Warren County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Warren 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 averageLess healthy than 91% of counties in North Carolina
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 86% of counties in North Carolina
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 81% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Warren County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 18,783 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 42.2 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.98% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 48.4 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,142 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Warren County declined by 4.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 18,783 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Warren County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 24.6% of residents. That is 7.6 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,460 18.4% -3.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,156 16.8% -4.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,039 21.5% +1.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,628 24.6% +7.6 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 49.8% of the people living in Warren County and men 50.2%.
- Women 49.8% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 50.2% North Carolina 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Warren County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Warren County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Warren County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,454 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.97% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.2% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Warren County is about 30% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Warren County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $281,001 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $789 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 69.3% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Warren County is about 29.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $789 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Warren County spend about 52 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 217 hours, about 9.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Warren County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 26.0 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 52.0 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 217 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,718 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.0% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,082 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 520 | 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 Warren County is 26 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
Warren County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Warren County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.3% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.21 | 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
Warren County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Warren County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.1 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.9% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.1% | 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).
Warren County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Warren County, NC is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 18,783 residents against a local median of 58,363. The measure that sets Warren County, NC apart most is median home price: $281,001, 77% above the local median of $158,716.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 26.0 min against a local median of 20.9 min, 25% above it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Warren County, NC reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The counties themselves spread $268,306 on median home price, so Warren County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Warren County, NC has the 2nd highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren County, NC | 18,783 | $50,454 #4/5 | $281,001 #2/5 | 26.0 min #4/5 |
| Vance County, NC | 42,305 | $50,361 | $134,971 | 20.3 min |
| Franklin County, NC | 74,421 | $74,339 | $292,591 | 32.3 min |
| Mecklenburg County, VA | 30,516 | $56,858 | $24,285 | 21.2 min |
| Nash County, NC | 96,212 | $64,380 | $182,462 | 20.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Warren County, North Carolina.
How many people live in Warren County, North Carolina?
About 18,783 people live in Warren County, North Carolina, in 8,142 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 48.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.
How densely populated is Warren County, North Carolina?
Averaged over its land area, Warren County, North Carolina has 42 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 49% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Warren County, North Carolina?
The median home costs 5.6 times the median household income ($281,001 against $50,454), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $789 a month takes about 19% 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 Warren County, North Carolina?
Unemployment in Warren County, North Carolina is 7.2%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Warren County, North Carolina?
16.3% of adults in Warren County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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