Wilkes County, North Carolina

NC · FIPS 37193 · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates

Key Statistics

Total Population
65,935
Rank #831 of 3,222
74th %ile
Median Household Income
$51,721 −31.2% vs nat'l
Rank #2,678 of 3,222
17th %ile
Poverty Rate
16.7% +32.8% vs nat'l
Rank #2,254 of 3,222
30th %ile
Median Home Value
$168,800 −40.1% vs nat'l
Rank #1,832 of 3,222
43th %ile
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
16.9% −49.9% vs nat'l
Rank #2,516 of 3,222
22th %ile
Unemployment Rate
5.0% −5.6% vs nat'l
Rank #2,015 of 3,222
37th %ile

At a Glance

73.5% Homeownership
89.5% Insured
16.9% Bachelor's+

Age & Sex Distribution

MaleFemale
0-910-1920-2930-3940-4950-5960-6970-7980+10%8%6%4%2%0%2%4%6%8%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%15.2%30.3%45.5%60.7%75.8%85.7%7.5%3.6%2.4%0.6%0.2%0.0%

About Wilkes County, North Carolina

Wilkes County, North Carolina has a total population of 65,935, making it the 831st most populous county in the United States. The median age in Wilkes County is 45.7 years, which is 17.5% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Wilkes County is $51,721, which ranks #2,678 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 31.2% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 16.7%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 5.0%.

The median home value in Wilkes County is $168,800, 40.1% below the national median. Renters in Wilkes County pay a median gross rent of $723 per month. The homeownership rate is 73.5%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Wilkes County, 16.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 49.9% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 89.5% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 28.1 min.

Wilkes County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 85.7% of the population, followed by Hispanic or Latino (7.5%) and Black (non-Hispanic) (3.6%).

All data for Wilkes 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.