Sanford, NC

Census Place

2024 Population

31,478

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

34.7

0.573% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

22%

8.4% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$57,586

6.06% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$245,400

Population & Diversity

Sanford, NC is home to a population of 31.5k people, from which 88.2% are citizens.

As of 2024, 14.9% of Sanford, NC residents were born outside of the country (4.69k people).

In 2024, there were 1.81 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (13.2k people) in Sanford, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 7.27k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 3.33k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

88.2%

2024 Citizenship

88.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 88.2% of Sanford, NC residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Sanford, NC was 88.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Sanford, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
13.2k ± 760
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
7.27k ± 695
Other (Hispanic)
3.33k ± 728

30%

Hispanic Population

9.46k people

30% of the people in Sanford, NC are hispanic (9.46k people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
228,441 ± 11,609 people
India
90,815 ± 7,367 people
Honduras
52,061 ± 5,588 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 228,441 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 90,815 and Honduras with 52,061.

Foreign-Born Population

14.9%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

4.69k people

14.5%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

4.46k people

As of 2024, 14.9% of Sanford, NC residents (4.69k 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 Sanford, NC was 14.5%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
355 ± 131
Vietnam
304 ± 221
Gulf War (1990s)
207 ± 119

Sanford, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.17 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Sanford, NC employs 13.8k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Sanford, NC were Manufacturing (2,856 people), Accommodation & Food Services (1,424 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,421 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($77,721), Information ($70,389), and Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation ($67,717).

Employment

Occupations

13.8k

2024 Value

± 1,040

−0.934%

1 Year decline

± 10.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Sanford, NC declined at a rate of −0.934%, from 13.9k employees to 13.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Sanford, NC, are Production Occupations (2,317 people), Sales & Related Occupations (1,295 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,283 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Sanford, 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

13.8k

2024 Value

± 1,040

−0.934%

1 Year decline

± 10.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Sanford, NC declined at a rate of −0.934%, from 13.9k employees to 13.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Sanford, NC, are Manufacturing (2,856 people), Accommodation & Food Services (1,424 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,421 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Sanford, NC, though some of these residents may live in Sanford, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$41,313

Median earning men ± $1,832

$33,508

Median earning women ± $2,862

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($72,935), Information ($71,250), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($70,333).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($44,024), Public Administration ($42,895), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($40,536).

Education

The student population of Sanford, NC in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 2,240 male students and 3,642 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Sanford, NC are White (630 and 50.1%), Hispanic or Latino (287 and 22.8%), Black or African American (224 and 17.8%), and Unknown (51 and 4.06%).

The largest universities in Sanford, NC by number of degrees awarded are Central Carolina Community College (1,257 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Sanford, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (277 and 22%), General Business Administration & Management (81 and 6.44%), and Welding Technology (71 and 5.65%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 5,882 students enrolled in Sanford, NC, 38.1% men and 61.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,943 records, of which 60% were women and 40% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
277 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
46 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
40 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Sanford, NC was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 277 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Central Carolina Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

1,257 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Central Carolina Community College with 1,257 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 524 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Sanford, NC, which is 0.715 times less than the 733 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 630 degrees mean that there were 2.2 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 287 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 2024.

Public, 2-year ($279) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,460) 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 Sanford, NC was $245,400 in 2024, which is 0.738 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $222,000 to $245,400, a 10.5% increase. The homeownership rate in Sanford, NC is 53.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Sanford, NC have an average commute time of 23.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Sanford, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$245,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$17,162

$6,052

Median Property Taxes

±$634

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 Sanford, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

53.3%

Homeownership

2024

65%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 53.3% of the housing units in Sanford, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 52%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Sanford, 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.

$57,586

Median Household Income

± $5,084

11.4k

Number of Households

± 891

In 2024, the median household income of the 11.4k households in Sanford, NC grew to $57,586 from the previous year's value of $54,294.

The following chart displays the households in Sanford, 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 Sanford, NC is from North Carolina.

0.466

2024 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2024, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.466 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.16% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 (77.4%)
Carpooled (12.5%)
Worked At Home (8.08%)

In 2024, 77.4% of workers in Sanford, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (12.5%) and those who worked at home (8.08%).

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

23.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Sanford, NC have a shorter commute time (23.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.941% of the workforce in Sanford, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

22% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Sanford, NC (6.77k out of 30.8k 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 Females 6 - 11 and then Females 25 - 34.

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

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

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

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

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