Harnett County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Harnett 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 average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Harnett County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 139,132 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 231.4 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.18% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.1 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 49,852 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Harnett County grew by 27.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 139,132 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Harnett County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 23.9% of residents. That is 2.5 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 30,733 22.1% +0.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 33,311 23.9% +2.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 26,625 19.1% -1.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 18,822 13.5% -3.5 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 50.5% of the people living in Harnett County and men 49.5%.
- Women 50.5% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 49.5% North Carolina 48.9%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Harnett County
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Economy
Harnett County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Harnett County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $71,432 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.17% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Harnett County is about 1% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Harnett County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $173,335 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,112 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.0% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Harnett County is about 13.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,112 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Harnett County spend about 61 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 255 hours, about 10.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Harnett County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.6 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 61.2 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 255 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,908 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.8% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,746 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,366 | 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 Harnett County is 31 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
Harnett County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Harnett County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.1% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.73 | 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
Harnett County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Harnett County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.7 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.1% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.3% | 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).
Harnett County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Harnett County, NC is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 139,132 residents against a local median of 80,150. The measure that sets Harnett County, NC apart most is commute: 30.6 min, 34% above the local median of 22.9 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 8.9 min on commute, so Harnett County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Harnett County, NC has the 6th lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harnett County, NC | 139,132 | $71,432 #3/6 | $173,335 #5/6 | 30.6 min #6/6 |
| Lee County, NC | 65,807 | $66,701 | $312,150 | 21.0 min |
| Cumberland County, NC | 338,542 | $61,555 | $116,419 | 18.7 min |
| Wake County, NC | 1,178,613 | $105,784 | $429,483 | 22.9 min |
| Hoke County, NC | 53,784 | $64,852 | $197,321 | 27.6 min |
| Chatham County, NC | 80,150 | $93,685 | $194,860 | 26.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Harnett County, North Carolina.
How many people live in Harnett County, North Carolina?
About 139,132 people live in Harnett County, North Carolina, in 49,852 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 36.1, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Harnett County, North Carolina urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Harnett County, North Carolina has 231 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.7 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Harnett County, North Carolina?
The median home costs 2.4 times the median household income ($173,335 against $71,432), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,112 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Harnett County, North Carolina?
21.1% of adults in Harnett County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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