Forest City, NC

Census Place

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2024 Population
7,363
US Senator
Thom Tillis
Republican Party
US Senator
Ted Budd
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
35.1
0.862% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
32.1%
4.49% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$35,524
1.04% 1-year decline
2024 Median Property Value
$160,800
13.2% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
2,682
3.39% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Forest 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.

95.8% of the residents in Forest City, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Forest City, NC was $160,800, and the homeownership rate was 45.4%.

Most people in Forest City, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Forest City, NC was 2 cars per household.

United StatesNorth CarolinaRutherford County, NCForest City, NCRutherford, Cleveland (West) & Polk Counties--Shelby City PUMA, NC

Population & Diversity

Forest City, NC is home to a population of 7.36k people, from which 95.8% are citizens. As of 2024, 5.61% of Forest City, NC residents were born outside of the country (413 people).

In 2024, there were 2.55 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.1k people) in Forest City, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.6k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 597 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.8%
2024 Citizenship
96.8%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95.8% of Forest City, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Forest City, NC was 96.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Forest City, NC
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    4.1k ± 502
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    1.6k ± 375
  3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    597 ± 279
10.5%
Hispanic Population
771 people

In 2024, there were 2.55 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.1k people) in Forest City, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.6k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 597 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

10.5% of the people in Forest City, NC are hispanic (771 people).

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

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    224,963 ± 11,520 people
  2. India
    83,219 ± 7,055 people
  3. 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.

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Foreign-Born Population

5.61%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
413 people
5.66%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
417 people

As of 2024, 5.61% of Forest City, NC residents (413 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 Forest City, NC was 5.66%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    101 ± 78
  2. Vietnam
    81 ± 68
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    23 ± 27

Forest City, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.25 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of Forest City, NC employs 2.68k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Forest City, NC were Accommodation & Food Services (500 people), Retail Trade (395 people), and Manufacturing (392 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($51,250), Construction ($46,589), and Manufacturing ($41,967).

Employment

Occupations

2.68k
2024 Value
± 415
−3.39%
1 Year decline
± 22.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Forest City, NC declined at a rate of −3.39%, from 2.78k employees to 2.68k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Forest City, NC, are Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (425 people), Production Occupations (243 people), and Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance Occupations (231 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Forest City, NC.

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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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

2.68k
2024 Value
± 415
−3.39%
1 Year decline
± 22.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Forest City, NC declined at a rate of −3.39%, from 2.78k employees to 2.68k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Forest City, NC, are Accommodation & Food Services (500 people), Retail Trade (395 people), and Manufacturing (392 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Forest City, NC, though some of these residents may live in Forest City, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$37,208
Median earning men ± $5,333
$22,091
Median earning women ± $5,736

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($50,096), Construction ($47,135), and Manufacturing ($41,721).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($43,438), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($35,246), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($28,628).

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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.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Forest City, NC was $160,800 in 2024, which is 0.483 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $142,100 to $160,800, a 13.2% increase. The homeownership rate in Forest City, NC is 45.4%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Forest City, NC have an average commute time of 26.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Forest City, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$160,800
Median Property Value 2024
±$19,341
$1,218
Median Property Taxes
±$239

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 Forest 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 Forest City, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

45.4%
Homeownership
2024
67.8%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 45.4% of the housing units in Forest City, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 41.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Forest City, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$35,524
Median Household Income
± $5,910
2.68k
Number of Households
± 398

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.68k households in Forest City, NC declined from $35,524 from the previous year's value of $35,897.

The following chart displays the households in Forest 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 $10k - $15k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Forest City, 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (80.5%)
  2. Carpooled (10.1%)
  3. Worked At Home (5.99%)

In 2024, 80.5% of workers in Forest City, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.1%) and those who worked at home (5.99%).

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.

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Commute Time

26.3 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Forest City, NC have a shorter commute time (26.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.43% of the workforce in Forest City, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

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

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

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.

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Health

85.9% of the population of Forest City, NC has health coverage, with 21% on employee plans, 37.8% on Medicaid, 12.7% on Medicare, 12% on non-group plans, and 2.58% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in North Carolina see 1,413 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,413 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1634 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 299 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46% were men and 54% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 30% under 18 years, 20.1% between 18 and 34 years, 32.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46% were men and 54% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

14.1%
Uninsured
21%
Employer Coverage
37.8%
Medicaid
12.7%
Medicare
12%
Non-Group
2.58%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Forest City, NC declined by 10.6% from 15.7% to 14.1%.

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

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