Chowan County, NC

County

Add Comparison

2024 Population

13,836

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

48.6

1.46% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

19.1%

7.06% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$53,864

5.47% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$235,800

15.4% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

6,129

0.574% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Chowan 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.

98.1% of the residents in Chowan County, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Chowan County, NC was $235,800, and the homeownership rate was 70.5%.

Most people in Chowan County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 27.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Chowan County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Chowan County, NC borders Bertie County, NC, Gates County, NC, Hertford County, NC, Perquimans County, NC, and Washington County, NC.

United States North Carolina

Population & Diversity

Chowan County, NC is home to a population of 13.8k people, from which 98.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.31% of Chowan County, NC residents were born outside of the country (319 people).

In 2024, there were 1.86 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (8.35k people) in Chowan County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.48k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 365 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.1%

2024 Citizenship

99%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.1% of Chowan County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Chowan County, NC was 99%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Chowan County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
8.35k ± 70
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
4.48k ± 248
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
365 ± 246

Hispanic Population

554 people

4% of the people in Chowan County, NC are hispanic (554 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Chowan 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

2.31%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

319 people

1.85%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

255 people

As of 2024, 2.31% of Chowan County, NC residents (319 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 Chowan County, NC was 1.85%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
569 ± 145
Gulf War (1990s)
314 ± 215
Gulf War (2001-)
156 ± 77

Chowan County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.81 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Chowan County, NC employs 6.13k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Chowan County, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (870 people), Retail Trade (780 people), and Educational Services (642 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($67,100), Transportation & Warehousing ($66,000), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($61,810).

Employment

Occupations

6.13k

2024 Value

± 660

0.574%

1 Year growth

± 15%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chowan County, NC grew at a rate of 0.574%, from 6.09k employees to 6.13k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Chowan County, NC, are Management Occupations (831 people), Sales & Related Occupations (680 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (620 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Chowan 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

6.13k

2024 Value

± 660

0.574%

1 Year growth

± 15%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chowan County, NC grew at a rate of 0.574%, from 6.09k employees to 6.13k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Chowan County, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (870 people), Retail Trade (780 people), and Educational Services (642 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Chowan County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Chowan County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$49,013

Median earning men ± $3,028

$26,089

Median earning women ± $10,216

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($86,576), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($69,583), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($55,333).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($78,229), Public Administration ($64,408), and Manufacturing ($42,843).

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

28
Construction
27
Health Care and Social Assistance
25
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

$49k
Manufacturing
$44.5k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$16.8k
Transportation and Warehousing

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Chowan County, NC was $235,800 in 2024, which is 0.709 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $204,400 to $235,800, a 15.4% increase. The homeownership rate in Chowan County, NC is 70.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Chowan County, NC have an average commute time of 27.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Chowan County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 14.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Chowan County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.89%.

Housing

Property

$235,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$18,450

$4,326

Median Property Taxes

±$485

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

Rent vs Own

70.5%

Homeownership

2024

63.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 70.5% of the housing units in Chowan County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 69.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Chowan 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.

$53,864

Median Household Income

± $6,862

6.13k

Number of Households

± 645

In 2024, the median household income of the 6.13k households in Chowan County, NC declined from $53,864 from the previous year's value of $56,982.

The following chart displays the households in Chowan 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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Chowan 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 (78.2%)
Carpooled (9.57%)
Worked At Home (7.99%)

In 2024, 78.2% of workers in Chowan County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.57%) and those who worked at home (7.99%).

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

27.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Chowan County, NC have a longer commute time (27.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 6.06% of the workforce in Chowan County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 14.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Chowan County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.89%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

19.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Chowan County, NC (2.6k out of 13.6k 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 < 5, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Chowan 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, 24.6% of the children was living in poverty in Chowan County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 7.2%.

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 454 in Chowan County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 177 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

91.8% of the population of Chowan County, NC has health coverage, with 32.3% on employee plans, 21.3% on Medicaid, 14.7% on Medicare, 21.9% on non-group plans, and 1.63% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Chowan County, NC see 1,372 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,372 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2788 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 631 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.3% were men and 51.7% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,372 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Chowan County, NC

Primary care physicians in Chowan County, NC see an average of 1,372 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,372 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.8% under 18 years, 15.2% between 18 and 34 years, 38.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 25.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.3% were men and 51.7% were women.

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

Uninsured People

8.17%

Uninsured

32.3%

Employer Coverage

21.3%

Medicaid

14.7%

Medicare

21.9%

Non-Group

1.63%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Chowan County, NC declined by 8.41% from 8.93% to 8.17%.

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