Oak Ridge, NC

Census Place

2024 Population

7,744

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

44.2

4.12% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

3.63%

34.9% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$155,385

10.5% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$529,300

Population & Diversity

Oak Ridge, NC is home to a population of 7.74k people, from which 96.3% are citizens.

As of 2024, 11.8% of Oak Ridge, NC residents were born outside of the country (910 people).

In 2024, there were 7.18 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (5.99k people) in Oak Ridge, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 835 Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 394 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.3%

2024 Citizenship

96.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.3% of Oak Ridge, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Oak Ridge, NC was 96.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Oak Ridge, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
5.99k ± 441
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
835 ± 350
Other (Hispanic)
394 ± 358

5.77%

Hispanic Population

447 people

5.77% of the people in Oak Ridge, NC are hispanic (447 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Oak Ridge, 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

11.8%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

910 people

11.7%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

898 people

As of 2024, 11.8% of Oak Ridge, NC residents (910 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 Oak Ridge, NC was 11.7%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
128 ± 78
Gulf War (2001-)
106 ± 88
Gulf War (1990s)
80 ± 59

Oak Ridge, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.21 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Oak Ridge, NC employs 3.75k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Oak Ridge, NC were Manufacturing (586 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (515 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (461 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($250,001), Manufacturing ($145,893), and Public Administration ($136,042).

Employment

Occupations

3.75k

2024 Value

± 444

3.19%

1 Year growth

± 16.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Oak Ridge, NC grew at a rate of 3.19%, from 3.64k employees to 3.75k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Oak Ridge, NC, are Management Occupations (813 people), Business & Financial Operations Occupations (401 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (312 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Oak Ridge, 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

3.75k

2024 Value

± 444

3.19%

1 Year growth

± 16.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Oak Ridge, NC grew at a rate of 3.19%, from 3.64k employees to 3.75k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Oak Ridge, NC, are Manufacturing (586 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (515 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (461 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Oak Ridge, NC, though some of these residents may live in Oak Ridge, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$117,725

Median earning men ± $16,513

$46,914

Median earning women ± $19,446

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($172,727), Wholesale Trade ($157,750), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($153,269).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($122,935), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($98,092), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($65,091).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Oak Ridge, NC was $529,300 in 2024, which is 1.59 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $523,500 to $529,300, a 1.11% increase. The homeownership rate in Oak Ridge, NC is 92.2%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Oak Ridge, NC have an average commute time of 20.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Oak Ridge, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$529,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$40,648

$2,425

Median Property Taxes

±$295

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 Oak Ridge, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

92.2%

Homeownership

2024

64.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 92.2% of the housing units in Oak Ridge, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 92.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Oak Ridge, 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.

$155,385

Median Household Income

± $23,788

2.63k

Number of Households

± 321

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.63k households in Oak Ridge, NC grew to $155,385 from the previous year's value of $140,583.

The following chart displays the households in Oak Ridge, 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 $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Oak Ridge, 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 (61.5%)
Worked At Home (29.3%)
Carpooled (4.04%)

In 2024, 61.5% of workers in Oak Ridge, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (29.3%) and those who carpooled to work (4.04%).

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

20.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Oak Ridge, NC have a shorter commute time (20.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.799% of the workforce in Oak Ridge, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

3.63% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Oak Ridge, NC (280 out of 7.72k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 65 - 74, followed by Males 75+ and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Oak Ridge, NC is White, followed by Pacific Islander 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.

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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