New Hanover County, North Carolina Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for New Hanover County, 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 New Hanover County, North Carolina. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in New Hanover County, North Carolina. The estimated population of New Hanover County, North Carolina is 225,175 people, with a median age of 39.5.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
225,175
 -2.71% +2.41%
2020
231,448
+1.54%
-
2019
227,938
+1.65%
-
2018
224,231
+1.99%
-
2017
219,866
 - -

Population of New Hanover County, 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
76.9%
76.9%
 0.00%
Black/African American
12.3%
14%
 -12.14%
Native
0.2%
0.3%
 -33.33%
Hispanic
5.9%
5.4%
 +9.26%
Asian
1.3%
1.3%
 0.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.1%
0.1%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
3%
2%
 +50.00%
Other
0.3%
0.1%
 +200.00%

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 New Hanover County, 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 39.5 +1.28% 38.3 +1.06% 40.7 +0.49%
2020 39 -0.26% 37.9 +0.26% 40.5 0%
2019 39.1 +1.03% 37.8 +1.07% 40.5 +0.75%
2018 38.7 0% 37.4 +0.27% 40.2 +0.25%
2017 38.7 - 37.3 - 40.1 -

The median age of New Hanover County, 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 11,783 -1.93% 11,471 -5.34% 11,535 10,842
10 to 19 12,597 +4.11% 13,387 +2.1% 13,088 13,666
20 to 29 17,832 -3.45% 18,245 +3.21% 17,201 18,815
30 to 39 13,938 +4.39% 14,156 +0.66% 14,518 14,216
40 to 49 13,958 -4.49% 14,568 -1.39% 13,325 14,363
50 to 59 13,621 +0.89% 15,403 -2.09% 13,732 15,075
60 to 69 11,683 +10.39% 14,170 +8.8% 12,938 15,440
70+ 9,801 +14.91% 13,253 +13.61% 11,312 15,109

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of New Hanover County, North Carolina is $62,362.00.

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 New Hanover County.

  • Under 25
    $25,414.00
  • 25 to 44
    $68,100.00
  • 45 to 64
    $75,394.00
  • 65 and over
    $56,714.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in New Hanover County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in New Hanover County, 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 New Hanover County, North Carolina is currently $90,209.00.

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.

8.20% of households in New Hanover County 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 New Hanover County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    20.10%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    20.26%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    17.76%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    12.11%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    15.19%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    6.39%
  • $200,000 or more
    8.20%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in New Hanover County is $39,934.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of New Hanover County by the total population of New Hanover County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in New Hanover County, 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 New Hanover County 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
    16.12%
  • Bachelor's degree
    45.66%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    10.78%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    25.60%
  • Less than high school diploma
    1.85%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in New Hanover County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of New Hanover County over the age of 16 is 188,333.

Of those people, a total of 63.90% 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 New Hanover County is 60.40%.

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 12,289 40.00% 15.20%
20 to 24 years 20,663 75.70% 11.20%
25 to 29 years 15,353 89.70% 4.60%
30 to 34 years 13,944 83.10% 2.60%
35 to 44 years 28,601 85.10% 4.50%
45 to 54 years 27,652 82.10% 2.80%
55 to 59 years 15,032 75.50% 3.40%
60 to 64 years 14,463 55.60% 3.30%
65 to 74 years 24,820 28.20% 2.40%
75 years and over 15,516 6.80% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in New Hanover County. 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 154,073 64.00% 4.30%
Black or African American 22,816 58.60% 6.50%
American Indian and Alaska Native 408 44.40% 18.80%
Asian 2,525 68.40% 30.10%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 82 53.70% 0.00%
Other 3,138 82.90% 2.10%
Two or more races 5,291 74.50% 6.20%
Hispanic or Latino 8,711 75.30% 4.20%
Not Hispanic or Latino 149,636 63.90% 4.30%

Occupations

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

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in New Hanover County is 113,834, with median earnings of $39,150.00.

