Demographics of Macon County, North Carolina

Macon County, North Carolina had 39,232 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +2,147 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.

Macon County, in four figures

39,232
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +5.8%
Change since July 2020: +2,147 people.; 49.7 ±0.5
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $59,061 ±$6,098
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.

Macon County, North Carolina's population grew 5.8% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Macon 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

Macon County, North Carolina's population grew 5.8% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Macon 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	37,085	100.0	100.0
2021	37,457	101.0	100.2
2022	37,964	102.4	100.7
2023	38,433	103.6	101.6
2024	38,820	104.7	102.5
2025	39,232	105.8	103.1

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Population of Macon 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	37,085	+81	−30	+1	+119
2021	37,457	+372	−288	+12	+671
2022	37,964	+507	−329	+42	+761
2023	38,433	+469	−234	+48	+642
2024	38,820	+387	−197	+91	+486
2025	39,232	+412	−193	+4	+607

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 49.7 ±0.5: for men 48.4 ±0.8 and for women 51.3 ±0.6. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Macon County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under 5	1,641 ±167	4.3% ±0.4	5.6% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	5,082 ±445	13.4% ±1.2	16.1% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	2,486 ±382	6.6% ±1.0	9.5% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	8,012 ±568	21.1% ±1.5	26.2% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	9,641 ±563	25.4% ±1.5	25.4% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	11,079 ±664	29.2% ±1.8	17.2% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $59,061 ±$6,098, and income per person $38,705 ±$2,546, 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 Macon County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under $25,000	3,766 ±560	20.5% ±3.0	15.8% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	4,231 ±549	23.0% ±2.9	19.1% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	3,677 ±583	20.0% ±3.1	16.8% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	2,004 ±338	10.9% ±1.8	13.0% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	2,401 ±379	13.0% ±2.0	16.6% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	860 ±200	4.7% ±1.1	8.3% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	1,467 ±330	8.0% ±1.8	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 Macon County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	North Carolina	United States
All ages	4,352 ±912	11.6% ±2.4	13.0% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	827 ±362	12.8% ±5.5	17.7% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	1,844 ±511	10.9% ±3.0	12.1% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,681 ±412	11.9% ±2.9	10.9% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Macon County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Macon County	North Carolina	United States
Housing units	27,216 ±42	4,895,668 ±642	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	67.6% ±2.5	87.5% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	32.4% ±2.5	12.5% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	77.6% ±3.1	66.6% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	22.4% ±3.4	33.4% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$251,900 ±$16,620	$288,900 ±$1,086	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$803 ±$56	$1,228 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1987 ±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 Macon County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Hispanic or Latino	3,806 ±0	10.0% ±<0.1	11.3% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	32,344 ±108	85.2% ±0.3	60.0% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	521 ±181	1.4% ±0.5	20.0% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	237 ±116	0.6% ±0.3	3.3% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	41 to 137	0.1% to 0.4%	0.8% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 29	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 88	0% to 0.2%	0.5% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	900 ±245	2.4% ±0.6	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 Macon County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Born in the state	16,395 ±821	43.2% ±2.2	53.6% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	18,842 ±909	49.7% ±2.4	35.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	471 ±230	1.2% ±0.6	1.4% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	2,233 ±375	5.9% ±1.0	9.1% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	857 ±266	2.3% ±0.7	3.8% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	1,376 ±303	3.6% ±0.8	5.2% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Macon County among the counties of North Carolina

64th of 100 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the North Carolina page.

Counties of North Carolina near Macon County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Beaufort County	44,670	−0.1%
Vance County	42,638	+0.2%
Pasquotank County	42,201	+4.5%
Richmond County	42,041	−1.6%
Person County	40,636	+3.7%
Macon County	39,232	+5.8%
Yadkin County	38,325	+2.9%
Dare County	38,245	+3.3%
Alexander County	36,958	+1.5%
Transylvania County	34,211	+2.9%
Scotland County	33,322	−0.3%

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