New Bern, NC

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2024 Population

124,304

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

0.966% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

14.2%

0.9% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$64,475

1.73% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$220,600

11% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

49,867

2.02% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in New Bern, 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 New Bern, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in New Bern, NC are Craven Community College (1,272 degrees awarded in 2023) and Pamlico Community College (118 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in New Bern, NC was $220,600, and the homeownership rate was 70.8%.

Most people in New Bern, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22.5 minutes. The average car ownership in New Bern, NC was 2 cars per household.

New Bern, NC borders Greenville, NC, Jacksonville, NC, Kinston, NC, Morehead City, NC, and Washington, NC.

Photo by Zach Frailey

United States North Carolina

Population & Diversity

New Bern, NC is home to a population of 124k people, from which 98.4% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.88% of New Bern, NC residents were born outside of the country (4.83k people).

In 2024, there were 3.31 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (81.1k people) in New Bern, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 24.5k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 4.34k 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 New Bern, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in New Bern, NC was 98.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in New Bern, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
81.1k ± 582
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
24.5k ± 550
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
4.34k ± 631

7.29%

Hispanic Population

9.07k people

7.29% of the people in New Bern, NC are hispanic (9.07k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in New Bern, 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

3.88%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

4.83k people

3.8%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

4.66k people

As of 2024, 3.88% of New Bern, NC residents (4.83k 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 New Bern, NC was 3.8%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
4,284 ± 534
Vietnam
3,282 ± 372
Gulf War (1990s)
2,941 ± 474

New Bern, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.31 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of New Bern, NC employs 49.9k people. In 2024, the largest industries in New Bern, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (8,382 people), Retail Trade (6,313 people), and Manufacturing (5,468 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($93,750), Public Administration ($66,321), and Information ($63,266).

Employment

Occupations

49.9k

2024 Value

± 1,768

2.02%

1 Year growth

± 5.02%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in New Bern, NC grew at a rate of 2.02%, from 48.9k employees to 49.9k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in New Bern, NC, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (5,032 people), Sales & Related Occupations (4,982 people), and Management Occupations (4,719 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of New Bern, 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

49.9k

2024 Value

± 1,768

2.02%

1 Year growth

± 5.02%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in New Bern, NC grew at a rate of 2.02%, from 48.9k employees to 49.9k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in New Bern, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (8,382 people), Retail Trade (6,313 people), and Manufacturing (5,468 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of New Bern, NC, though some of these residents may live in New Bern, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$49,286

Median earning men ± $1,729

$35,435

Median earning women ± $1,166

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($87,455), Public Administration ($69,649), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($61,960).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($55,197), Manufacturing ($45,000), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($38,638).

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

230
Other Services (except Public Administration)
168
Retail Trade
155
Construction

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

$448k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$228k
Manufacturing
$179k
Retail Trade

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

Education

In 2023, universities in New Bern, NC awarded 1,390 degrees. The student population of New Bern, NC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 1,323 male students and 1,907 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in New Bern, NC are White (857 and 62.4%), Black or African American (224 and 16.3%), Hispanic or Latino (141 and 10.3%), and Asian (68 and 4.95%).

The largest universities in New Bern, NC by number of degrees awarded are Craven Community College (1,272 and 91.5%) and Pamlico Community College (118 and 8.49%).

The most popular majors in New Bern, NC are Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities (271 and 19.5%), Liberal Arts & Sciences (217 and 15.6%), and Information Technology (107 and 7.7%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 3,230 students enrolled in New Bern, NC, 41% men and 59% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,827 records, of which 56.1% were women and 43.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities
271 degrees awarded
Liberal Arts & Sciences
217 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
50 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in New Bern, NC was Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities with 271 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Craven Community College
1,272 degrees awarded
Pamlico Community College
118 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Craven Community College with 1,272 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 616 men were awarded degrees from institutions in New Bern, NC, which is 0.796 times less than the 774 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 857 degrees mean that there were 3.83 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 224 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 ($121) 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 New Bern, NC was $220,600 in 2024, which is 0.663 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $198,700 to $220,600, a 11% increase. The homeownership rate in New Bern, NC is 70.8%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in New Bern, NC have an average commute time of 22.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in New Bern, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$220,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$6,066

$37,142

Median Property Taxes

±$1,433

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 New Bern, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

70.8%

Homeownership

2024

65.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 70.8% of the housing units in New Bern, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 71.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in New Bern, 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.

$64,475

Median Household Income

± $2,994

52.5k

Number of Households

± 1,796

In 2024, the median household income of the 52.5k households in New Bern, NC grew to $64,475 from the previous year's value of $63,380.

The following chart displays the households in New Bern, 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 New Bern, 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 (78.4%)
Carpooled (9.56%)
Worked At Home (7.52%)

In 2024, 78.4% of workers in New Bern, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.56%) and those who worked at home (7.52%).

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

22.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in New Bern, NC have a shorter commute time (22.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.65% of the workforce in New Bern, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

14.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in New Bern, NC (16.9k out of 119k 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 55 - 64 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in New Bern, 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

92.1% of the population of New Bern, NC has health coverage, with 33.4% on employee plans, 15.8% on Medicaid, 16% on Medicare, 21.6% on non-group plans, and 5.29% 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, 47.7% were men and 52.3% 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 22.8% under 18 years, 18.7% between 18 and 34 years, 35.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 23.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.7% were men and 52.3% were women.

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

Uninsured People

7.93%

Uninsured

33.4%

Employer Coverage

15.8%

Medicaid

16%

Medicare

21.6%

Non-Group

5.29%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in New Bern, NC declined by 11.1% from 8.92% to 7.93%.

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

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