Washington County, NC

County

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2024 Population

10,812

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

48.8

1.01% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

24.1%

2.58% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$41,813

0.151% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$125,900

17.7% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

3,562

9.48% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Washington 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.

98.9% of the residents in Washington County, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Washington County, NC was $125,900, and the homeownership rate was 68%.

Most people in Washington County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 32.4 minutes. The average car ownership in Washington County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Washington County, NC borders Beaufort County, NC, Bertie County, NC, Chowan County, NC, Hyde County, NC, Martin County, NC, Perquimans County, NC, and Tyrrell County, NC.

United States North Carolina

Population & Diversity

Washington County, NC is home to a population of 10.8k people, from which 98.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.13% of Washington County, NC residents were born outside of the country (122 people).

In 2024, there were 1.07 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (5.15k people) in Washington County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.82k White (Non-Hispanic) and 329 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.9%

2024 Citizenship

99.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.9% of Washington County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Washington County, NC was 99.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Washington County, NC

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
5.15k ± 267
White (Non-Hispanic)
4.82k ± 57
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
329 ± 268

4.03%

Hispanic Population

436 people

4.03% of the people in Washington County, NC are hispanic (436 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Washington 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
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

1.13%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

122 people

0.734%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

80 people

As of 2024, 1.13% of Washington County, NC residents (122 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 Washington County, NC was 0.734%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
272 ± 145
Vietnam
176 ± 88
Gulf War (1990s)
145 ± 116

Washington County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.55 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Washington County, NC employs 3.56k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Washington County, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (489 people), Retail Trade (421 people), and Educational Services (394 people), and the highest paying industries were Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($75,000), Educational Services ($64,375), and Public Administration ($53,704).

Employment

Occupations

3.56k

2024 Value

± 468

−9.48%

1 Year decline

± 20.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Washington County, NC declined at a rate of −9.48%, from 3.94k employees to 3.56k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Washington County, NC, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (457 people), Management Occupations (390 people), and Healthcare Support Occupations (335 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Washington County, 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

3.56k

2024 Value

± 468

−9.48%

1 Year decline

± 20.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Washington County, NC declined at a rate of −9.48%, from 3.94k employees to 3.56k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Washington County, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (489 people), Retail Trade (421 people), and Educational Services (394 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Washington County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Washington County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$46,148

Median earning men ± $6,517

$31,842

Median earning women ± $3,168

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Retail Trade ($70,000), Manufacturing ($60,690), and Public Administration ($57,994).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($51,667), Public Administration ($45,375), and Manufacturing ($42,078).

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

23
Other Services (except Public Administration)
19
Retail Trade
14
Health Care and Social Assistance

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

$52.2k
Manufacturing
$18.5k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$11k
Retail Trade

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Washington County, NC was $125,900 in 2024, which is 0.378 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $107,000 to $125,900, a 17.7% increase. The homeownership rate in Washington County, NC is 68%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Washington County, NC have an average commute time of 32.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Washington County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 20.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Washington County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.55%.

Housing

Property

$125,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$16,607

$3,227

Median Property Taxes

±$404

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

Rent vs Own

68%

Homeownership

2024

64.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 68% of the housing units in Washington County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 68.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Washington County, 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.

$41,813

Median Household Income

± $7,001

4.74k

Number of Households

± 526

In 2024, the median household income of the 4.74k households in Washington County, NC grew to $41,813 from the previous year's value of $41,750.

The following chart displays the households in Washington 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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Washington County, 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 (80%)
Carpooled (10.1%)
Worked At Home (8.08%)

In 2024, 80% of workers in Washington County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.1%) and those who worked at home (8.08%).

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

32.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Washington County, NC have a longer commute time (32.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 6.16% of the workforce in Washington County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 20.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Washington County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.55%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

24.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Washington County, NC (2.52k out of 10.5k 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 Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Washington County, NC is Black, followed by White 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 2025, 35.8% of the children was living in poverty in Washington County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, 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.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 285 in Washington County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 639 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

90.8% of the population of Washington County, NC has health coverage, with 24.6% on employee plans, 28.8% on Medicaid, 17.3% on Medicare, 18.3% on non-group plans, and 1.89% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Washington County, NC see 2,178 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,178 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 5414 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 974 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.9% were men and 49.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,178 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Washington County, NC

Primary care physicians in Washington County, NC see an average of 2,178 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,178 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.8% under 18 years, 15.2% between 18 and 34 years, 36.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 27.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.9% were men and 49.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

9.23%

Uninsured

24.6%

Employer Coverage

28.8%

Medicaid

17.3%

Medicare

18.3%

Non-Group

1.89%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Washington County, NC grew by 10.2% from 8.38% to 9.23%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 112 in Washington County, NC.

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

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, 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 41% in Washington County, NC.

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