Edgecombe County, NC

County

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2024 Population

48,736

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Poverty Rate

21.7%

0.673% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$51,265

5.74% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$125,100

7.11% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

20,667

0.184% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Edgecombe County, NC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

97.8% of the residents in Edgecombe County, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Edgecombe County, NC are Edgecombe Community College (435 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Edgecombe County, NC was $125,100, and the homeownership rate was 60.8%.

Most people in Edgecombe County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Edgecombe County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Edgecombe County, NC borders Halifax County, NC, Martin County, NC, Nash County, NC, Pitt County, NC, and Wilson County, NC.

United States North Carolina Rocky Mount, NC

Population & Diversity

Edgecombe County, NC is home to a population of 48.7k people, from which 97.8% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.31% of Edgecombe County, NC residents were born outside of the country (1.61k people).

In 2024, there were 1.59 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (27.1k people) in Edgecombe County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 17k White (Non-Hispanic) and 1.33k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.8%

2024 Citizenship

97.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.8% of Edgecombe County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Edgecombe County, NC was 97.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Edgecombe County, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Edgecombe County, NC

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
27.1k ± 305
White (Non-Hispanic)
17k ± 81
Other (Hispanic)
1.33k ± 565

6.17%

Hispanic Population

3.01k people

6.17% of the people in Edgecombe County, NC are hispanic (3.01k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Edgecombe County, NC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
224,963 ± 11,520 people
India
83,219 ± 7,055 people
Honduras
48,247 ± 5,380 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 224,963 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 83,219 and Honduras with 48,247.

Foreign-Born Population

3.31%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.61k people

3.14%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.53k people

As of 2024, 3.31% of Edgecombe County, NC residents (1.61k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Edgecombe County, NC was 3.14%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Edgecombe County, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
987 ± 235
Gulf War (2001-)
546 ± 219
Gulf War (1990s)
279 ± 115

Edgecombe County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.81 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Edgecombe County, NC.

Economy

The economy of Edgecombe County, NC employs 20.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Edgecombe County, NC were Manufacturing (3,743 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (3,159 people), and Retail Trade (2,295 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($69,167), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($49,368), and Public Administration ($49,293).

Employment

Occupations

20.7k

2024 Value

± 1,234

0.184%

1 Year growth

± 8.43%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Edgecombe County, NC grew at a rate of 0.184%, from 20.6k employees to 20.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Edgecombe County, NC, are Production Occupations (2,522 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,439 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (1,704 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Edgecombe County, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

20.7k

2024 Value

± 1,234

0.184%

1 Year growth

± 8.43%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Edgecombe County, NC grew at a rate of 0.184%, from 20.6k employees to 20.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Edgecombe County, NC, are Manufacturing (3,743 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (3,159 people), and Retail Trade (2,295 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Edgecombe County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Edgecombe County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$43,790

Median earning men ± $2,272

$35,158

Median earning women ± $1,894

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($60,708), Public Administration ($54,653), and Manufacturing ($49,598).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($43,691), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($43,656), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($43,545).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Y-Axis

3.04%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.86M people employed in North Carolina. This represents a 3.04% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in North Carolina.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

78
Other Services (except Public Administration)
63
Retail Trade
51
Health Care and Social Assistance

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$152k
Manufacturing
$86.1k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$63k
Transportation and Warehousing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2023, universities in Edgecombe County, NC awarded 435 degrees. The student population of Edgecombe County, NC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 221 male students and 815 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Edgecombe County, NC are Black or African American (201 and 46.2%), White (178 and 40.9%), Hispanic or Latino (40 and 9.2%), and Unknown (7 and 1.61%).

The largest universities in Edgecombe County, NC by number of degrees awarded are Edgecombe Community College (435 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Edgecombe County, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (57 and 13.1%), Health Information & Medical Records Technology (38 and 8.74%), and Registered Nursing (38 and 8.74%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 1,036 students enrolled in Edgecombe County, NC, 21.3% men and 78.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Black or African American with 550 records, of which 85.5% were women and 14.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Aesthetician & Skin Care Specialist
37 degrees awarded
Welding Technology
21 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
20 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years recipients in Edgecombe County, NC was Aesthetician & Skin Care Specialist with 37 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years from schools in Edgecombe County, NC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Edgecombe Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

435 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Edgecombe Community College with 435 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 125 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Edgecombe County, NC, which is 0.403 times less than the 310 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Black or African American students. These 201 degrees mean that there were 1.13 times more degrees awarded to Black or African American students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 178 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($2,432) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($208) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($2,250) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Edgecombe County, NC was $125,100 in 2024, which is 0.376 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $116,800 to $125,100, a 7.11% increase. The homeownership rate in Edgecombe County, NC is 60.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Edgecombe County, NC have an average commute time of 22.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Edgecombe County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 17.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Edgecombe County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.23%.

Housing

Property

$125,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,109

$11,950

Median Property Taxes

±$835

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Edgecombe County, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Edgecombe County, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

60.8%

Homeownership

2024

66.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 60.8% of the housing units in Edgecombe County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 59.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Edgecombe County, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$51,265

Median Household Income

± $3,893

19.7k

Number of Households

± 1,136

In 2024, the median household income of the 19.7k households in Edgecombe County, NC grew to $51,265 from the previous year's value of $48,480.

The following chart displays the households in Edgecombe County, NC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Edgecombe County, NC is from North Carolina.

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.467 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.639% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in North Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (78.7%)
Carpooled (8.91%)
Worked At Home (8.28%)

In 2024, 78.7% of workers in Edgecombe County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.91%) and those who worked at home (8.28%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

22.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Edgecombe County, NC have a shorter commute time (22.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.27% of the workforce in Edgecombe County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Edgecombe County, NC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Edgecombe County, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Edgecombe County, NC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 17.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Edgecombe County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.23%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

21.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Edgecombe County, NC (10.4k out of 47.9k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Males 6 - 11 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Edgecombe County, NC is Black, followed by White and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 39% of the children was living in poverty in Edgecombe County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 6.7%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 481 in Edgecombe County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 125 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

89% of the population of Edgecombe County, NC has health coverage, with 33.9% on employee plans, 26.4% on Medicaid, 15.2% on Medicare, 11.7% on non-group plans, and 1.86% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Edgecombe County, NC see 2,545 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,545 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 3450 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1356 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47% were men and 53% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,545 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Edgecombe County, NC

Primary care physicians in Edgecombe County, NC see an average of 2,545 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,545 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Edgecombe County, NC in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.7% under 18 years, 18.5% between 18 and 34 years, 36.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47% were men and 53% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

11%

Uninsured

33.9%

Employer Coverage

26.4%

Medicaid

15.2%

Medicare

11.7%

Non-Group

1.86%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Edgecombe County, NC grew by 2.07% from 10.8% to 11%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Edgecombe County, NC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 114 in Edgecombe County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Edgecombe County, NC.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 40.5% in Edgecombe County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Edgecombe County, NC.

Clinical Care

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance was 11.1% in Edgecombe County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Edgecombe County, NC.

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