McDowell County, North Carolina

NC · FIPS 37111 · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates

Key Statistics

Total Population
44,817
Rank #1,105 of 3,222
66th %ile
Median Household Income
$57,168 −23.9% vs nat'l
Rank #2,316 of 3,222
28th %ile
Poverty Rate
14.8% +17.5% vs nat'l
Rank #1,916 of 3,222
41th %ile
Median Home Value
$171,100 −39.3% vs nat'l
Rank #1,786 of 3,222
44th %ile
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
18.1% −46.3% vs nat'l
Rank #2,347 of 3,222
27th %ile
Unemployment Rate
4.1% −23.2% vs nat'l
Rank #1,355 of 3,222
58th %ile

At a Glance

75.6% Homeownership
88.5% Insured
18.1% Bachelor's+

Age & Sex Distribution

MaleFemale
0-910-1920-2930-3940-4950-5960-6970-7980+10%5%0%5%10%

Race & Ethnicity

White (non-Hispanic)Hispanic or LatinoBlack (non-Hispanic)Two or More RacesAsian (non-Hispanic)American Indian (non-Hispanic)Other (non-Hispanic)0.0%22.3%44.6%66.9%85.6%7.1%3.8%2.0%1.1%0.3%0.0%

About McDowell County, North Carolina

McDowell County, North Carolina has a total population of 44,817, making it the 1,105th most populous county in the United States. The median age in McDowell County is 44.3 years, which is 13.9% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in McDowell County is $57,168, which ranks #2,316 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 23.9% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 14.8%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 4.1%.

The median home value in McDowell County is $171,100, 39.3% below the national median. Renters in McDowell County pay a median gross rent of $806 per month. The homeownership rate is 75.6%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In McDowell County, 18.1% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 46.3% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 88.5% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 27.1 min.

McDowell County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 85.6% of the population, followed by Hispanic or Latino (7.1%) and Black (non-Hispanic) (3.8%).

All data for McDowell County, North Carolina comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.

About this data

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024). All values are estimates derived from survey samples and are subject to margin of error. For more information, see our methodology.