Martin County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Martin 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 averageLess healthy than 78% of counties in North Carolina
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 79% of counties in North Carolina
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Martin County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 21,644 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 47.4 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.03% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 47.1 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 9,433 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Martin County declined by 8.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 21,644 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Martin County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 23.4% of residents. That is 6.4 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,797 17.5% -4.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,801 17.6% -3.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,934 22.8% +2.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,063 23.4% +6.4 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 53.0% of the people living in Martin County and men 47.0%.
- Women 53.0% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 47.0% North Carolina 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Martin County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Martin County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Martin County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,856 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.31% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.1% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Martin County is about 33% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Martin County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $157,720 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $758 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 66.7% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Martin County is about 17.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $758 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Martin County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 196 hours, about 8.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Martin County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.5 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.0 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 196 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,065 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.5% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,531 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 550 | 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 Martin County is 23 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
Martin County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Martin County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.5% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.24 | 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
Martin County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Martin County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.1 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.8% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.3% | 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).
Martin County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Martin County, NC is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 21,644 residents against a local median of 48,736. Where Martin County, NC breaks from the counties next to it is commute, sitting 24% above the local median of 18.9 min at 23.5 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $157,720 against a local median of $134,077, 18% above it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Martin County, NC reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The counties themselves sit within 2.5 min of each other on commute, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Martin County, NC, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Martin County, NC has the 4th lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin County, NC | 21,644 | $48,856 #4/4 | $157,720 #2/4 | 23.5 min #4/4 |
| Pitt County, NC | 177,193 | $57,898 | $249,582 | 17.5 min |
| Beaufort County, NC | 44,493 | $58,253 | $92,916 | 20.0 min |
| Edgecombe County, NC | 48,736 | $51,050 | $134,077 | 18.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Martin County, North Carolina.
How big is Martin County, North Carolina by population?
About 21,644 people live in Martin County, North Carolina, in 9,433 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 47.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 10 years.
Is Martin County, North Carolina mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Martin County, North Carolina has 47 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 55% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Martin County, North Carolina?
The median home costs 3.2 times the median household income ($157,720 against $48,856), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $758 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Martin County, North Carolina have a college degree?
14.5% of adults in Martin 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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