Cabarrus County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cabarrus 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 87% of counties in North Carolina
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 95% of counties in North Carolina
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 85% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Cabarrus County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 236,149 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 649.4 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 2.61% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.6 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 84,256 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cabarrus County grew by 46.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 236,149 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cabarrus County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 22.9% of residents. That is 1.5 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 48,296 20.5% -1.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 53,997 22.9% +1.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 51,368 21.8% +1.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 32,525 13.8% -3.2 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 51.4% of the people living in Cabarrus County and men 48.6%.
- Women 51.4% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 48.6% North Carolina 48.9%
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100% of everyone living in Cabarrus County
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Economy
Cabarrus County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Cabarrus County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $88,863 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.22% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.6% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cabarrus County is about 23% higher than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Cabarrus County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $227,299 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,414 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.2% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cabarrus County is about 13.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,414 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cabarrus County spend about 52 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 215 hours, about 9.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cabarrus County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 25.8 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 51.6 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 215 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,662 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 17.2% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 17,897 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,956 | 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 Cabarrus County is 26 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes 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
Cabarrus County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Cabarrus County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33.7% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.78 | 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
Cabarrus County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Cabarrus County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.3 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.6% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.4% | 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).
Cabarrus County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Cabarrus County, NC is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 236,149 residents against a local median of 196,543. The measure that sets Cabarrus County, NC apart most is median home price: $227,299, 23% below the local median of $296,127.
The counties themselves spread $209,674 on median home price, so Cabarrus County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Cabarrus County, NC has the 5th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabarrus County, NC | 236,149 | $88,863 #2/6 | $227,299 #5/6 | 25.8 min #5/6 |
| Rowan County, NC | 149,851 | $65,782 | $250,144 | 22.2 min |
| Stanly County, NC | 64,639 | $60,751 | $296,127 | 22.9 min |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | 1,154,528 | $87,854 | $336,691 | 23.0 min |
| Union County, NC | 250,888 | $104,427 | $419,934 | 28.0 min |
| Iredell County, NC | 196,543 | $81,685 | $210,260 | 21.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cabarrus County, North Carolina.
How big is Cabarrus County, North Carolina by population?
About 236,149 people live in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, in 84,256 households of 2.8 people on average. The median age is 35.6, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Cabarrus County, North Carolina urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Cabarrus County, North Carolina has 649 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 7.5 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Cabarrus County, North Carolina?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($227,299 against $88,863), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,414 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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