Wilson County, NC

County

Add Comparison

2024 Population

79,290

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

40.6

0.246% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

19.8%

5.75% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$56,423

9.81% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$186,000

8.27% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

34,315

2.46% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Wilson 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 Wilson County, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Wilson County, NC are Wilson Community College (438 degrees awarded in 2023) and Barton College (304 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Wilson County, NC was $186,000, and the homeownership rate was 60%.

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

Wilson County, NC borders Edgecombe County, NC, Greene County, NC, Johnston County, NC, Nash County, NC, Pitt County, NC, and Wayne County, NC.

United States North Carolina Wilson, NC

Population & Diversity

Wilson County, NC is home to a population of 79.3k people, from which 96.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 6.09% of Wilson County, NC residents were born outside of the country (4.83k people).

In 2024, there were 1.15 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (35.1k people) in Wilson County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 30.6k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 6.35k 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 Wilson County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Wilson County, NC was 96.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Wilson County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
35.1k ± 429
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
30.6k ± 393
Other (Hispanic)
6.35k ± 715

12.4%

Hispanic Population

9.83k people

12.4% of the people in Wilson County, NC are hispanic (9.83k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Wilson 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

6.09%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

4.83k people

5.96%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

4.68k people

As of 2024, 6.09% of Wilson County, NC residents (4.83k 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 Wilson County, NC was 5.96%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,262 ± 272
Gulf War (2001-)
952 ± 305
Gulf War (1990s)
543 ± 200

Wilson County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.33 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Wilson County, NC employs 34.3k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Wilson County, NC were Manufacturing (5,777 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (5,097 people), and Retail Trade (3,973 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($60,940), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($58,229), and Public Administration ($56,964).

Employment

Occupations

34.3k

2024 Value

± 1,537

2.46%

1 Year growth

± 6.34%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Wilson County, NC grew at a rate of 2.46%, from 33.5k employees to 34.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Wilson County, NC, are Management Occupations (3,780 people), Production Occupations (3,595 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,559 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Wilson 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

34.3k

2024 Value

± 1,537

2.46%

1 Year growth

± 6.34%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Wilson County, NC grew at a rate of 2.46%, from 33.5k employees to 34.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Wilson County, NC, are Manufacturing (5,777 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (5,097 people), and Retail Trade (3,973 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Wilson County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Wilson County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,153

Median earning men ± $1,960

$35,544

Median earning women ± $1,628

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($130,982), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($62,530), and Public Administration ($62,327).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($68,231), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($50,248), and Public Administration ($49,601).

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
Retail Trade
129
Other Services (except Public Administration)
108
Construction

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

$539k
Manufacturing
$230k
Finance and Insurance
$180k
Health Care and Social Assistance

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

Education

In 2023, universities in Wilson County, NC awarded 742 degrees. The student population of Wilson County, NC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 1,188 male students and 1,822 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Wilson County, NC are White (346 and 47.6%), Black or African American (206 and 28.3%), Hispanic or Latino (120 and 16.5%), and Two or More Races (22 and 3.03%).

The largest universities in Wilson County, NC by number of degrees awarded are Wilson Community College (438 and 59%) and Barton College (304 and 41%).

The most popular majors in Wilson County, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (123 and 16.6%), General Business Administration & Management (87 and 11.7%), and Registered Nursing (80 and 10.8%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $35,600.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Wilson County, NC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 95.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 13.2%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 3,010 (39.5% men and 60.5% 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 3,010 students enrolled in Wilson County, NC, 39.5% men and 60.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,377 records, of which 56.8% were women and 43.2% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
45 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
33 degrees awarded
Sport & Fitness Management
31 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Wilson County, NC was General Business Administration & Management with 45 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Wilson Community College
438 degrees awarded
Barton College
304 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Wilson Community College with 438 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 270 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Wilson County, NC, which is 0.572 times less than the 472 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 346 degrees mean that there were 1.68 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 206 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 ($35,600) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($140) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($2,500) 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 Wilson County, NC was $186,000 in 2024, which is 0.559 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $171,800 to $186,000, a 8.27% increase. The homeownership rate in Wilson County, NC is 60%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

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

In 2025, 15.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Wilson County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.86%.

Housing

Property

$186,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,936

$19,856

Median Property Taxes

±$1,002

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

Rent vs Own

60%

Homeownership

2024

62.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 60% of the housing units in Wilson County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 59.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Wilson 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.

$56,423

Median Household Income

± $3,380

33.1k

Number of Households

± 1,463

In 2024, the median household income of the 33.1k households in Wilson County, NC grew to $56,423 from the previous year's value of $51,381.

The following chart displays the households in Wilson 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 Wilson 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 (79.5%)
Carpooled (9.89%)
Worked At Home (7.69%)

In 2024, 79.5% of workers in Wilson County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.89%) and those who worked at home (7.69%).

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 Wilson County, NC have a shorter commute time (22.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.2% of the workforce in Wilson County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 15.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Wilson County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.86%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

19.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Wilson County, NC (15.4k out of 78k 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 35 - 44, followed by Males 6 - 11 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Wilson 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, 27% of the children was living in poverty in Wilson County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 9.7%.

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 403 in Wilson County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 19.6 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

87.8% of the population of Wilson County, NC has health coverage, with 38.2% on employee plans, 21.1% on Medicaid, 13.5% on Medicare, 13.9% on non-group plans, and 1.16% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Wilson County, NC see 2,528 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,528 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2241 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 456 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.5% were men and 52.5% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,528 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Wilson County, NC

Primary care physicians in Wilson County, NC see an average of 2,528 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,528 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.3% under 18 years, 19.6% between 18 and 34 years, 37.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.5% were men and 52.5% were women.

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

Uninsured People

12.2%

Uninsured

38.2%

Employer Coverage

21.1%

Medicaid

13.5%

Medicare

13.9%

Non-Group

1.16%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Wilson County, NC declined by 4.49% from 12.8% to 12.2%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Wilson 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 70.4 in Wilson County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Wilson 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 39.2% in Wilson County, NC.

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