Cumberland County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cumberland 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.
-
B
Health Around average
-
D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 75% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Cumberland County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 338,542 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 514.0 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.47% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.5 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 129,756 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cumberland County grew by 9.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 338,542 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cumberland County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 27.0% of residents. That is 5.1 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 91,300 27.0% +5.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 75,222 22.2% +0.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 56,306 16.6% -3.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 44,006 13.0% -4.0 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 50.2% of the people living in Cumberland County and men 49.8%.
- Women 50.2% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 49.8% North Carolina 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Cumberland County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Cumberland County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Cumberland County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $61,555 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.07% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.1% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cumberland County is about 15% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Cumberland County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $116,419 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,221 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 55.0% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cumberland County is about 7.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,221 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cumberland County spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 156 hours, about 6.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cumberland County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.7 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.5 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 156 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,840 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.7% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,396 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,823 | 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 Cumberland County is 19 minutes, shorter 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
Cumberland County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Cumberland County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 23.5% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.48 | 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
Cumberland County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Cumberland County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.1 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.5% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.0% | 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).
Cumberland County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Cumberland County, NC is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 338,542 residents against a local median of 59,467. Cumberland County, NC's median home price, at $116,419, runs 33% below the $173,335 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 18.7 min against a local median of 23.7 min, 21% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Cumberland County, NC is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves spread $102,354 on median home price, so Cumberland County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Cumberland County, NC has the 5th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County, NC | 338,542 | $61,555 #3/6 | $116,419 #5/6 | 18.7 min #1/6 |
| Harnett County, NC | 139,132 | $71,432 | $173,335 | 30.6 min |
| Hoke County, NC | 53,784 | $64,852 | $197,321 | 27.6 min |
| Sampson County, NC | 59,467 | $52,596 | $187,677 | 22.5 min |
| Robeson County, NC | 116,854 | $42,419 | $94,967 | 21.4 min |
| Bladen County, NC | 29,571 | $41,756 | $121,527 | 23.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cumberland County, North Carolina.
What is the population of Cumberland County, North Carolina?
About 338,542 people live in Cumberland County, North Carolina, in 129,756 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 33.5, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Cumberland County, North Carolina mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Cumberland County, North Carolina has 514 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 5.9 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Cumberland County, North Carolina?
The median home costs 1.9 times the median household income ($116,419 against $61,555), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,221 a month takes about 24% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Cumberland County, North Carolina?
23.5% of adults in Cumberland County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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