Lincoln County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Lincoln 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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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 84% of counties in North Carolina
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 89% of counties in North Carolina
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Lincoln County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 92,729 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 304.4 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.89% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.5 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 36,672 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Lincoln County grew by 27.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 92,729 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Lincoln County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.9% of residents. That is 3.4 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 17,068 18.4% -3.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 18,613 20.1% -1.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 22,193 23.9% +3.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 17,769 19.2% +2.2 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 50.3% of the people living in Lincoln County and men 49.7%.
- Women 50.3% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 49.7% North Carolina 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Lincoln County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Lincoln County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Lincoln County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $78,296 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.06% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.3% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Lincoln County is about 8% higher than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Lincoln County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $165,739 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,015 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 78.9% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Lincoln County is about 13.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,015 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Lincoln County spend about 56 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 232 hours, about 9.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Lincoln County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 27.9 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 55.8 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 232 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,206 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.3% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,293 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,956 | 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 Lincoln County is 28 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
Lincoln County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Lincoln County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.3% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.50 | 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
Lincoln County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Lincoln County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.3 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.3% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.8% | 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).
Lincoln County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Lincoln County, NC is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 92,729 residents against a local median of 163,556. Where Lincoln County, NC breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 26% below the local median of $224,804 at $165,739.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 27.9 min against a local median of 22.2 min, 25% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Lincoln County, NC is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $232,014 on median home price, so Lincoln County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Lincoln County, NC has the 5th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, NC | 92,729 | $78,296 #2/6 | $165,739 #5/6 | 27.9 min #6/6 |
| Catawba County, NC | 163,556 | $67,947 | $224,804 | 18.9 min |
| Gaston County, NC | 234,809 | $67,093 | $208,491 | 23.8 min |
| Cleveland County, NC | 100,962 | $58,567 | $104,677 | 21.3 min |
| Alexander County, NC | 36,412 | $64,655 | $270,833 | 22.2 min |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | 1,154,528 | $87,854 | $336,691 | 23.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Lincoln County, North Carolina.
How many people live in Lincoln County, North Carolina?
About 92,729 people live in Lincoln County, North Carolina, in 36,672 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 42.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
How densely populated is Lincoln County, North Carolina?
Averaged over its land area, Lincoln County, North Carolina has 304 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.5 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Lincoln County, North Carolina an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.1 times the median household income ($165,739 against $78,296), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,015 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 Lincoln County, North Carolina?
Unemployment in Lincoln County, North Carolina is only 3.3%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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