Lake Waccamaw, Columbus County, North Carolina Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina. The estimated population of Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina is 1,501 people, with a median age of 53.3.

We can look at the total population in Lake Waccamaw over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
1,501
-6.54% -5.18%
2020
1,606
-7.33% -
2019
1,733
+6.84%
-
2018
1,622
+2.46%
-
2017
1,583
- -

Population of Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
80.3%
83.4%
-3.72%
Black/African American
10.5%
9.1%
+15.38%
Native
3.5%
4.5%
-22.22%
Hispanic
1.7%
1.6%
+6.25%
Asian
0%
0%
0.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
0.00%
Two Or More Races
3.9%
1%
+290.00%
Other
0%
0.3%
-100.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 53.3 +0.19% 53.5 +2.1% 53.2 -0.56%
2020 53.2 +1.92% 52.4 +10.08% 53.5 +0.38%
2019 52.2 +5.88% 47.6 +2.81% 53.3 -0.37%
2018 49.3 -3.14% 46.3 -1.07% 53.5 -0.37%
2017 50.9 - 46.8 - 53.7 -

The median age of Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 63 10.89% 101 -26.72% 63 69
10 to 19 122 -22.72% 129 +9.75% 94 142
20 to 29 72 8.05% 52 -48.18% 65 25
30 to 39 32 +28.08% 53 +33.07% 36 70
40 to 49 79 -12% 74 -16.14% 62 60
50 to 59 70 +38.38% 109 0.36% 100 103
60 to 69 116 -33.94% 112 -2.56% 78 96
70+ 140 +43.61% 259 -12.15% 211 227

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina is $57,188.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Lake Waccamaw.

  • Under 25
    $59,583.00
  • 25 to 44
    $50,625.00
  • 45 to 64
    $69,196.00
  • 65 and over
    $44,545.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Lake Waccamaw, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Lake Waccamaw, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina is currently $86,842.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

11.07% of households in Lake Waccamaw are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Lake Waccamaw against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    19.59%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    26.75%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    16.52%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    9.20%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    13.12%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    3.75%
  • $200,000 or more
    11.07%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Lake Waccamaw is $35,679.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Lake Waccamaw by the total population of Lake Waccamaw.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Lake Waccamaw to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    11.40%
  • Bachelor's degree
    31.00%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    11.25%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    35.56%
  • Less than high school diploma
    10.79%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Lake Waccamaw that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Lake Waccamaw over the age of 16 is 1,209.

Of those people, a total of 42.70% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Lake Waccamaw is 41.90%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 76 22.40% 52.90%
20 to 24 years 63 47.60% 0.00%
25 to 29 years 27 74.10% 0.00%
30 to 34 years 67 77.60% 0.00%
35 to 44 years 79 83.50% 0.00%
45 to 54 years 195 69.70% 0.00%
55 to 59 years 90 65.60% 0.00%
60 to 64 years 77 49.40% 0.00%
65 to 74 years 191 22.00% 0.00%
75 years and over 344 16.30% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Lake Waccamaw. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 1,012 43.20% 0.00%
Black or African American 137 23.40% 28.10%
American Indian and Alaska Native 43 88.40% 0.00%
Asian 0 0.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 1 100.00% 0.00%
Two or more races 16 50.00% 0.00%
Hispanic or Latino 20 5.00% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 994 44.00% 0.00%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Lake Waccamaw as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Lake Waccamaw is 507, with median earnings of $35,417.00.

Women in Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina earning approximately 86.40% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 507 $35,417.00
Male 253 $40,096.00
Female 254 $34,643.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 57 $45,875.00
Business and Financial 19 $60,313.00
Computer and Mathematical 14 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 31 $11,050.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 3 $0.00
Community and Social Service 10 $58,333.00
Legal 2 $0.00
Educational and Library 47 $28,750.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 0 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 111 $64,583.00
Healthcare Support 16 $0.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 3 $0.00
Law Enforcement 7 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 23 $6,458.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 3 $0.00
Personal Care and Service 18 $0.00
Sales 32 $27,143.00
Office and Administrative Support 37 $41,719.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 8 $26,875.00
Construction and Extraction 1 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 25 $31,146.00
Production 13 $59,063.00
Transportation and Material Moving 27 $24,083.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 46 $44,000.00 11 $59,583.00
Business and Financial 7 $0.00 12 $6,000.00
Computer and Mathematical 14 $0.00 0 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 31 $11,050.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 3 $0.00 0 $0.00
Community and Social Service 3 $0.00 7 $0.00
Legal 2 $0.00 0 $0.00
Educational and Library 17 $55,417.00 30 $20,313.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 10 $103,750.00 101 $53,958.00
Healthcare Support 0 $0.00 16 $0.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 3 $0.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 3 $0.00 4 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 11 $0.00 12 $0.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 1 $0.00 2 $0.00
Personal Care and Service 0 $0.00 18 $0.00
Sales 29 $26,875.00 3 $0.00
Office and Administrative Support 3 $0.00 34 $42,188.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 8 $26,875.00 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 1 $0.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 25 $31,146.00 0 $0.00
Production 9 $63,125.00 4 $0.00
Transportation and Material Moving 27 $24,083.00 0 $0.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 587 households in Lake Waccamaw, with an average household size of 2.13 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 414 families in Lake Waccamaw with an average family size of 2.55 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 315 45 54 173
Average Household Size 2.61 2.38 2.5 1.07
Total Families 315 45 54 0
Average Household Size 2.58 2.38 2.5 0

Poverty

Of the 414 families in Lake Waccamaw, 5.60% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Lake Waccamaw:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 985 housing units in Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 587 59.59%
Vacant 398 40.41%

11.68% of the total 985 housing units in Lake Waccamaw are rental units. This is approximately 115 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 442 are occupied by the owner - or 44.87% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Lake Waccamaw is $953.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Lake Waccamaw that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    30
  • Less than $500
    15
  • $500 to $999
    57
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    36
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    7
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Lake Waccamaw is $261,800.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Lake Waccamaw that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    23
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    25
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    28
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    70
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    143
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    123
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    30
  • $1,000,000 or more
    0

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Lake Waccamaw. The chart below shows the number of properties in Lake Waccamaw that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    42
  • 1940 to 1949
    35
  • 1950 to 1959
    111
  • 1960 to 1969
    52
  • 1970 to 1979
    244
  • 1980 to 1989
    207
  • 1990 to 1999
    118
  • 2000 to 2009
    133
  • 2010 to 2013
    43
  • 2014 or later
    0

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Lake Waccamaw that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    37
  • 1 vehicle available
    173
  • 2 vehicles available
    217
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    160

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Lake Waccamaw get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Lake Waccamaw that commute to work in a particular way.

27.9 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Lake Waccamaw.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    22
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    43
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    59
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    60
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    81
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    13
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    50
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    5
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    33
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    65
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    37
  • 90 or more minutes
    8

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.