Rutherford County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Rutherford 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 average
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 75% of counties in North Carolina
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Rutherford County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 64,922 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 114.5 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.32% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.5 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 26,639 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Rutherford County grew by 2.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 64,922 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Rutherford County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 22.4% of residents. That is 5.4 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 11,783 18.1% -3.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 11,872 18.3% -3.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 14,306 22.0% +1.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 14,514 22.4% +5.4 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 51.7% of the people living in Rutherford County and men 48.3%.
- Women 51.7% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 48.3% North Carolina 48.9%
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100% of everyone living in Rutherford County
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Economy
Rutherford County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Rutherford County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,879 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.66% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.3% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Rutherford County is about 28% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Rutherford County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $290,943 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $783 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 73.9% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Rutherford County is about 31.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $783 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Rutherford County spend about 43 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 181 hours, about 7.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Rutherford County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.7 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 43.4 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 181 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,611 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.6% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,078 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 834 | 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 Rutherford 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
Rutherford County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Rutherford County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 18.6% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.39 | 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
Rutherford County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Rutherford County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.9 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.3% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.7% | 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).
Rutherford County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Rutherford County, NC is typical in size for this group, 64,922 residents against a local median of 72,167, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. The measure that sets Rutherford County, NC apart most is median home price: $290,943, 89% above the local median of $153,833.
The counties themselves spread $349,105 on median home price, so Rutherford County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Rutherford County, NC has the 2nd highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutherford County, NC | 64,922 | $51,879 #4/5 | $290,943 #2/5 | 21.7 min #4/5 |
| McDowell County, NC | 44,809 | $57,967 | $202,989 | 22.0 min |
| Cleveland County, NC | 100,962 | $58,567 | $104,677 | 21.3 min |
| Burke County, NC | 87,684 | $59,001 | $79,920 | 18.7 min |
| Cherokee County, SC | 56,649 | $50,370 | $429,025 | 21.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Rutherford County, North Carolina.
What is the population of Rutherford County, North Carolina?
About 64,922 people live in Rutherford County, North Carolina, in 26,639 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 45.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.
How densely populated is Rutherford County, North Carolina?
Averaged over its land area, Rutherford County, North Carolina has 115 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Rutherford County, North Carolina?
The median home costs 5.6 times the median household income ($290,943 against $51,879), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $783 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 Rutherford County, North Carolina have a college degree?
18.6% of adults in Rutherford 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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