county

Chowan County, NC

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

AI Overview

Chowan County is a small rural county in northeastern North Carolina with a population of 13,814 that has contracted 2.8% over five years, reflecting broader outmigration pressures in the region. The labor force is limited—participation stands at just 56.9% with a 5.9% unemployment rate—and educational attainment is modest, with 24.5% holding a bachelor's degree or higher and median worker earnings of $32,309. Housing costs remain low, with a median home value of $204,400 and median gross rent of $766/month, against a median household income of $53,864 and a poverty rate of 20.5%.

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

Population

13,814

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$53,864

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

48.6 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-2.8% since 2018

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

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone8,353 (60.4%)
  • Black or African American Alone4,522 (32.7%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races402 (2.9%)
  • Some Other Race Alone320 (2.3%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race230 (1.7%)
  • Asian Alone9 (0.1%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish401
  2. 2.Other Indo-European69
  3. 3.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)40
  4. 4.German or other West Germanic16
  5. 5.Other Asian and Pacific Island10

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

19.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

53.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

27.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

2.3%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

1,177

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$41,418

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$33,974

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

5.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

20.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance1,512
  2. 2.Retail Trade (Group)780
  3. 3.Manufacturing (Group)591
  4. 4.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services553
  5. 5.Construction (Group)514

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations1,902
  2. 2.Service Occupations1,357
  3. 3.Sales & Office Occupations1,300
  4. 4.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations909
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations661

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Public Administration (LQ 1.54×)445
  2. 2.Other Services (LQ 1.33×)383
  3. 3.Construction (LQ 1.23×)517
  4. 4.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.18×)1,681
  5. 5.Retail Trade (LQ 1.14×)755

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$204,400

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$766/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

70.5%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $200,000 to $249,999593 (13.7%)
  • $300,000 to $399,999483 (11.2%)
  • $250,000 to $299,999438 (10.1%)
  • $400,000 to $499,999424 (9.8%)
  • $500,000 to $749,999420 (9.7%)
  • $150,000 to $174,999339 (7.8%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

24.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

87.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

56.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$32,309

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

27.8 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

9.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone4,633 (78.2%)
  • Carpooled567 (9.6%)
  • Worked At Home473 (8.0%)
  • Walked126 (2.1%)
  • Other66 (1.1%)
  • Bicycle57 (1.0%)

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.