Women in New Hanover County, North Carolina earning approximately 78.00% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 113,834 $39,150.00
Male 57,209 $44,073.00
Female 56,625 $34,394.00

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 14,553 $70,775.00
Business and Financial 5,750 $63,800.00
Computer and Mathematical 2,651 $69,468.00
Architecture and Engineering 2,366 $73,565.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 1,694 $66,094.00
Community and Social Service 2,543 $44,951.00
Legal 992 $63,000.00
Educational and Library 7,510 $42,394.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 2,965 $39,178.00
Healthcare Practitioners 8,325 $57,591.00
Healthcare Support 2,678 $23,234.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 1,103 $32,064.00
Law Enforcement 820 $51,816.00
Food Preparation and Serving 8,480 $14,033.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 4,196 $21,775.00
Personal Care and Service 3,728 $16,204.00
Sales 13,706 $36,872.00
Office and Administrative Support 10,579 $34,955.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 268 $54,479.00
Construction and Extraction 5,441 $35,769.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 3,838 $38,232.00
Production 4,419 $40,442.00
Transportation and Material Moving 2,676 $33,300.00

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 9,119 $81,267.00 5,434 $51,507.00
Business and Financial 2,173 $78,311.00 3,577 $53,133.00
Computer and Mathematical 1,666 $68,895.00 985 $69,892.00
Architecture and Engineering 2,083 $74,919.00 283 $54,321.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 754 $65,682.00 940 $66,250.00
Community and Social Service 1,007 $42,659.00 1,536 $49,363.00
Legal 464 $67,571.00 528 $58,816.00
Educational and Library 1,927 $48,250.00 5,583 $40,860.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 1,081 $39,009.00 1,884 $39,196.00
Healthcare Practitioners 2,169 $80,972.00 6,156 $53,482.00
Healthcare Support 346 $16,250.00 2,332 $23,878.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 789 $47,650.00 314 $24,808.00
Law Enforcement 774 $52,074.00 46 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 3,257 $16,002.00 5,223 $13,350.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 2,716 $27,024.00 1,480 $18,347.00
Personal Care and Service 680 $13,856.00 3,048 $17,037.00
Sales 7,357 $47,407.00 6,349 $26,276.00
Office and Administrative Support 2,359 $37,662.00 8,220 $33,580.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 262 $54,167.00 6 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 5,106 $36,571.00 335 $16,109.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 3,702 $38,281.00 136 $36,429.00
Production 3,174 $43,814.00 1,245 $24,331.00
Transportation and Material Moving 2,334 $34,492.00 342 $29,675.00

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 97,852 households in New Hanover County, with an average household size of 2.23 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 53,904 families in New Hanover County with an average family size of 2.91 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 42,292 3,105 8,507 43,948
Average Household Size 2.91 3.33 3.21 1.31
Total Families 42,292 3,105 8,507 0
Average Household Size 2.89 2.85 3.02 0

Poverty

Of the 53,904 families in New Hanover County, 7.40% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in New Hanover County:

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 112,388 housing units in New Hanover County, North Carolina.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 97,852 87.07%
Vacant 14,536 12.93%

34.25% of the total 112,388 housing units in New Hanover County are rental units. This is approximately 38,492 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 57,847 are occupied by the owner - or 51.47% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in New Hanover County is $1,133.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in New Hanover County 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
    1,513
  • Less than $500
    2,943
  • $500 to $999
    10,831
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    16,726
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    6,119
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    1,161
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    392
  • $3,000 or more
    320

Property Value

The median value of a property in New Hanover County is $277,900.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    1,816
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    1,533
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    4,650
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    8,673
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    15,509
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    16,496
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    7,531
  • $1,000,000 or more
    1,639

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    6,281
  • 1940 to 1949
    4,426
  • 1950 to 1959
    5,573
  • 1960 to 1969
    6,700
  • 1970 to 1979
    14,028
  • 1980 to 1989
    17,210
  • 1990 to 1999
    22,898
  • 2000 to 2009
    21,643
  • 2010 to 2013
    13,224
  • 2014 or later
    405

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 New Hanover County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    6,381
  • 1 vehicle available
    33,246
  • 2 vehicles available
    40,309
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    17,916

Commuting to Work

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

20.3 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in New Hanover County.

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
    3,049
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    10,341
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    19,347
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    22,066
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    17,721
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    5,852
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    9,299
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    1,359
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    1,255
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    3,030
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    2,451
  • 90 or more minutes
    1,646

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for New Hanover County, 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.

Places in New Hanover County, North Carolina

We have data for 22 places in New Hanover County, North Carolina. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.