Kinston, NC

Census Place

2024 Population

19,505

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Poverty Rate

27.9%

3.37% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$36,878

4.62% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$119,300

10.2% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

6,781

Population & Diversity

Kinston, NC is home to a population of 19.5k people, from which 98.2% are citizens.

As of 2024, 3.55% of Kinston, NC residents were born outside of the country (693 people).

In 2024, there were 2.98 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (13.2k people) in Kinston, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.42k White (Non-Hispanic) and 868 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.2%

2024 Citizenship

98.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.2% of Kinston, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Kinston, NC was 98.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Kinston, NC

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
13.2k ± 686
White (Non-Hispanic)
4.42k ± 532
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
868 ± 438

3.2%

Hispanic Population

624 people

3.2% of the people in Kinston, NC are hispanic (624 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Kinston, 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

3.55%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

693 people

3.65%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

715 people

As of 2024, 3.55% of Kinston, NC residents (693 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 Kinston, NC was 3.65%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
569 ± 164
Gulf War (2001-)
294 ± 185
Gulf War (1990s)
190 ± 100

Kinston, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.94 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Kinston, NC employs 6.78k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Kinston, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,418 people), Manufacturing (1,272 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (701 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($59,583), Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($52,377), and Construction ($51,705).

Employment

Occupations

6.78k

2024 Value

± 698

0.251%

1 Year growth

± 14.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Kinston, NC grew at a rate of 0.251%, from 6.76k employees to 6.78k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Kinston, NC, are Management Occupations (826 people), Production Occupations (804 people), and Healthcare Support Occupations (681 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Kinston, 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

6.78k

2024 Value

± 698

0.251%

1 Year growth

± 14.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Kinston, NC grew at a rate of 0.251%, from 6.76k employees to 6.78k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Kinston, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,418 people), Manufacturing (1,272 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (701 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Kinston, NC, though some of these residents may live in Kinston, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$42,375

Median earning men ± $10,539

$30,821

Median earning women ± $3,316

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Other Services Except Public Administration ($63,239), Information ($58,542), and Retail Trade ($58,438).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($48,827), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($47,083), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($34,335).

Education

The student population of Kinston, NC in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 865 male students and 1,726 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Kinston, NC are White (410 and 56.9%), Black or African American (170 and 23.6%), Hispanic or Latino (110 and 15.3%), and Two or More Races (16 and 2.22%).

The largest universities in Kinston, NC by number of degrees awarded are Lenoir Community College (721 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Kinston, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (159 and 22.1%), Medical Office Management (62 and 8.6%), and Welding Technology (57 and 7.91%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 2,591 students enrolled in Kinston, NC, 33.4% men and 66.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,238 records, of which 61.2% were women and 38.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
159 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
23 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
14 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Kinston, NC was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 159 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Kinston, NC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Lenoir Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

721 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Lenoir Community College with 721 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 258 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Kinston, NC, which is 0.557 times less than the 463 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 410 degrees mean that there were 2.41 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 170 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 ($2,432) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($146) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($2,250) 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 Kinston, NC was $119,300 in 2024, which is 0.359 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $108,300 to $119,300, a 10.2% increase. The homeownership rate in Kinston, NC is 42.5%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Kinston, NC have an average commute time of 20.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Kinston, NC is lower than the national average, with an average of 1 car per household.

Housing

Property

$119,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$16,128

$3,783

Median Property Taxes

±$473

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 Kinston, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Kinston, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

42.5%

Homeownership

2024

65.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 42.5% of the housing units in Kinston, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 42.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Kinston, 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.

$36,878

Median Household Income

± $2,930

8.89k

Number of Households

± 776

In 2024, the median household income of the 8.89k households in Kinston, NC grew to $36,878 from the previous year's value of $35,250.

The following chart displays the households in Kinston, 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 Kinston, 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 (80%)
Carpooled (14.8%)
Worked At Home (3.25%)

In 2024, 80% of workers in Kinston, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (14.8%) and those who worked at home (3.25%).

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

20.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Kinston, NC have a shorter commute time (20.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.05% of the workforce in Kinston, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

1 car

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Kinston, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Kinston, NC have 1 car.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

27.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Kinston, NC (5.28k out of 18.9k 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 55 - 64, followed by Females 75+ and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Kinston, 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.

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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