Demographics of Wayne County, North Carolina

Wayne County, North Carolina had 122,278 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +4,520 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.

Wayne County, in four figures

122,278
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +3.8%
Change since July 2020: +4,520 people.; 37.3 ±0.4
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $59,733 ±$2,739
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.

Wayne County, North Carolina's population grew 3.8% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Wayne 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

Wayne County, North Carolina's population grew 3.8% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Wayne 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	117,758	100.0	100.0
2021	117,416	99.7	100.2
2022	118,206	100.4	100.7
2023	119,731	101.7	101.6
2024	121,168	102.9	102.5
2025	122,278	103.8	103.1

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Population of Wayne 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	117,758	+431	−55	+4	+525
2021	117,416	−342	−11	+60	−482
2022	118,206	+790	+144	+409	+322
2023	119,731	+1,525	+216	+636	+690
2024	121,168	+1,437	+219	+1,174	+51
2025	122,278	+1,110	+239	+687	+173

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 37.3 ±0.4: for men 35.5 ±0.3 and for women 39.4 ±0.5. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Wayne County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under 5	7,581 ±78	6.4% ±0.1	5.6% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	20,433 ±677	17.2% ±0.6	16.1% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	11,516 ±663	9.7% ±0.6	9.5% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	30,168 ±724	25.4% ±0.6	26.2% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	28,692 ±837	24.2% ±0.7	25.4% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	20,262 ±888	17.1% ±0.7	17.2% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $59,733 ±$2,739, and income per person $31,983 ±$924, 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 Wayne County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under $25,000	8,966 ±781	18.9% ±1.6	15.8% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	11,053 ±885	23.3% ±1.8	19.1% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	8,265 ±723	17.4% ±1.5	16.8% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	6,837 ±747	14.4% ±1.6	13.0% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	7,087 ±712	14.9% ±1.5	16.6% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	2,821 ±428	5.9% ±0.9	8.3% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	2,478 ±397	5.2% ±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 Wayne County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	North Carolina	United States
All ages	20,075 ±1,572	17.3% ±1.4	13.0% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	7,182 ±701	26.1% ±2.3	17.7% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	9,741 ±873	16.1% ±1.4	12.1% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	3,152 ±424	11.4% ±1.5	10.9% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Wayne County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Wayne County	North Carolina	United States
Housing units	53,505 ±73	4,895,668 ±642	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	88.8% ±1.2	87.5% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	11.2% ±1.2	12.5% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	61.5% ±1.6	66.6% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	38.5% ±1.9	33.4% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$178,700 ±$9,173	$288,900 ±$1,086	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$965 ±$30	$1,228 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1984 ±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 Wayne County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Hispanic or Latino	16,280 ±0	13.7% ±<0.1	11.3% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	59,511 ±517	50.2% ±0.4	60.0% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	35,089 ±854	29.6% ±0.7	20.0% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	1,403 ±237	1.2% ±0.2	3.3% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	76 ±35	0.1% ±<0.1	0.8% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 230	0% to 0.2%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	353 ±142	0.3% ±0.1	0.5% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	5,830 ±933	4.9% ±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 Wayne County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Born in the state	75,929 ±1,615	64.0% ±1.4	53.6% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	31,540 ±1,548	26.6% ±1.3	35.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	1,776 ±445	1.5% ±0.4	1.4% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	9,407 ±665	7.9% ±0.6	9.1% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	2,565 ±388	2.2% ±0.3	3.8% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	6,842 ±736	5.8% ±0.6	5.2% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Wayne County among the counties of North Carolina

25th of 100 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the North Carolina page.

Counties of North Carolina near Wayne County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Rowan County	155,096	+5.6%
Orange County	152,498	+6.1%
Harnett County	150,137	+12.3%
Randolph County	149,516	+3.5%
Henderson County	122,375	+5.0%
Wayne County	122,278	+3.8%
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%

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