Demographics of Lincoln County, North Carolina

Lincoln County, North Carolina had 98,654 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +11,501 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.

Lincoln County, in four figures

98,654
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +13.2%
Change since July 2020: +11,501 people.; 44.4 ±0.2
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $80,016 ±$4,599
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.

Lincoln County, North Carolina's population grew 13.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Lincoln 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

Lincoln County, North Carolina's population grew 13.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Lincoln 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	87,153	100.0	100.0
2021	89,935	103.2	100.2
2022	93,088	106.8	100.7
2023	95,723	109.8	101.6
2024	97,519	111.9	102.5
2025	98,654	113.2	103.1

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Population of Lincoln 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	87,153	+371	−21	+2	+411
2021	89,935	+2,782	−113	+57	+2,989
2022	93,088	+3,153	−188	+140	+3,037
2023	95,723	+2,635	−56	+205	+2,426
2024	97,519	+1,796	−38	+267	+1,544
2025	98,654	+1,135	−16	+149	+997

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 44.4 ±0.2: for men 43.8 ±0.7 and for women 45.1 ±0.3. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Lincoln County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under 5	4,657 ±127	5.0% ±0.1	5.6% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	14,474 ±790	15.6% ±0.9	16.1% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	6,747 ±578	7.3% ±0.6	9.5% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	21,556 ±755	23.2% ±0.8	26.2% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	27,220 ±931	29.4% ±1.0	25.4% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	18,062 ±807	19.5% ±0.9	17.2% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $80,016 ±$4,599, and income per person $44,098 ±$2,205, 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 Lincoln County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under $25,000	5,166 ±733	14.0% ±2.0	15.8% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	6,656 ±837	18.1% ±2.3	19.1% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	5,903 ±632	16.0% ±1.7	16.8% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	4,973 ±497	13.5% ±1.3	13.0% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	6,236 ±686	16.9% ±1.8	16.6% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	2,821 ±470	7.7% ±1.3	8.3% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	5,056 ±553	13.7% ±1.5	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 Lincoln County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	North Carolina	United States
All ages	10,332 ±1,691	11.2% ±1.8	13.0% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	2,837 ±593	15.1% ±3.0	17.7% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	4,317 ±820	9.1% ±1.7	12.1% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	3,178 ±637	12.5% ±2.5	10.9% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Lincoln County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Lincoln County	North Carolina	United States
Housing units	39,504 ±90	4,895,668 ±642	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	93.2% ±1.3	87.5% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	6.8% ±1.4	12.5% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	78.9% ±1.5	66.6% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	21.1% ±2.0	33.4% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$321,000 ±$13,100	$288,900 ±$1,086	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$1,015 ±$67	$1,228 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1994 ±1	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 Lincoln County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Hispanic or Latino	7,542 ±0	8.1% ±<0.1	11.3% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	75,997 ±655	82.0% ±0.7	60.0% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	5,472 ±280	5.9% ±0.3	20.0% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	733 ±140	0.8% ±0.2	3.3% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	38 to 212	< 0.1% to 0.2%	0.8% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 48	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	7 to 357	< 0.1% to 0.4%	0.5% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	2,647 ±725	2.9% ±0.8	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 Lincoln County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Born in the state	53,158 ±1,790	57.3% ±1.9	53.6% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	33,398 ±1,650	36.0% ±1.8	35.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	1,085 ±265	1.2% ±0.3	1.4% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	5,075 ±688	5.5% ±0.7	9.1% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	2,303 ±474	2.5% ±0.5	3.8% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	2,772 ±596	3.0% ±0.6	5.2% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Lincoln County among the counties of North Carolina

31st of 100 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the North Carolina page.

Counties of North Carolina near Lincoln County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Robeson County	119,941	+3.4%
Moore County	110,619	+10.3%
Craven County	105,025	+3.5%
Cleveland County	103,325	+3.4%
Nash County	99,365	+3.9%
Lincoln County	98,654	+13.2%
Rockingham County	94,195	+3.3%
Burke County	88,655	+1.6%
Chatham County	85,111	+11.0%
Franklin County	82,037	+18.8%
Wilson County	81,150	+1.7%

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