county

Northampton County, NC

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

AI Overview

Northampton County is a small, rural North Carolina county of 17,212 residents with a median age of 52.0 years and a labor force participation rate of just 50.6%, reflecting an older, less economically active population; only 19.0% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and unemployment stands at 6.5% against a poverty rate of 20.0%. Median worker earnings of $35,913 and a median household income of $50,086 pair with very low housing costs—median home values at $102,200 and median gross rent at $749/month—indicating a low-cost labor environment. The county has shed 14.7% of its population over the past five years, and GDP per capita of $29,229 trails median household income, signaling limited local economic output.

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

Population

17,212

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$50,086

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

52.0 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-14.7% since 2018

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

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • Black or African American Alone9,293 (54.9%)
  • White Alone6,771 (40.0%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races544 (3.2%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race149 (0.9%)
  • Some Other Race Alone119 (0.7%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone50 (0.3%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish244
  2. 2.Arabic73
  3. 3.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)29
  4. 4.German or other West Germanic22
  5. 5.Other Indo-European13

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

17.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

53.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

28.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

1.3%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

1,017

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$29,229

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$31,883

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

6.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

20.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance1,619
  2. 2.Manufacturing (Group)1,361
  3. 3.Retail Trade (Group)877
  4. 4.Public Administration (Group)446
  5. 5.Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities433

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations2,142
  2. 2.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations1,522
  3. 3.Sales & Office Occupations1,490
  4. 4.Service Occupations1,196
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations517

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 2.40×)262
  2. 2.Manufacturing (LQ 1.68×)1,147
  3. 3.Construction (LQ 1.28×)607
  4. 4.Retail Trade (LQ 1.28×)952
  5. 5.Public Administration (LQ 1.20×)388

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$102,200

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$749/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

74.6%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $100,000 to $124,999505 (8.6%)
  • $70,000 to $79,999455 (7.8%)
  • $200,000 to $249,999448 (7.6%)
  • $125,000 to $149,999409 (7.0%)
  • $175,000 to $199,999392 (6.7%)
  • $150,000 to $174,999347 (5.9%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

19.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

84.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

50.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$35,913

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

29.9 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

8.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone5,411 (82.6%)
  • Carpooled585 (8.9%)
  • Worked At Home387 (5.9%)
  • Other147 (2.2%)
  • Walked20 (0.3%)
  • Public Transit0 (0.0%)

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.