2025

Cities in Brunswick County, NC ranked by White Population

This list ranks the 19 cities in Brunswick County based on their White population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in these cities over the past five years.
Updated Jan 24, 2025

Top 5 cities with the largest White population in Brunswick County

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  • 1
    Leland
    White population in Leland is 22,655
    81.55% of Leland population is White
  • 2
    Oak Island
    White population in Oak Island is 8,676
    94.23% of Oak Island population is White
  • 3
    St. James
    White population in St. James is 6,611
    88.58% of St. James population is White
  • 4
    Boiling Spring Lakes
    White population in Boiling Spring Lakes is 5,957
    93.33% of Boiling Spring Lakes population is White
  • 5
    Carolina Shores
    White population in Carolina Shores is 4,659
    90.94% of Carolina Shores population is White

List of 19 cities in Brunswick County, NC by White Population

View Methodology
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Rank by White Population
City
White Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Brunswick County White Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Leland 22,655 81.55% 32.33%
2 Oak Island 8,676 94.23% 12.38%
3 St. James 6,611 88.58% 9.43%
4 Boiling Spring Lakes 5,957 93.33% 8.50%
5 Carolina Shores 4,659 90.94% 6.65%
6 Sunset Beach 4,202 95.26% 6.00%
7 Shallotte 3,910 77.12% 5.58%
8 3,829 87.88% 5.46%
9 2,444 69.04% 3.49%
10 2,134 76.65% 3.05%
11 1,039 32.06% 1.48%
12 1,032 97.36% 1.47%
13 789 92.61% 1.13%
14 782 98.24% 1.12%
15 481 98.36% 0.69%
16 280 86.96% 0.40%
17 236 32.73% 0.34%
18 220 86.27% 0.31%
19 146 97.99% 0.21%

Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks cities in Brunswick County, NC by their White population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census Defines White Population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their race, meaning individuals can choose one or more racial categories when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as White, whether alone or in combination with another race.
Here are a few important things to know about how race is reported:
  • Some people identify as White alone, while others identify as White along with another race (such as White and White).
  • Hispanic / Latino origin is reported separately from race, so someone can be both Hispanic and White .
  • We’ve used the “White alone or in combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the White population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as White alone or in combination in cities. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as White .
  2. % of Total Brunswick County White Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. White population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small White populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • Cities that don’t have any reported White population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where White populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.