Johnston County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Johnston 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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C
Health Below average
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 88% of counties in North Carolina
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Johnston County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 234,262 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 294.2 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 3.19% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.2 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 85,591 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Johnston County grew by 49.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 234,262 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Johnston County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 22.6% of residents. That is 1.1 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 47,453 20.3% -1.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 52,840 22.6% +1.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 51,543 22.0% +1.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 32,908 14.0% -3.0 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 50.5% of the people living in Johnston County and men 49.5%.
- Women 50.5% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 49.5% North Carolina 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Johnston County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Johnston County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Johnston County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $84,644 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.23% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Johnston County is about 17% higher than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Johnston County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $243,547 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,145 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 76.0% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Johnston County is about 17.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,145 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Johnston County spend about 62 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 260 hours, about 10.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Johnston County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 31.1 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 62.3 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 260 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $8,047 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.7% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,683 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,765 | 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 Johnston 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
Johnston County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Johnston County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.2% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.72 | 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
Johnston County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Johnston County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.7 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.6% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.9% | 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).
Johnston County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Johnston County, NC is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 234,262 residents against a local median of 118,630. The measure that sets Johnston County, NC apart most is median household income: $84,644, 42% above the local median of $59,780. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $243,547 against a local median of $173,335, 41% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Johnston County, NC is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $53,188 on median household income, so Johnston County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Johnston County, NC has the 2nd highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnston County, NC | 234,262 | $84,644 #2/6 | $243,547 #2/6 | 31.1 min #6/6 |
| Wayne County, NC | 118,630 | $59,780 | $34,399 | 18.5 min |
| Wake County, NC | 1,178,613 | $105,784 | $429,483 | 22.9 min |
| Wilson County, NC | 79,278 | $56,688 | $149,725 | 18.5 min |
| Harnett County, NC | 139,132 | $71,432 | $173,335 | 30.6 min |
| Sampson County, NC | 59,467 | $52,596 | $187,677 | 22.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Johnston County, North Carolina.
How big is Johnston County, North Carolina by population?
About 234,262 people live in Johnston County, North Carolina, in 85,591 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 36.2, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Johnston County, North Carolina urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Johnston County, North Carolina has 294 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.4 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Johnston County, North Carolina?
The median home costs 2.9 times the median household income ($243,547 against $84,644), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,145 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Johnston County, North Carolina?
Unemployment in Johnston County, North Carolina is only 3.8%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Johnston County, North Carolina have a college degree?
24.2% of adults in Johnston 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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