Lenoir County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Lenoir 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 averageAmong the 3 least healthy counties in North Carolina
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 82% of counties in North Carolina
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 80% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Lenoir County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 54,882 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 136.7 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.75% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.6 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 23,326 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Lenoir County declined by 3.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 54,882 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Lenoir County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.4% of residents. That is 0.8 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 10,553 19.2% -2.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 9,921 18.1% -3.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 11,732 21.4% +0.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 10,991 20.0% +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 52.8% of the people living in Lenoir County and men 47.2%.
- Women 52.8% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 47.2% North Carolina 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Lenoir County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Lenoir County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Lenoir County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $45,135 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 2.56% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 9.0% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Lenoir County is about 38% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Lenoir County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $142,404 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $860 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 59.2% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Lenoir County is about 13.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $860 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Lenoir 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 | Lenoir County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.7 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.4 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 156 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,833 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 3.4% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,461 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 930 | 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 Lenoir 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
Lenoir County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Lenoir County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.2% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.29 | 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
Lenoir County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Lenoir County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.3 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 23.6% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 25.0% | 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).
Lenoir County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Lenoir County, NC is the 3rd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 54,882 residents against a local median of 83,961. The measure that sets Lenoir County, NC apart most is median household income: $45,135, 20% below the local median of $56,698. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves sit within $7,159 of each other on median household income, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Lenoir County, NC, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Lenoir County, NC has the 5th highest median household income of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenoir County, NC | 54,882 | $45,135 #5/5 | $142,404 #3/5 | 18.7 min #3/5 |
| Greene County, NC | 20,465 | $52,621 | $180,242 | 22.1 min |
| Wayne County, NC | 118,630 | $59,780 | $34,399 | 18.5 min |
| Duplin County, NC | 49,292 | $55,498 | $96,951 | 23.0 min |
| Pitt County, NC | 177,193 | $57,898 | $249,582 | 17.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Lenoir County, North Carolina.
What is the population of Lenoir County, North Carolina?
About 54,882 people live in Lenoir County, North Carolina, in 23,326 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 42.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
How densely populated is Lenoir County, North Carolina?
Averaged over its land area, Lenoir County, North Carolina has 137 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 1.6 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Lenoir County, North Carolina an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.2 times the median household income ($142,404 against $45,135), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $860 a month takes about 23% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Lenoir County, North Carolina?
Unemployment in Lenoir County, North Carolina is 9.0%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Lenoir County, North Carolina?
14.2% of adults in Lenoir County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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