32.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Forest City, NC (2.35k out of 7.32k 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 25 - 34, followed by Males 45 - 54 and then Females 55 - 64.

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

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.