Stokes County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Stokes 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
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C
Income Below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 85% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Stokes County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 45,181 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 99.1 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.35% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.2 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 19,564 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Stokes County declined by 1.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 45,181 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Stokes County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 24.2% of residents. That is 3.6 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 8,089 17.9% -4.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 8,038 17.8% -3.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 10,926 24.2% +3.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 9,891 21.9% +4.9 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 51.6% of the people living in Stokes County and men 48.4%.
- Women 51.6% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 48.4% North Carolina 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Stokes County
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Economy
Stokes County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Stokes County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,303 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.10% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.1% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Stokes County is about 13% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Stokes County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $164,358 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $774 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.2% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Stokes County is about 17.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $774 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Stokes County spend about 61 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 253 hours, about 10.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Stokes County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.4 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 60.8 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 253 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,856 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.7% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,665 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,049 | 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 Stokes County is 30 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
Stokes County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Stokes County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.3% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.28 | 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
Stokes County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Stokes County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.2 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.7% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.6% | 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).
Stokes County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Stokes County, NC is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 45,181 residents against a local median of 81,744. The measure that sets Stokes County, NC apart most is commute: 30.4 min, 46% above the local median of 20.9 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $164,358 against a local median of $119,635, 37% above it. The counties themselves spread 6.1 min on commute, so Stokes County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Stokes County, NC has the 5th lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stokes County, NC | 45,181 | $63,303 #2/5 | $164,358 #3/5 | 30.4 min #5/5 |
| Forsyth County, NC | 389,752 | $67,537 | $170,209 | 20.0 min |
| Surry County, NC | 71,374 | $55,025 | $207,242 | 18.9 min |
| Henry County, VA | 49,976 | $50,747 | $69,062 | 21.7 min |
| Rockingham County, NC | 92,115 | $56,850 | $56,011 | 25.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Stokes County, North Carolina.
What is the population of Stokes County, North Carolina?
About 45,181 people live in Stokes County, North Carolina, in 19,564 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 45.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.
Is Stokes County, North Carolina urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Stokes County, North Carolina has 99 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Stokes County, North Carolina an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($164,358 against $63,303), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $774 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Stokes County, North Carolina?
Unemployment in Stokes County, North Carolina is only 3.1%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Stokes County, North Carolina?
15.3% of adults in Stokes 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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