Bessemer City, NC

Census Place

2024 Population

5,580

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Poverty Rate

16.4%

0.483% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$60,300

23.6% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$206,100

19.1% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

2,641

Population & Diversity

Bessemer City, NC is home to a population of 5.58k people, from which 96.2% are citizens.

As of 2024, 5.38% of Bessemer City, NC residents were born outside of the country (300 people).

In 2024, there were 5.76 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.18k people) in Bessemer City, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 725 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 255 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.2%

2024 Citizenship

97.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.2% of Bessemer City, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Bessemer City, NC was 97.5%, 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)
4.18k ± 362
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
725 ± 275
White (Hispanic)
255 ± 272

8.58%

Hispanic Population

479 people

8.58% of the people in Bessemer City, NC are hispanic (479 people).

The following chart shows the 8 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
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

5.38%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

300 people

3.89%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

214 people

As of 2024, 5.38% of Bessemer City, NC residents (300 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 Bessemer City, NC was 3.89%, 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
161 ± 93
Gulf War (2001-)
44 ± 71
Gulf War (1990s)
40 ± 43

Bessemer City, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.66 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Bessemer City, NC employs 2.64k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Bessemer City, NC were Retail Trade (643 people), Manufacturing (392 people), and Construction (364 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($104,145), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($104,145), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($58,833).

Employment

Occupations

2.64k

2024 Value

± 429

5.43%

1 Year growth

± 22.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bessemer City, NC grew at a rate of 5.43%, from 2.51k employees to 2.64k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Bessemer City, NC, are Sales & Related Occupations (389 people), Production Occupations (297 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (260 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 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

2.64k

2024 Value

± 429

5.43%

1 Year growth

± 22.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bessemer City, NC grew at a rate of 5.43%, from 2.51k employees to 2.64k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Bessemer City, NC, are Retail Trade (643 people), Manufacturing (392 people), and Construction (364 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

$48,120

Median earning men ± $3,963

$43,247

Median earning women ± $8,075

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($65,586), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($58,319), and Construction ($50,484).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($102,829), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($57,583), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($48,906).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Bessemer City, NC was $206,100 in 2024, which is 0.619 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $173,000 to $206,100, a 19.1% increase. The homeownership rate in Bessemer City, NC is 66%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Bessemer City, NC have an average commute time of 27.6 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

$206,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$21,456

$1,374

Median Property Taxes

±$237

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.

Rent vs Own

66%

Homeownership

2024

59.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 66% of the housing units in Bessemer City, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 55.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Bessemer City, 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.

$60,300

Median Household Income

± $13,103

2.08k

Number of Households

± 324

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.08k households in Bessemer City, NC grew to $60,300 from the previous year's value of $48,784.

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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Bessemer City, 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 (76.4%)
Carpooled (16%)
Worked At Home (7.05%)

In 2024, 76.4% of workers in Bessemer City, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (16%) and those who worked at home (7.05%).

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

27.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Bessemer City, NC have a longer commute time (27.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.5% 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

16.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Bessemer City, NC (915 out of 5.57k 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 65 - 74, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Males 25 - 34.

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

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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