8.4%(903,955)

American8.3%(886,441)

Italian3.3%(355,697)

Scottish2.3%(242,972)

Scotch-Irish1.8%(191,917)

Polish1.4%(152,351)

French1.4%(148,623)

Subsaharan African1.4%(145,623)

Dutch0.7%(70,661)

West Indian0.6%(61,893)

+ 51 more ancestry groups with data

Swedish0.5%(54,163)

Welsh0.5%(53,073)

Arab0.5%(49,918)

Norwegian0.5%(49,332)

British0.4%(45,139)

Russian0.4%(41,131)

French Canadian0.3%(31,872)

Greek0.3%(29,598)

Hungarian0.3%(28,910)

Jamaican0.2%(25,868)

Ukrainian0.2%(23,537)

Nigerian0.2%(21,534)

Portuguese0.2%(18,951)

Czech0.2%(18,617)

Haitian0.2%(18,231)

Danish0.2%(16,253)

Swiss0.1%(15,871)

Lebanese0.1%(15,076)

Canadian0.1%(13,545)

Austrian0.1%(12,427)

Slovak0.1%(12,314)

Lithuanian0.1%(12,156)

Romanian0.1%(11,420)

Brazilian0.1%(10,041)

Ethiopian0.1%(9,730)

Egyptian0.1%(8,943)

Finnish0.1%(7,827)

Iranian0.1%(6,756)

Moroccan0.1%(5,599)

Croatian0.1%(5,519)

Turkish0.1%(5,478)

Ghanaian0%(5,349)

Belgian0%(4,935)

Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(4,502)

Kenyan0%(3,695)

Palestinian0%(3,645)

Armenian0%(3,127)

Slovene0%(2,788)

Serbian0%(2,774)

Guyanese0%(2,759)

Syrian0%(2,506)

Jordanian0%(2,397)

Somali0%(2,377)

Bulgarian0%(2,256)

Iraqi0%(2,042)

Australian0%(1,933)

Barbadian0%(1,873)

Israeli0%(1,798)

Latvian0%(1,611)

Cape Verdean0%(1,146)

Macedonian0%(730)

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

Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

22.5%

+5.1 ptssince 1990

from 17.4% in 1990

US average: 24.4%

High school or higher

78.1%

+8.2 ptssince 1990

from 70.0% in 1990

US average: 80.3%

Graduate degree

7.2%

+1.8 ptssince 1990

from 5.4% in 1990

US average: 8.8%

Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute

15.9 min

−16%since 1990

from 18.9 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 married28.2%(870,801)

Married61.4%(1,898,304)

Widowed2.4%(73,559)

Divorced8.1%(249,716)

Women 15+

Never married22%(724,668)

Married57.3%(1,890,917)

Widowed10.9%(358,740)

Divorced9.9%(327,002)

SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2000

Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured

9.9%

−6.3 ptssince 2013

from 16.2% in 2013

US average: 8.4%

Employer-based

52.3%

+0.1 ptssince 2020

from 52.2% in 2020

US average: 54.8%

Direct-purchase

15.1%

−0.2 ptssince 2020

from 15.3% in 2020

US average: 13.8%

Medicare

19.1%

+0.5 ptssince 2020

from 18.6% in 2020

US average: 18.4%

Medicaid

18.9%

+0.9 ptssince 2020

from 18.0% in 2020

US average: 20.9%

VA health care

2.9%

Unchangedsince 2020

from 2.9% in 2020

US average: 2.2%

Any private

67.0%

−0.5 ptssince 2020

from 67.5% in 2020

US average: 67.1%

Any public

36.0%

+1.4 ptssince 2020

from 34.6% 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)29%(178,729)

US avg: 26.4%

Gulf War (1990s)27.4%(168,707)

US avg: 24.3%

Vietnam era31.4%(193,529)

US avg: 33.1%

Korean War3.6%(22,101)

US avg: 4.5%

World War II0.6%(3,870)

US avg: 1%

Share of the 615,509 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

Section 02

Largest cities

See all cities in North Carolina →

1.Charlotte964,784

2.Raleigh506,306

3.Greensboro308,667

4.Durham305,561

5.Winston-Salem257,271

6.Fayetteville209,120

7.Cary183,582

8.Wilmington126,809

9.High Point120,571

10.Concord114,598

11.Greenville96,443

12.Asheville93,523

13.Gastonia87,067

14.Apex80,419

15.Jacksonville72,732

16.Huntersville68,535

17.Chapel Hill63,565

18.Kannapolis61,708

19.Burlington61,496

20.Wake Forest58,147

21.Mooresville55,842

22.Rocky Mount55,120

23.Holly Springs50,288

24.Wilson49,572

25.Fuquay-Varina48,536

26.Hickory45,975

27.Indian Trail44,303

28.Monroe42,644

29.Garner41,562

30.Salisbury36,879

31.Leland35,731

32.Cornelius35,094

33.Goldsboro35,012

34.New Bern34,724

35.Sanford34,138

36.Matthews32,769

37.Clayton32,633

38.Morrisville32,466

39.Statesville32,181

40.Mint Hill29,476

41.Kernersville29,128

42.Asheboro27,990

43.Thomasville27,733

44.Shelby23,309

45.Knightdale23,144

Section 03

Metropolitan & micropolitan areas

Metropolitan areas (15)

1.Charlotte2,938,830

2.Raleigh1,595,720

3.Greensboro805,945

4.Winston-Salem712,206

5.Durham625,485

6.Wilmington492,772

7.Asheville422,345

8.Fayetteville395,412

9.Hickory376,890

10.Jacksonville217,175

11.Burlington186,177

12.Greenville182,936

13.Rocky Mount148,486

14.Goldsboro122,278

15.Pinehurst110,619

Micropolitan areas (23)

1.Anderson Creek150,137

2.New Bern127,358

3.Lumberton119,941

4.Shelby103,325

5.Wilson81,150

6.Mount Airy72,287

7.Morehead City70,469

8.Sanford70,258

9.Albemarle68,830

10.North Wilkesboro66,233

11.Forest City65,745

12.Waynesville63,369

13.Roanoke Rapids63,025

14.Kinston55,837

15.Boone54,786

16.Marion45,198

17.Washington44,670

18.Henderson42,638

19.Elizabeth City42,201

20.Rockingham42,041

21.Kill Devil Hills38,245

22.Brevard34,211

23.Laurinburg33,322

Metropolitan areas are built around an urban core of 50,000 or more people; micropolitan areas around a core of 10,000 to 50,000. A statistical area can cross state lines, so each is listed under its primary state.

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