Wayne County, NC

County

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2024 Population

118,652

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

37.3

0.267% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

17.3%

2.5% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$59,733

2.84% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$178,700

9.83% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

51,120

2.44% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Wayne 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.

94.2% of the residents in Wayne County, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Wayne County, NC are Wayne Community College (1,230 degrees awarded in 2023) and University of Mount Olive (614 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Wayne County, NC was $178,700, and the homeownership rate was 61.5%.

Most people in Wayne County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Wayne County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Wayne County, NC borders Duplin County, NC, Greene County, NC, Johnston County, NC, Lenoir County, NC, Sampson County, NC, and Wilson County, NC.

United States North Carolina Goldsboro, NC

Population & Diversity

Wayne County, NC is home to a population of 119k people, from which 94.2% are citizens. As of 2024, 7.84% of Wayne County, NC residents were born outside of the country (9.31k people).

In 2024, there were 1.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (59.5k people) in Wayne County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 35.1k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 11.3k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

94.2%

2024 Citizenship

95.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 94.2% of Wayne County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Wayne County, NC was 95.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Wayne County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
59.5k ± 517
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
35.1k ± 854
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
11.3k ± 783

13.7%

Hispanic Population

16.3k people

13.7% of the people in Wayne County, NC are hispanic (16.3k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Wayne 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

7.84%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

9.31k people

6.87%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

8.08k people

As of 2024, 7.84% of Wayne County, NC residents (9.31k 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 Wayne County, NC was 6.87%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
3,503 ± 558
Gulf War (1990s)
2,744 ± 519
Vietnam
1,972 ± 343

Wayne County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.28 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Wayne County, NC employs 51.1k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Wayne County, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (7,099 people), Manufacturing (6,981 people), and Retail Trade (6,579 people), and the highest paying industries were Wholesale Trade ($56,736), Public Administration ($53,756), and Utilities ($52,299).

Employment

Occupations

51.1k

2024 Value

± 2,035

2.44%

1 Year growth

± 5.47%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Wayne County, NC grew at a rate of 2.44%, from 49.9k employees to 51.1k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Wayne County, NC, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (5,403 people), Production Occupations (4,797 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (4,622 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Wayne 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

51.1k

2024 Value

± 2,035

2.44%

1 Year growth

± 5.47%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Wayne County, NC grew at a rate of 2.44%, from 49.9k employees to 51.1k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Wayne County, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (7,099 people), Manufacturing (6,981 people), and Retail Trade (6,579 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Wayne County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Wayne County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$45,256

Median earning men ± $2,739

$32,865

Median earning women ± $1,870

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($76,125), Public Administration ($58,248), and Wholesale Trade ($58,056).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($49,004), Wholesale Trade ($47,986), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($42,395).

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

195
Retail Trade
194
Other Services (except Public Administration)
137
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

$323k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$273k
Manufacturing
$175k
Retail Trade

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

Education

In 2023, universities in Wayne County, NC awarded 1,844 degrees. The student population of Wayne County, NC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 1,754 male students and 3,257 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Wayne County, NC are White (1,059 and 58.2%), Black or African American (384 and 21.1%), Hispanic or Latino (268 and 14.7%), and Two or More Races (55 and 3.02%).

The largest universities in Wayne County, NC by number of degrees awarded are Wayne Community College (1,230 and 66.7%) and University of Mount Olive (614 and 33.3%).

The most popular majors in Wayne County, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (263 and 14.3%), General Business Administration & Management (217 and 11.8%), and Early Childhood Education & Teaching (98 and 5.31%).

The median tuition cost in Wayne County, NC for private four year colleges is $24,850.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Wayne County, NC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 77.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 20.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 5,011 (35% men and 65% 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 5,011 students enrolled in Wayne County, NC, 35% men and 65% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,609 records, of which 65.1% were women and 34.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
263 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
38 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
30 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Wayne County, NC was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 263 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Wayne Community College
1,230 degrees awarded
University of Mount Olive
614 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Wayne Community College with 1,230 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 762 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Wayne County, NC, which is 0.704 times less than the 1,082 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 1,059 degrees mean that there were 2.76 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 384 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 ($24,850) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,100) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,600) 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 Wayne County, NC was $178,700 in 2024, which is 0.537 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $162,700 to $178,700, a 9.83% increase. The homeownership rate in Wayne County, NC is 61.5%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Wayne County, NC have an average commute time of 22.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Wayne County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 15.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Wayne County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.873%.

Housing

Property

$178,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$9,173

$29,195

Median Property Taxes

±$1,413

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

Rent vs Own

61.5%

Homeownership

2024

68.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 61.5% of the housing units in Wayne County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 61.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Wayne 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.

$59,733

Median Household Income

± $2,739

47.5k

Number of Households

± 1,822

In 2024, the median household income of the 47.5k households in Wayne County, NC grew to $59,733 from the previous year's value of $58,082.

The following chart displays the households in Wayne 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 Wayne 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 (81.3%)
Carpooled (11.3%)
Worked At Home (5.38%)

In 2024, 81.3% of workers in Wayne County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.3%) and those who worked at home (5.38%).

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

22.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Wayne County, NC have a shorter commute time (22.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.37% of the workforce in Wayne County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 15.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Wayne County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.873%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

17.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Wayne County, NC (20.1k out of 116k 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 Females 6 - 11 and then Males 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Wayne County, NC is Black, followed by White and Two Or More.

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, 22.2% of the children was living in poverty in Wayne County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 12.9%.

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 407 in Wayne County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 56.2 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

87.9% of the population of Wayne County, NC has health coverage, with 31.8% on employee plans, 23.6% on Medicaid, 10.7% on Medicare, 16.3% on non-group plans, and 5.42% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Wayne County, NC see 1,947 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,947 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1676 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 354 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.5% were men and 51.5% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,947 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Wayne County, NC

Primary care physicians in Wayne County, NC see an average of 1,947 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,947 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.9% under 18 years, 20.4% between 18 and 34 years, 36.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.5% were men and 51.5% were women.

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

Uninsured People

12.1%

Uninsured

31.8%

Employer Coverage

23.6%

Medicaid

10.7%

Medicare

16.3%

Non-Group

5.42%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Wayne County, NC declined by 0.368% from 12.1% to 12.1%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Wayne 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 84.1 in Wayne County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Wayne 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 39.1% in Wayne County, NC.

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