Alexander County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Alexander County, NC Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 70% of counties in North Carolina
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 82% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Alexander County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 36,412 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 138.2 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.27% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.2 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 14,123 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Alexander County grew by 0.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 36,412 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Alexander County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.7% of residents. That is 1.1 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 6,978 19.2% -2.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 7,594 20.9% -0.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 7,898 21.7% +1.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 7,381 20.3% +3.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below North Carolina, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.3% of the people living in Alexander County and men 50.7%.
- Women 49.3% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 50.7% North Carolina 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Alexander County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Alexander County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Alexander County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $64,655 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.11% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.0% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Alexander County is about 11% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Alexander County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $270,833 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $764 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 80.7% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Alexander County is about 29.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $764 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Alexander County spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 185 hours, about 7.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Alexander County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.2 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.5 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 185 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,746 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.1% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,870 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,032 | 1,609 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
North Carolina:
Macon County (17.2 min), Watauga County (17.2 min), Dare County (17.4 min).
Slowest:
Gates County (35.9 min), Currituck County (33.9 min), Tyrrell County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Alexander County is about the same as in North Carolina.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Alexander County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Alexander County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.5% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.47 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
North Carolina:
Orange County (0.5), Wake County (0.4), Durham County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hyde County (0.2), Greene County (0.2), Tyrrell County (0.2).
Health
Alexander County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Alexander County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.2 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.4% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.2% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
North Carolina:
Orange County (0.8), Wake County (0.8), Watauga County (0.8).
Lowest:
Robeson County (0.8), Lenoir County (0.8), Halifax County (0.8).
Alexander County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Alexander County, NC is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 36,412 residents against a local median of 92,729. Alexander County, NC's median home price, at $270,833, runs 29% above the $210,260 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $250,176 on median home price, so Alexander County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Alexander County, NC has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander County, NC | 36,412 | $64,655 #4/6 | $270,833 #1/6 | 22.2 min #5/6 |
| Catawba County, NC | 163,556 | $67,947 | $224,804 | 18.9 min |
| Wilkes County, NC | 65,914 | $51,695 | $19,444 | 21.0 min |
| Iredell County, NC | 196,543 | $81,685 | $210,260 | 21.1 min |
| Caldwell County, NC | 80,517 | $56,350 | $269,620 | 22.0 min |
| Lincoln County, NC | 92,729 | $78,296 | $165,739 | 27.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Alexander County, North Carolina.
What is the population of Alexander County, North Carolina?
About 36,412 people live in Alexander County, North Carolina, in 14,123 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 42.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Alexander County, North Carolina urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Alexander County, North Carolina has 138 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 1.6 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Alexander County, North Carolina?
The median home costs 4.2 times the median household income ($270,833 against $64,655), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $764 a month takes about 14% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Alexander County, North Carolina?
14.5% of adults in Alexander County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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