Winston-Salem, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Winston-Salem, 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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D
Income Well below average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Winston-Salem | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 229,920 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1704.4 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.50% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.6 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 94,495 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Winston-Salem grew by 11.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 229,920 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Winston-Salem is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 25.0% of residents. That is 3.2 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 57,567 25.0% +3.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 48,324 21.0% -0.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 44,033 19.2% -1.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 34,704 15.1% -1.9 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 53.0% of the people living in Winston-Salem and men 47.0%.
- Women 53.0% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 47.0% North Carolina 48.9%
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Economy
Winston-Salem has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Winston-Salem | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,156 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.82% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.8% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Winston-Salem is about 20% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Winston-Salem | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $159,187 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,077 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 54.4% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Winston-Salem is about 12.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,077 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Winston-Salem spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 149 hours, about 6.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Winston-Salem | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.9 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 35.7 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 149 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,612 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.9% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 11,151 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,345 | 1,609 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Winston-Salem is 18 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
Winston-Salem has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Winston-Salem | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31.7% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.33 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Health
Winston-Salem has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Winston-Salem | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.1 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.1% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.7% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
How big is Winston-Salem, North Carolina by population?
About 229,920 people live in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 94,495 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 36.6, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Winston-Salem, North Carolina mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Winston-Salem, North Carolina has 1,704 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 20 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Winston-Salem, North Carolina an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.7 times the median household income ($159,187 against $58,156), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,077 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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