Bessemer City, NC

Census Place

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2023 Population

5,508

0.658% 1-year growth

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

34.3

10.9% 1-year decrease

2023 Poverty Rate

16.3%

14.8% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$48,784

9.77% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$173,000

24.4% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

2,505

6.84% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Bessemer City, NC had a population of 5.51k people with a median age of 34.3 and a median household income of $48,784. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Bessemer City, NC grew from 5,472 to 5,508, a 0.658% increase and its median household income grew from $44,440 to $48,784, a 9.77% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Bessemer City, NC are White (Non-Hispanic) (78.7%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (11%), White (Hispanic) (4.18%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (2.83%), and Two+ (Hispanic) (1.63%).

None of the households in Bessemer City, 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.

97.5% of the residents in Bessemer City, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Bessemer City, NC was $173,000, and the homeownership rate was 55.9%.

Most people in Bessemer City, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Bessemer City, NC was 2 cars per household.

United States North Carolina Gaston County, NC Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Gaston County (Northwest)--Mount Holly City PUMA, NC Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC

Population & Diversity

Bessemer City, NC is home to a population of 5.51k people, from which 97.5% are citizens. As of 2023, 3.89% of Bessemer City, NC residents were born outside of the country (214 people).

In 2023, there were 7.17 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.34k people) in Bessemer City, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 605 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 230 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.5%

2023 Citizenship

99.5%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 97.5% of Bessemer City, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Bessemer City, NC was 99.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Bessemer City, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
4.34k ± 375
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
605 ± 289
White (Hispanic)
230 ± 243

6.94%

Hispanic Population

382 people

6.94% of the people in Bessemer City, NC are hispanic (382 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Bessemer City, 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
214,508 ± 11,254 people
India
79,868 ± 6,912 people
Honduras
39,759 ± 4,886 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 214,508 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 79,868 and Honduras with 39,759.

Foreign-Born Population

3.89%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

214 people

2.65%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

145 people

As of 2023, 3.89% of Bessemer City, NC residents (214 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Bessemer City, NC was 2.65%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
149 ± 98
Gulf War (2001-)
62 ± 71
Gulf War (1990s)
44 ± 42

Bessemer City, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.4 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Bessemer City, NC employs 2.51k people. The largest industries in Bessemer City, NC are Retail Trade (659 people), Construction (318 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (267 people), and the highest paying industries are Finance & Insurance ($101,417), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($100,389), and Public Administration ($60,288).

Males in North Carolina have an average income that is 1.31 times higher than the average income of females, which is $57,464. The income inequality in North Carolina (measured using the Gini index) is 0.47, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

2.51k

2023 Value

± 448

−6.84%

1 Year decline

± 27.1%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Bessemer City, NC declined at a rate of −6.84%, from 2.69k employees to 2.51k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Bessemer City, NC, are Sales & Related Occupations (402 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (250 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (237 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Bessemer City, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

2.51k

2023 Value

± 448

−6.84%

1 Year decline

± 27.1%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Bessemer City, NC declined at a rate of −6.84%, from 2.69k employees to 2.51k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Bessemer City, NC, are Retail Trade (659 people), Construction (318 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (267 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Bessemer City, NC, though some of these residents may live in Bessemer City, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$42,981

Median earning men ± $11,334

$39,457

Median earning women ± $10,645

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Manufacturing ($71,500), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($55,144), and Construction ($48,818).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($100,639), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($49,076), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($45,015).

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.

Education

Completions

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.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Measure

In 2022, 0.944% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.805% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (2.16M), Some college (1.84M), and Bachelors Degree (1.63M).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Bessemer City, NC was $173,000 in 2023, which is 0.57 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $139,100 to $173,000, a 24.4% increase. The homeownership rate in Bessemer City, NC is 55.9%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Bessemer City, NC have an average commute time of 24.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Bessemer City, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$173,000

Median Property Value 2023

±$19,161

$1,198

Median Property Taxes

±$232

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 Bessemer City, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 317.03
Census Tract 308.02

The following map shows all of the places in Bessemer City, NC colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$48,784

Median Household Income

± $11,033

2.14k

Number of Households

± 352

In 2023, the median household income of the 2.14k households in Bessemer City, NC grew to $48,784 from the previous year's value of $44,440.

The following chart displays the households in Bessemer City, 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 $25k - $30k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Bessemer City, NC is from North Carolina.

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.47

2021 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2022, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.47 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0732% decline from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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 2023

Drove Alone (78.8%)
Carpooled (15.5%)
Worked At Home (4.84%)

In 2023, 78.8% of workers in Bessemer City, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (15.5%) and those who worked at home (4.84%).

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

24.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Bessemer City, NC have a shorter commute time (24.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 2.22% of the workforce in Bessemer City, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

16.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Bessemer City, NC (899 out of 5.5k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 25 - 34, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Males 55 - 64.

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

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.

Health

88.4% of the population of Bessemer City, NC has health coverage, with 37.2% on employee plans, 26.9% on Medicaid, 12.8% on Medicare, 8.92% on non-group plans, and 2.6% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Gaston County, NC see 1784 patients per year on average, which represents a 2.47% increase from the previous year (1741 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1862 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 365 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for Gaston County, NC.

1,784 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Gaston County, NC

Primary care physicians in Gaston County, NC see an average of 1,784 patients per year. This represents a 2.47% increase from the previous year (1,741 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 21.3% under 18 years, 29.3% between 18 and 34 years, 32.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 16.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48% were men and 52% were women.

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

Uninsured People

11.6%

Uninsured

37.2%

Employer Coverage

26.9%

Medicaid

12.8%

Medicare

8.92%

Non-Group

2.6%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Bessemer City, NC declined by 16.9% from 13.9% to 11.6%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Bessemer City, NC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Keep Exploring

North Carolina

State

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC