Lee County, NC

County

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2023 Population

64,565

1.58% 1-year growth

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

39.9

0.758% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

15.5%

3.26% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$63,060

3.48% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$213,800

14.9% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

29,374

2.81% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Lee County, NC had a population of 64.6k people with a median age of 39.9 and a median household income of $63,060. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Lee County, NC grew from 63,560 to 64,565, a 1.58% increase and its median household income grew from $60,941 to $63,060, a 3.48% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Lee County, NC are White (Non-Hispanic) (56.4%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (17.5%), White (Hispanic) (9.31%), Two+ (Hispanic) (5.57%), and Other (Hispanic) (4.87%).

None of the households in Lee 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.

92.6% of the residents in Lee County, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Lee County, NC are Central Carolina Community College (1,151 degrees awarded in 2022).

In 2023, the median property value in Lee County, NC was $213,800, and the homeownership rate was 66%.

Most people in Lee County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 25.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Lee County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Lee County, NC borders Chatham County, NC, Harnett County, NC, and Moore County, NC.

United States North Carolina Sanford, NC

Population & Diversity

Lee County, NC is home to a population of 64.6k people, from which 92.6% are citizens. As of 2023, 9.56% of Lee County, NC residents were born outside of the country (6.18k people).

In 2023, there were 3.22 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (36.4k people) in Lee County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 11.3k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 6.01k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

92.6%

2023 Citizenship

92.6%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 92.6% of Lee County, NC residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Lee County, NC was 92.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lee County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
36.4k ± 107
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
11.3k ± 455
White (Hispanic)
6.01k ± 981

21%

Hispanic Population

13.6k people

21% of the people in Lee County, NC are hispanic (13.6k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Lee 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
214,508 ± 11,254 people
India
79,868 ± 6,912 people
Honduras
39,759 ± 4,886 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 214,508 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 79,868 and Honduras with 39,759.

Foreign-Born Population

9.56%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

6.18k people

9.4%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

5.98k people

As of 2023, 9.56% of Lee County, NC residents (6.18k people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Lee County, NC was 9.4%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
1,044 ± 246
Vietnam
958 ± 234
Gulf War (1990s)
606 ± 200

Lee County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.09 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Lee County, NC employs 29.4k people. The largest industries in Lee County, NC are Manufacturing (5,811 people), Retail Trade (3,057 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (2,987 people), and the highest paying industries are Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($140,833), Information ($89,306), and Utilities ($62,500).

Males in North Carolina have an average income that is 1.31 times higher than the average income of females, which is $57,464. The income inequality in North Carolina (measured using the Gini index) is 0.47, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

29.4k

2023 Value

± 1,483

2.81%

1 Year growth

± 7.03%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Lee County, NC grew at a rate of 2.81%, from 28.6k employees to 29.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lee County, NC, are Production Occupations (4,008 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,022 people), and Management Occupations (2,522 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Lee County, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

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

29.4k

2023 Value

± 1,483

2.81%

1 Year growth

± 7.03%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Lee County, NC grew at a rate of 2.81%, from 28.6k employees to 29.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lee County, NC, are Manufacturing (5,811 people), Retail Trade (3,057 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (2,987 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Lee County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Lee County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$44,796

Median earning men ± $2,412

$34,958

Median earning women ± $1,603

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Information ($133,704), Public Administration ($73,039), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($70,156).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($71,167), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($45,349), and Public Administration ($44,464).

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

110
Other Services (except Public Administration)
103
Retail Trade
99
Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$609k
Manufacturing
$117k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$109k
Retail Trade

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

Education

In 2022, universities in Lee County, NC awarded 1,151 degrees. The student population of Lee County, NC in 2022 is skewed towards women, with 1,833 male students and 3,398 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Lee County, NC are White (648 and 56.6%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (240 and 21%), Black or African American (185 and 16.2%), and Two or More Races (26 and 2.27%).

The largest universities in Lee County, NC by number of degrees awarded are Central Carolina Community College (1,151 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Lee County, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (301 and 26.2%), General Business Administration & Management (63 and 5.47%), and Welding Technology (51 and 4.43%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2022 there were 5,231 students enrolled in Lee County, NC, 35% men and 65% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,645 records, of which 62.5% were women and 37.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
301 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
37 degrees awarded
Early Childhood Education & Teaching
19 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Lee County, NC was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 301 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Central Carolina Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

1,151 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Central Carolina Community College with 1,151 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2022, 466 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Lee County, NC, which is 0.68 times less than the 685 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 648 degrees mean that there were 2.7 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 240 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 2022.

Public, 2-year ($122) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Public, 2-year ($1,460) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2022, 0.944% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.805% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (2.16M), Some college (1.84M), and Bachelors Degree (1.63M).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Lee County, NC was $213,800 in 2023, which is 0.705 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $186,000 to $213,800, a 14.9% increase. The homeownership rate in Lee County, NC is 66%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Lee County, NC have an average commute time of 25.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Lee County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Lee County, NC is $63,060. In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income in Lee County, NC was Census Tract 301.02 with a value of $103,149, followed by Census Tract 306.01 and Census Tract 305.02, with respective values of $101,917 and $83,000.

In 2023, 14.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lee County, NC. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 0.839%.

Housing

Property

$213,800

Median Property Value 2023

±$10,569

$16,263

Median Property Taxes

±$975

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

Rent vs Own

66%

Homeownership

2023

65.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 66% of the housing units in Lee County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 65.3%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 301.02
Census Tract 306.01
Census Tract 305.02

In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Lee County, NC was Census Tract 301.02 with a value of $103,149, followed by Census Tract 306.01 and Census Tract 305.02, with respective values of $101,917 and $83,000.

The following map shows all of the tracts in Lee County, NC colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$63,060

Median Household Income

± $2,807

24.7k

Number of Households

± 1,318

In 2023, the median household income of the 24.7k households in Lee County, NC grew to $63,060 from the previous year's value of $60,941.

The following chart displays the households in Lee 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Lee County, NC is from North Carolina.

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.47

2021 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2022, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.47 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0732% decline from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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 2023

Drove Alone (80.7%)
Carpooled (10.4%)
Worked At Home (5.73%)

In 2023, 80.7% of workers in Lee County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.4%) and those who worked at home (5.73%).

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

25.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lee County, NC have a shorter commute time (25.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 1.52% of the workforce in Lee County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2023, 14.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lee County, NC. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 0.839%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

15.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lee County, NC (9.79k out of 63.3k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 35 - 44, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Lee County, NC is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

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 2023, 20.6% of the children was living in poverty in Lee County, NC. From 2014 to 2023, 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.

Health

87.6% of the population of Lee County, NC has health coverage, with 39.6% on employee plans, 18.8% on Medicaid, 12.6% on Medicare, 13.8% on non-group plans, and 2.87% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Lee County, NC see 1641 patients per year on average, which represents a 4.37% decrease from the previous year (1716 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2004 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 521 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.5% were men and 51.5% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,641 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Lee County, NC

Primary care physicians in Lee County, NC see an average of 1,641 patients per year. This represents a 4.37% decrease from the previous year (1,716 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.4% under 18 years, 19.6% between 18 and 34 years, 38.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 16.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.5% were men and 51.5% were women.

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

Uninsured People

12.4%

Uninsured

39.6%

Employer Coverage

18.8%

Medicaid

12.6%

Medicare

13.8%

Non-Group

2.87%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Lee County, NC declined by 9.25% from 13.7% to 12.4%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2023, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 73 in Lee County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Lee County, NC.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2023, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 34.1% in Lee County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Lee County, NC.