Harnett County, NC

County

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2024 Population

139,150

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

35.6

0.565% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

13.7%

5.44% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$71,287

3.3% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$246,200

11.6% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

56,865

3.05% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Harnett 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.

96.3% of the residents in Harnett County, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Harnett County, NC are Campbell University (1,483 degrees awarded in 2023) and Heritage Bible College (9 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Harnett County, NC was $246,200, and the homeownership rate was 71%.

Most people in Harnett County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 32.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Harnett County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Harnett County, NC borders Chatham County, NC, Cumberland County, NC, Johnston County, NC, Lee County, NC, Moore County, NC, Sampson County, NC, and Wake County, NC.

United States North Carolina Dunn, NC

Population & Diversity

Harnett County, NC is home to a population of 139k people, from which 96.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 6.51% of Harnett County, NC residents were born outside of the country (9.06k people).

In 2024, there were 2.94 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (81k people) in Harnett County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 27.6k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 7.84k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.3%

2024 Citizenship

96.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.3% of Harnett County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Harnett County, NC was 96.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Harnett County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
81k ± 331
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
27.6k ± 813
Other (Hispanic)
7.84k ± 1.16k

15.1%

Hispanic Population

21k people

15.1% of the people in Harnett County, NC are hispanic (21k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Harnett 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

6.51%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

9.06k people

6.26%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

8.55k people

As of 2024, 6.51% of Harnett County, NC residents (9.06k 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 Harnett County, NC was 6.26%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
5,605 ± 577
Gulf War (1990s)
2,103 ± 353
Vietnam
2,006 ± 309

Harnett County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 2.67 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Harnett County, NC employs 56.9k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Harnett County, NC were Retail Trade (7,126 people), Manufacturing (6,718 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (6,604 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($110,991), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($77,233), and Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($64,625).

Employment

Occupations

56.9k

2024 Value

± 1,908

3.05%

1 Year growth

± 4.61%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Harnett County, NC grew at a rate of 3.05%, from 55.2k employees to 56.9k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Harnett County, NC, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (6,197 people), Management Occupations (5,359 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (5,039 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Harnett 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

56.9k

2024 Value

± 1,908

3.05%

1 Year growth

± 4.61%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Harnett County, NC grew at a rate of 3.05%, from 55.2k employees to 56.9k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Harnett County, NC, are Retail Trade (7,126 people), Manufacturing (6,718 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (6,604 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Harnett County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Harnett County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,073

Median earning men ± $1,550

$37,711

Median earning women ± $1,589

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($74,844), Public Administration ($64,348), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($61,760).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($57,841), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($47,164), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($43,954).

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

229
Construction
151
Other Services (except Public Administration)
132
Retail Trade

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

$164k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$113k
Retail Trade
$104k
Manufacturing

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

Education

In 2023, universities in Harnett County, NC awarded 1,492 degrees. The student population of Harnett County, NC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 2,254 male students and 2,894 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Harnett County, NC are White (955 and 66%), Black or African American (201 and 13.9%), Hispanic or Latino (116 and 8.02%), and Asian (67 and 4.63%).

The largest universities in Harnett County, NC by number of degrees awarded are Campbell University (1,483 and 99.4%) and Heritage Bible College (9 and 0.603%).

The most popular majors in Harnett County, NC are Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy (156 and 10.5%), Law (145 and 9.72%), and General Business Administration & Management (138 and 9.25%).

The median tuition cost in Harnett County, NC for private four year colleges is $22,835.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Harnett County, NC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 94.3%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 17.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 5,148 (43.8% men and 56.2% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 5,148 students enrolled in Harnett County, NC, 43.8% men and 56.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 3,149 records, of which 55.7% were women and 44.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
58 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
47 degrees awarded
Kinesiology & Exercise Science
68 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Harnett County, NC was General Business Administration & Management with 58 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Harnett County, NC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Campbell University
1,483 degrees awarded
Heritage Bible College
9 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Campbell University with 1,483 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 654 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Harnett County, NC, which is 0.78 times less than the 838 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 955 degrees mean that there were 4.75 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 201 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

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($22,835) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,714) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($950) 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 Harnett County, NC was $246,200 in 2024, which is 0.74 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $220,700 to $246,200, a 11.6% increase. The homeownership rate in Harnett County, NC is 71%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Harnett County, NC have an average commute time of 32.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Harnett County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 13.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Harnett County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.31%.

Housing

Property

$246,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,140

$35,404

Median Property Taxes

±$1,350

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 Harnett 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 Harnett County, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

71%

Homeownership

2024

67.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 71% of the housing units in Harnett County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 69.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Harnett 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.

$71,287

Median Household Income

± $2,853

49.8k

Number of Households

± 1,707

In 2024, the median household income of the 49.8k households in Harnett County, NC grew to $71,287 from the previous year's value of $69,012.

The following chart displays the households in Harnett 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Harnett 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 (78.9%)
Carpooled (9.92%)
Worked At Home (8.78%)

In 2024, 78.9% of workers in Harnett County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.92%) and those who worked at home (8.78%).

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

32.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Harnett County, NC have a longer commute time (32.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.33% of the workforce in Harnett County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Harnett 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 Harnett County, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Harnett County, NC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 13.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Harnett County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.31%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

13.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Harnett County, NC (18.7k out of 136k 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 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Harnett County, NC is White, followed by Black 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, 18.3% of the children was living in poverty in Harnett County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 8%.

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 243 in Harnett County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 64.7 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

90.3% of the population of Harnett County, NC has health coverage, with 36.2% on employee plans, 16.9% on Medicaid, 9.01% on Medicare, 16.9% on non-group plans, and 11.2% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Harnett County, NC see 3,675 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (3,675 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1955 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 901 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.1% were men and 51.9% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

3,675 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Harnett County, NC

Primary care physicians in Harnett County, NC see an average of 3,675 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (3,675 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 27.7% under 18 years, 21.4% between 18 and 34 years, 37% between 35 and 64 years, and 13.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.1% were men and 51.9% were women.

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

Uninsured People

9.71%

Uninsured

36.2%

Employer Coverage

16.9%

Medicaid

9.01%

Medicare

16.9%

Non-Group

11.2%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Harnett County, NC declined by 9.07% from 10.7% to 9.71%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Harnett 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 52.6 in Harnett County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Harnett 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 39.4% in Harnett County, NC.

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