Demographics of Watauga County, North Carolina

Watauga County, North Carolina had 54,786 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +320 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.

Watauga County, in four figures

54,786
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +0.6%
Change since July 2020: +320 people.; 31.4 ±0.6
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $51,693 ±$3,285
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.

Watauga County, North Carolina's population grew 0.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Watauga 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

Watauga County, North Carolina's population grew 0.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Watauga 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	54,466	100.0	100.0
2021	55,302	101.5	100.2
2022	55,363	101.6	100.7
2023	55,362	101.6	101.6
2024	54,921	100.8	102.5
2025	54,786	100.6	103.1

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Population of Watauga 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	54,466	+387	−22	+1	+462
2021	55,302	+836	−147	+21	+988
2022	55,363	+61	−147	+38	+208
2023	55,362	−1	−105	+121	−2
2024	54,921	−441	−64	+194	−577
2025	54,786	−135	−65	+96	−172

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 31.4 ±0.6: for men 31.6 ±0.7 and for women 30.9 ±1.1. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Watauga County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under 5	1,587 ±87	2.9% ±0.2	5.6% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	5,089 ±316	9.2% ±0.6	16.1% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	17,338 ±1,076	31.5% ±2.0	9.5% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	10,481 ±491	19.0% ±0.9	26.2% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	11,193 ±525	20.3% ±1.0	25.4% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	9,435 ±610	17.1% ±1.1	17.2% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $51,693 ±$3,285, and income per person $34,167 ±$2,046, 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 Watauga County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under $25,000	5,604 ±713	26.4% ±3.3	15.8% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	4,697 ±606	22.2% ±2.8	19.1% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	3,140 ±443	14.8% ±2.0	16.8% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	2,185 ±354	10.3% ±1.6	13.0% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	2,518 ±357	11.9% ±1.7	16.6% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	1,506 ±281	7.1% ±1.3	8.3% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	1,548 ±302	7.3% ±1.4	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 Watauga County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	North Carolina	United States
All ages	12,395 ±1,018	25.5% ±2.1	13.0% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	884 ±257	13.4% ±3.8	17.7% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	10,129 ±808	34.5% ±2.4	12.1% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,382 ±400	10.8% ±3.1	10.9% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Watauga County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Watauga County	North Carolina	United States
Housing units	33,355 ±69	4,895,668 ±642	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	63.6% ±1.8	87.5% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	36.4% ±1.8	12.5% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	62.1% ±1.7	66.6% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	37.9% ±2.7	33.4% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$358,900 ±$18,269	$288,900 ±$1,086	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$1,127 ±$85	$1,228 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1988 ±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 Watauga County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Hispanic or Latino	3,410 ±0	6.2% ±<0.1	11.3% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	48,766 ±140	88.5% ±0.3	60.0% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	873 ±202	1.6% ±0.4	20.0% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	487 ±166	0.9% ±0.3	3.3% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	25 to 121	< 0.1% to 0.2%	0.8% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 32	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 80	0% to 0.1%	0.5% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	1,474 ±232	2.7% ±0.4	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 Watauga County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Born in the state	33,913 ±1,143	61.5% ±2.1	53.6% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	18,860 ±1,036	34.2% ±1.9	35.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	444 ±169	0.8% ±0.3	1.4% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	1,906 ±364	3.5% ±0.7	9.1% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	744 ±256	1.3% ±0.5	3.8% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	1,162 ±305	2.1% ±0.6	5.2% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Watauga County among the counties of North Carolina

50th of 100 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the North Carolina page.

Counties of North Carolina near Watauga County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
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%
Stokes County	46,126	+3.5%

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