Demographics of Lenoir County, North Carolina

Lenoir County, North Carolina had 55,837 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +775 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Lenoir County, in four figures

55,837
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +1.4%
Change since July 2020: +775 people.; 41.9 ±0.7
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $45,143 ±$2,547
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Lenoir County, North Carolina's population grew 1.4% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Lenoir County, North Carolina's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Lenoir County, North Carolina's population grew 1.4% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Lenoir County, North Carolina's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	55,062	100.0	100.0
2021	54,713	99.4	100.2
2022	54,540	99.1	100.7
2023	54,983	99.9	101.6
2024	55,432	100.7	102.5
2025	55,837	101.4	103.1

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Population of Lenoir County, North Carolina on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	55,062	−62	−40	+1	−33
2021	54,713	−349	−290	+13	−113
2022	54,540	−173	−313	+45	+131
2023	54,983	+443	−206	+101	+552
2024	55,432	+449	−220	+161	+505
2025	55,837	+405	−212	+57	+563

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 41.9 ±0.7: for men 39.6 ±1.3 and for women 44.4 ±0.8. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Lenoir County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under 5	3,193 ±106	5.8% ±0.2	5.6% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	9,200 ±568	16.8% ±1.0	16.1% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	4,339 ±365	7.9% ±0.7	9.5% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	12,407 ±554	22.6% ±1.0	26.2% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	13,999 ±628	25.5% ±1.1	25.4% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	11,781 ±671	21.5% ±1.2	17.2% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $45,143 ±$2,547, and income per person $29,431 ±$1,792, in 2024 dollars. The median is $72,388 ±$324 in North Carolina and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Lenoir County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under $25,000	6,356 ±666	27.2% ±2.8	15.8% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	6,443 ±705	27.6% ±3.0	19.1% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	3,365 ±442	14.4% ±1.9	16.8% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	2,964 ±362	12.7% ±1.5	13.0% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	2,383 ±366	10.2% ±1.6	16.6% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	1,085 ±247	4.6% ±1.1	8.3% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	755 ±208	3.2% ±0.9	10.4% ±0.1	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Lenoir County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	North Carolina	United States
All ages	11,854 ±1,280	22.0% ±2.4	13.0% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	3,680 ±543	30.3% ±3.8	17.7% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	5,377 ±698	20.4% ±2.5	12.1% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	2,797 ±380	18.0% ±2.3	10.9% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Lenoir County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Lenoir County	North Carolina	United States
Housing units	26,879 ±37	4,895,668 ±642	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	86.9% ±1.8	87.5% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	13.1% ±1.8	12.5% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	59.2% ±2.5	66.6% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	40.8% ±3.0	33.4% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$120,500 ±$7,092	$288,900 ±$1,086	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$861 ±$28	$1,228 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1978 ±2	1991 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Lenoir County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Hispanic or Latino	4,843 ±0	8.8% ±<0.1	11.3% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	25,969 ±236	47.3% ±0.4	60.0% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	21,540 ±473	39.2% ±0.9	20.0% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	410 ±85	0.7% ±0.2	3.3% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	15 to 101	< 0.1% to 0.2%	0.8% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 47	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	2 to 226	< 0.1% to 0.4%	0.5% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	1,967 ±545	3.6% ±1.0	4.1% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Lenoir County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Born in the state	41,851 ±880	76.2% ±1.6	53.6% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	10,227 ±870	18.6% ±1.6	35.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	441 ±192	0.8% ±0.3	1.4% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	2,400 ±387	4.4% ±0.7	9.1% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	791 ±282	1.4% ±0.5	3.8% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	1,609 ±351	2.9% ±0.6	5.2% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Lenoir County among the counties of North Carolina

49th of 100 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the North Carolina page.

Counties of North Carolina near Lenoir County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Rutherford County	65,745	+2.1%
Haywood County	63,369	+1.8%
Sampson County	61,504	+4.1%
Granville County	61,421	+2.1%
Hoke County	56,939	+9.0%
Lenoir County	55,837	+1.4%
Watauga County	54,786	+0.6%
Duplin County	51,571	+6.0%
Columbus County	50,487	0%
Edgecombe County	49,121	+0.7%
Halifax County	46,534	−3.9%

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026