New Bern, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
New Bern, 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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D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | New Bern | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 23,832 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 790.0 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 2.21% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.0 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 10,492 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in New Bern grew by 26.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 23,832 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in New Bern is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 20.7% of residents. That is 1.2 points below North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,922 20.7% -1.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,467 18.7% -2.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,637 19.5% -1.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,396 18.4% +1.4 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 New Bern and men 47.0%.
- Women 53.0% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 47.0% North Carolina 48.9%
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Economy
New Bern has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | New Bern | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,115 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.79% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.6% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in New Bern is about 18% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | New Bern | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $58,407 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,087 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 61.7% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in New Bern is about 4.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,087 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in New Bern spend about 27 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 113 hours, about 4.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | New Bern | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 13.5 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 27.0 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 113 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,491 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.2% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,425 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,277 | 1,609 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in New Bern is 14 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
New Bern has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | New Bern | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.9% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.23 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Health
New Bern has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | New Bern | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.4 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.6% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.2% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about New Bern, North Carolina.
How big is New Bern, North Carolina by population?
About 23,832 people live in New Bern, North Carolina, in 10,492 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 38.0, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
How densely populated is New Bern, North Carolina?
Averaged over its land area, New Bern, North Carolina has 790 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 9.1 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in New Bern, North Carolina?
The median home costs 1.0 times the median household income ($58,407 against $59,115), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,087 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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