Demographics of Sampson County, North Carolina

Sampson County, North Carolina had 61,504 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +2,426 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.

Sampson County, in four figures

61,504
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +4.1%
Change since July 2020: +2,426 people.; 39.7 ±0.6
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $52,432 ±$4,188
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.

Sampson County, North Carolina's population grew 4.1% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Sampson 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

Sampson County, North Carolina's population grew 4.1% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Sampson 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	59,078	100.0	100.0
2021	59,052	100.0	100.2
2022	59,194	100.2	100.7
2023	59,984	101.5	101.6
2024	61,077	103.4	102.5
2025	61,504	104.1	103.1

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Population of Sampson 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	59,078	+33	+27	+2	−12
2021	59,052	−26	−113	+43	−11
2022	59,194	+142	−81	+271	−9
2023	59,984	+790	+70	+397	+333
2024	61,077	+1,093	+74	+693	+328
2025	61,504	+427	+75	+276	+69

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 39.7 ±0.6: for men 38.4 ±0.6 and for women 41.2 ±0.5. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Sampson County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under 5	3,855 ±40	6.5% ±0.1	5.6% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	10,729 ±573	18.0% ±1.0	16.1% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	5,076 ±448	8.5% ±0.8	9.5% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	13,825 ±475	23.2% ±0.8	26.2% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	15,192 ±564	25.5% ±0.9	25.4% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	10,793 ±595	18.1% ±1.0	17.2% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $52,432 ±$4,188, and income per person $27,307 ±$1,306, 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 Sampson County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under $25,000	5,165 ±562	23.9% ±2.6	15.8% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	5,264 ±551	24.4% ±2.5	19.1% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	3,287 ±420	15.2% ±1.9	16.8% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	2,721 ±326	12.6% ±1.5	13.0% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	3,508 ±462	16.2% ±2.1	16.6% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	1,055 ±233	4.9% ±1.1	8.3% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	607 ±164	2.8% ±0.8	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 Sampson County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	North Carolina	United States
All ages	12,703 ±1,449	21.8% ±2.5	13.0% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	4,816 ±607	34.0% ±3.7	17.7% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	5,676 ±780	19.1% ±2.5	12.1% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	2,211 ±323	15.3% ±2.1	10.9% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Sampson County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Sampson County	North Carolina	United States
Housing units	25,852 ±41	4,895,668 ±642	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	83.6% ±1.7	87.5% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	16.4% ±1.7	12.5% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	73.8% ±2.2	66.6% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	26.2% ±2.4	33.4% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$150,700 ±$8,685	$288,900 ±$1,086	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$834 ±$30	$1,228 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1988 ±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 Sampson County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Hispanic or Latino	13,098 ±0	22.0% ±<0.1	11.3% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	29,244 ±62	49.2% ±0.1	60.0% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	14,293 ±298	24.0% ±0.5	20.0% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	255 ±59	0.4% ±0.1	3.3% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	978 ±100	1.6% ±0.2	0.8% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	1 to 59	< 0.1% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	84 to 346	0.1% to 0.6%	0.5% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	1,357 ±313	2.3% ±0.5	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 Sampson County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Born in the state	45,484 ±893	76.5% ±1.5	53.6% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	7,478 ±854	12.6% ±1.4	35.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	176 ±79	0.3% ±0.1	1.4% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	6,332 ±568	10.6% ±1.0	9.1% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	1,552 ±406	2.6% ±0.7	3.8% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	4,780 ±647	8.0% ±1.1	5.2% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Sampson County among the counties of North Carolina

46th of 100 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the North Carolina page.

Counties of North Carolina near Sampson County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Lee County	70,258	+10.8%
Stanly County	68,830	+9.8%
Wilkes County	66,233	+0.5%
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%

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