Forest City, NC

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2024 Population

64,930

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Poverty Rate

16.8%

4.81% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$51,410

3.29% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$201,800

11.6% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

27,480

1.49% 1-year growth

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.

98.4% of the residents in Forest City, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Forest City, NC are Isothermal Community College (878 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Forest City, NC was $201,800, and the homeownership rate was 73.9%.

Most people in Forest City, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Forest City, NC was 2 cars per household.

Forest City, NC borders Asheville, NC, Gaffney, SC, Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC, Marion, NC, Shelby, NC, and Spartanburg, SC.

United States North Carolina

Population & Diversity

Forest City, NC is home to a population of 64.9k people, from which 98.4% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.12% of Forest City, NC residents were born outside of the country (2.03k people).

In 2024, there were 10.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (52.5k people) in Forest City, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.98k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 2.62k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.4%

2024 Citizenship

98.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.4% 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 98.4%, 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.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Forest City, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
52.5k ± 346
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
4.98k ± 477
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
2.62k ± 488

5.7%

Hispanic Population

3.7k people

5.7% of the people in Forest City, NC are hispanic (3.7k people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA 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

3.12%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

2.03k people

3.19%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

2.07k people

As of 2024, 3.12% of Forest City, NC residents (2.03k 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 3.19%, 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.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,507 ± 276
Gulf War (2001-)
701 ± 165
Gulf War (1990s)
600 ± 178

Forest City, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.15 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Forest City, NC employs 27.5k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Forest City, NC were Manufacturing (4,284 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (3,827 people), and Retail Trade (3,099 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($108,030), Utilities ($64,265), and Information ($61,409).

Employment

Occupations

27.5k

2024 Value

± 1,303

1.49%

1 Year growth

± 6.67%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Forest City, NC grew at a rate of 1.49%, from 27.1k employees to 27.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Forest City, NC, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,482 people), Production Occupations (2,472 people), and Management Occupations (2,330 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Forest 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

27.5k

2024 Value

± 1,303

1.49%

1 Year growth

± 6.67%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Forest City, NC grew at a rate of 1.49%, from 27.1k employees to 27.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Forest City, NC, are Manufacturing (4,284 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (3,827 people), and Retail Trade (3,099 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.

Median Earnings by Industry

$45,044

Median earning men ± $2,326

$30,982

Median earning women ± $1,713

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($100,982), Wholesale Trade ($63,365), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($56,755).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($68,186), Information ($60,962), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($56,685).

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

133
Other Services (except Public Administration)
100
Construction
90
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

$188k
Manufacturing
$102k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$74.2k
Retail Trade

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

Education

In 2023, universities in Forest City, NC awarded 878 degrees. The student population of Forest City, NC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 662 male students and 1,148 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Forest City, NC are White (681 and 77.7%), Hispanic or Latino (70 and 7.98%), Black or African American (66 and 7.53%), and Unknown (27 and 3.08%).

The largest universities in Forest City, NC by number of degrees awarded are Isothermal Community College (878 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Forest City, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (185 and 21.1%), General Business Administration & Management (127 and 14.5%), and Medical Office Management (44 and 5.01%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 1,810 students enrolled in Forest City, NC, 36.6% men and 63.4% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,304 records, of which 62.2% were women and 37.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
93 degrees awarded
Medical Office Management
32 degrees awarded
Horse Husbandry & Equine Management
30 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years recipients in Forest City, NC was General Business Administration & Management with 93 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years from schools in Forest City, NC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Isothermal Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

878 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Isothermal Community College with 878 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 348 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Forest City, NC, which is 0.657 times less than the 530 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 681 degrees mean that there were 9.73 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 70 degrees awarded.

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.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($1,824) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($206) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,400) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Forest City, NC was $201,800 in 2024, which is 0.607 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $180,800 to $201,800, a 11.6% increase. The homeownership rate in Forest City, NC is 73.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Forest City, NC have an average commute time of 26.1 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

$201,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$9,065

$19,684

Median Property Taxes

±$1,002

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.

Rent vs Own

73.9%

Homeownership

2024

64.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 73.9% of the housing units in Forest City, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 74.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Forest 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.

$51,410

Median Household Income

± $2,731

26.6k

Number of Households

± 1,280

In 2024, the median household income of the 26.6k households in Forest City, NC grew to $51,410 from the previous year's value of $49,771.

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 $75k - $100k range.

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.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (79.7%)
Carpooled (8.86%)
Worked At Home (8.59%)

In 2024, 79.7% of workers in Forest City, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.86%) and those who worked at home (8.59%).

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

26.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Forest City, NC have a shorter commute time (26.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.69% 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.

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.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

16.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Forest City, NC (10.7k out of 63.7k 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 35 - 44, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Females 45 - 54.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Forest 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% of the population of Forest City, NC has health coverage, with 33% on employee plans, 18.4% on Medicaid, 17.9% on Medicare, 16.6% on non-group plans, and 2.03% 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, 48.2% were men and 51.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

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

1,413 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in North Carolina

Primary care physicians in North Carolina see an average of 1,413 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,413 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 21.6% under 18 years, 17.4% between 18 and 34 years, 39% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.2% were men and 51.8% were women.

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

Uninsured People

12%

Uninsured

33%

Employer Coverage

18.4%

Medicaid

17.9%

Medicare

16.6%

Non-Group

2.03%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Forest City, NC grew by 1.73% from 11.8% to 12%.

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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