county

Burke County, NC

Demographic and economic profile of Burke County, NC, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Burke County, NC has a population of 88,545 with a relatively older workforce (median age 44.9) and modest educational attainment—20.2% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 85.1% have at least a high school diploma. Labor force participation stands at 57.0% with a 4.8% unemployment rate, and median worker earnings of $35,806 reflect a low-cost labor market, supported by a median home value of $170,500 and median gross rent of $805/month. The county has experienced a population decline of 2.1% over five years, a poverty rate of 17.9%, and a per capita income of $31,184, pointing to ongoing economic pressure despite relatively affordable housing costs and a high homeownership rate of 74.8%.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

88,545

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Household Income

$58,592

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

44.9 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-2.1% since 2018

Burke County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone70,844 (80.7%)
  • Black or African American Alone5,405 (6.2%)
  • Some Other Race Alone3,775 (4.3%)
  • Asian Alone3,108 (3.5%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races2,268 (2.6%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race1,753 (2.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish5,077
  2. 2.Other Asian and Pacific Island1,693
  3. 3.Arabic398
  4. 4.Other Indo-European187
  5. 5.Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)170

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

18.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

60.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

21.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

5.3%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

4,559

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$31,441

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$31,184

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

4.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

17.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance9,699
  2. 2.Manufacturing (Group)9,287
  3. 3.Retail Trade (Group)5,196
  4. 4.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services2,954
  5. 5.Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services2,700

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations12,826
  2. 2.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations9,418
  3. 3.Sales & Office Occupations7,379
  4. 4.Service Occupations7,160
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations3,894

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Manufacturing (LQ 2.34×)9,283
  2. 2.Retail Trade (LQ 1.05×)4,579
  3. 3.Public Administration (LQ 1.04×)1,961
  4. 4.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.04×)9,670
  5. 5.Other Services (LQ 1.03×)1,939

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$170,500

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$805/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

74.5%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $200,000 to $249,9993,523 (13.0%)
  • $300,000 to $399,9993,161 (11.7%)
  • $100,000 to $124,9992,868 (10.6%)
  • $250,000 to $299,9992,711 (10.0%)
  • $150,000 to $174,9992,510 (9.3%)
  • $125,000 to $149,9991,814 (6.7%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

20.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

85.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

57.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$35,806

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

23.4 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

4.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone33,390 (83.8%)
  • Carpooled3,824 (9.6%)
  • Worked At Home2,147 (5.4%)
  • Other197 (0.5%)
  • Walked186 (0.5%)
  • Bicycle86 (0.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.