Pamlico County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Pamlico 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.
-
B
Health Around average
-
D
Income Well below average
-
D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Pamlico County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 12,360 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 22.0 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.49% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 52.6 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,456 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Pamlico County declined by 0.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12,360 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Pamlico County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 28.7% of residents. That is 11.7 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,877 15.2% -6.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,029 16.4% -5.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,827 22.9% +2.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,542 28.7% +11.7 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 48.5% of the people living in Pamlico County and men 51.5%.
- Women 48.5% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 51.5% North Carolina 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Pamlico County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Pamlico County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Pamlico County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,663 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.10% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.1% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Pamlico County is about 18% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Pamlico County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $86,818 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $752 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 82.9% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Pamlico County is about 9.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $752 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Pamlico County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 173 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Pamlico County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.7 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.5 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 173 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,355 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.1% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,377 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,265 | 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 Pamlico County is 21 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
Pamlico County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Pamlico County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 23.2% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.12 | 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
Pamlico County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Pamlico County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.6 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.7% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.7% | 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).
Pamlico County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Pamlico County, NC is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 12,360 residents against a local median of 69,145. Nothing separates Pamlico County, NC sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is commute, 10% above the local median at 20.7 min against 18.9 min. Pamlico County, NC has the 4th lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pamlico County, NC | 12,360 | $59,663 #3/4 | $86,818 #3/4 | 20.7 min #4/4 |
| Carteret County, NC | 69,145 | $71,708 | $319,352 | 18.9 min |
| Beaufort County, NC | 44,493 | $58,253 | $92,916 | 20.0 min |
| Craven County, NC | 102,613 | $65,003 | $78,096 | 17.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Pamlico County, North Carolina.
How big is Pamlico County, North Carolina by population?
About 12,360 people live in Pamlico County, North Carolina, in 5,456 households of 2.1 people on average. The median age is 52.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 15 years.
Is Pamlico County, North Carolina urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Pamlico County, North Carolina has 22 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 25% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Pamlico County, North Carolina?
The median home costs 1.5 times the median household income ($86,818 against $59,663), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $752 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Pamlico County, North Carolina?
23.2% of adults in Pamlico County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →