Caldwell County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Caldwell 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.
-
C
Health Below average
-
D
Income Well below average
-
F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 73% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Caldwell County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 80,517 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 169.8 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.17% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.6 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 32,911 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Caldwell County grew by 1.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 80,517 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Caldwell County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.8% of residents. That is 2.3 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 15,088 18.7% -3.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 15,449 19.2% -2.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 18,358 22.8% +2.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 17,006 21.1% +4.1 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 50.6% of the people living in Caldwell County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 49.4% North Carolina 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Caldwell County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Caldwell County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Caldwell County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,350 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.29% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.0% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Caldwell County is about 22% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Caldwell County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $269,620 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $743 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 73.5% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Caldwell County is about 30.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $743 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Caldwell 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 183 hours, about 7.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Caldwell County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.0 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.0 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 183 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,678 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.1% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 9,531 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,614 | 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 Caldwell 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
Caldwell County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Caldwell County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.5% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.42 | 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
Caldwell County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Caldwell County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.9 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.9% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.8% | 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).
Caldwell County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Caldwell County, NC is typical in size for this group, 80,517 residents against a local median of 71,399, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Caldwell County, NC's commute, at 22.0 min, runs 17% above the 18.8 min typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 5.1 min on commute, so Caldwell County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Caldwell County, NC has the 4th lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caldwell County, NC | 80,517 | $56,350 #4/5 | $269,620 #3/5 | 22.0 min #4/5 |
| Burke County, NC | 87,684 | $59,001 | $79,920 | 18.7 min |
| Watauga County, NC | 55,114 | $52,022 | $376,675 | 17.2 min |
| Alexander County, NC | 36,412 | $64,655 | $270,833 | 22.2 min |
| Catawba County, NC | 163,556 | $67,947 | $224,804 | 18.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Caldwell County, North Carolina.
How many people live in Caldwell County, North Carolina?
About 80,517 people live in Caldwell County, North Carolina, in 32,911 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 45.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.
Is Caldwell County, North Carolina urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Caldwell County, North Carolina has 170 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.0 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Caldwell County, North Carolina?
The median home costs 4.8 times the median household income ($269,620 against $56,350), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $743 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Caldwell County, North Carolina?
16.5% of adults in Caldwell County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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