Stanly County, NC

County

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2024 Population

64,651

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

40.5

0.246% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

15.2%

7% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$60,704

1.5% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$242,400

13.1% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

29,225

2.84% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Stanly 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.

97.6% of the residents in Stanly County, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Stanly County, NC are Stanly Community College (832 degrees awarded in 2023) and Pfeiffer University (339 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Stanly County, NC was $242,400, and the homeownership rate was 74.5%.

Most people in Stanly County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 28.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Stanly County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Stanly County, NC borders Anson County, NC, Cabarrus County, NC, Davidson County, NC, Montgomery County, NC, Richmond County, NC, Rowan County, NC, and Union County, NC.

United States North Carolina Albemarle, NC

Population & Diversity

Stanly County, NC is home to a population of 64.7k people, from which 97.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.38% of Stanly County, NC residents were born outside of the country (2.83k people).

In 2024, there were 6.94 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (50.4k people) in Stanly County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 7.26k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.98k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.6%

2024 Citizenship

97.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.6% of Stanly County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Stanly County, NC was 97.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Stanly County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
50.4k ± 321
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
7.26k ± 296
Other (Hispanic)
1.98k ± 393

5.7%

Hispanic Population

3.69k people

5.7% of the people in Stanly County, NC are hispanic (3.69k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Stanly 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

4.38%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

2.83k people

4.27%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

2.71k people

As of 2024, 4.38% of Stanly County, NC residents (2.83k 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 Stanly County, NC was 4.27%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,089 ± 207
Gulf War (2001-)
860 ± 337
Gulf War (1990s)
442 ± 190

Stanly County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.27 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Stanly County, NC employs 29.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Stanly County, NC were Manufacturing (4,730 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (4,179 people), and Retail Trade (3,385 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($81,088), Wholesale Trade ($62,443), and Public Administration ($58,498).

Employment

Occupations

29.2k

2024 Value

± 1,275

2.84%

1 Year growth

± 5.97%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Stanly County, NC grew at a rate of 2.84%, from 28.4k employees to 29.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Stanly County, NC, are Management Occupations (3,326 people), Sales & Related Occupations (2,878 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,806 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Stanly 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

29.2k

2024 Value

± 1,275

2.84%

1 Year growth

± 5.97%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Stanly County, NC grew at a rate of 2.84%, from 28.4k employees to 29.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Stanly County, NC, are Manufacturing (4,730 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (4,179 people), and Retail Trade (3,385 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Stanly County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Stanly County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,035

Median earning men ± $2,926

$36,990

Median earning women ± $1,300

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($76,176), Wholesale Trade ($70,729), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($63,953).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($59,607), Public Administration ($52,415), and Wholesale Trade ($51,948).

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

139
Construction
129
Other Services (except Public Administration)
112
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

$207k
Manufacturing
$155k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$89.2k
Construction

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

Education

In 2023, universities in Stanly County, NC awarded 1,171 degrees. The student population of Stanly County, NC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 1,162 male students and 2,319 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Stanly County, NC are White (753 and 64.7%), Black or African American (219 and 18.8%), Hispanic or Latino (73 and 6.27%), and Unknown (52 and 4.47%).

The largest universities in Stanly County, NC by number of degrees awarded are Stanly Community College (832 and 71.1%) and Pfeiffer University (339 and 28.9%).

The most popular majors in Stanly County, NC are General Business Administration & Management (245 and 20.9%), Liberal Arts & Sciences (139 and 11.9%), and Accounting & Finance (62 and 5.29%).

The median tuition cost in Stanly County, NC for private four year colleges is $32,580.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Stanly County, NC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 95.3%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 12.5%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 3,481 (33.4% men and 66.6% 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 3,481 students enrolled in Stanly County, NC, 33.4% men and 66.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,221 records, of which 67.2% were women and 32.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
154 degrees awarded
General Educational Leadership & Administration
40 degrees awarded
Kindergarten & Preschool Education
39 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years recipients in Stanly County, NC was General Business Administration & Management with 154 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 Stanly County, NC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Stanly Community College
832 degrees awarded
Pfeiffer University
339 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Stanly Community College with 832 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 307 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Stanly County, NC, which is 0.355 times less than the 864 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 753 degrees mean that there were 3.44 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 219 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 ($32,580) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,350) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,364) 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 Stanly County, NC was $242,400 in 2024, which is 0.729 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $214,300 to $242,400, a 13.1% increase. The homeownership rate in Stanly County, NC is 74.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Stanly County, NC have an average commute time of 28.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Stanly County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 13.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Stanly County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.49%.

Housing

Property

$242,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,205

$18,792

Median Property Taxes

±$973

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

Rent vs Own

74.5%

Homeownership

2024

64.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 74.5% of the housing units in Stanly County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 73.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Stanly 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.

$60,704

Median Household Income

± $3,835

25.2k

Number of Households

± 1,194

In 2024, the median household income of the 25.2k households in Stanly County, NC declined from $60,704 from the previous year's value of $61,631.

The following chart displays the households in Stanly 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 Stanly 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 (78.2%)
Carpooled (10.4%)
Worked At Home (9.82%)

In 2024, 78.2% of workers in Stanly County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.4%) and those who worked at home (9.82%).

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

28.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Stanly County, NC have a longer commute time (28.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.59% of the workforce in Stanly County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 13.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Stanly County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.49%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

15.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Stanly County, NC (9.55k out of 62.7k 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 55 - 64, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Stanly 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, 14.5% of the children was living in poverty in Stanly County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 10.9%.

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 266 in Stanly County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 37.5 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

91% of the population of Stanly County, NC has health coverage, with 42.9% on employee plans, 17.7% on Medicaid, 15.2% on Medicare, 13.8% on non-group plans, and 1.35% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Stanly County, NC see 2,643 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,643 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2673 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 453 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.5% were men and 50.5% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,643 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Stanly County, NC

Primary care physicians in Stanly County, NC see an average of 2,643 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,643 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23% under 18 years, 20.3% between 18 and 34 years, 37.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.5% were men and 50.5% were women.

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

Uninsured People

8.99%

Uninsured

42.9%

Employer Coverage

17.7%

Medicaid

15.2%

Medicare

13.8%

Non-Group

1.35%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Stanly County, NC declined by 14.3% from 10.5% to 8.99%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Stanly 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 52.9 in Stanly County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Stanly 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 34.3% in Stanly County, NC.

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