Rowan County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Rowan 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.
-
C
Health Below average
-
D
Income Well below average
-
D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Rowan County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 149,851 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 286.2 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.96% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.6 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 58,883 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Rowan County grew by 8.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 149,851 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Rowan County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.6% of residents. That is 1.1 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 31,610 21.1% -0.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 29,870 19.9% -1.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 32,398 21.6% +1.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 26,903 18.0% +1.0 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 50.4% of the people living in Rowan County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 49.6% North Carolina 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Rowan County
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Economy
Rowan County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Rowan County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $65,782 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.03% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.3% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Rowan County is about 9% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Rowan County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $250,144 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,013 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 72.3% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Rowan County is about 20.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,013 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Rowan County spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 185 hours, about 7.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Rowan County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.2 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.3 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 185 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,724 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.4% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 11,767 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,856 | 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 Rowan County is about the same as 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
Rowan County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Rowan County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 19.1% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.48 | 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
Rowan County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Rowan County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.0 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.3% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.0% | 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).
Rowan County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Rowan County, NC is typical in size for this group, 149,851 residents against a local median of 173,005, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Rowan County, NC an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is median household income, 12% below the local median at $65,782 against $75,112. Rowan County, NC has the 4th highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rowan County, NC | 149,851 | $65,782 #4/6 | $250,144 #3/6 | 22.2 min #3/6 |
| Cabarrus County, NC | 236,149 | $88,863 | $227,299 | 25.8 min |
| Davie County, NC | 44,122 | $75,112 | $352,469 | 25.1 min |
| Davidson County, NC | 173,005 | $65,085 | $113,557 | 21.5 min |
| Iredell County, NC | 196,543 | $81,685 | $210,260 | 21.1 min |
| Stanly County, NC | 64,639 | $60,751 | $296,127 | 22.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Rowan County, North Carolina.
How many people live in Rowan County, North Carolina?
About 149,851 people live in Rowan County, North Carolina, in 58,883 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 40.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
How densely populated is Rowan County, North Carolina?
Averaged over its land area, Rowan County, North Carolina has 286 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.3 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Rowan County, North Carolina?
The median home costs 3.8 times the median household income ($250,144 against $65,782), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,013 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Rowan County, North Carolina have a college degree?
19.1% of adults in Rowan County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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