2025

Cities in Rutherford County, NC ranked by Non-Hispanic White Population

This list ranks the 8 cities in Rutherford County based on their Non-Hispanic White population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in these cities over the past five years.
Updated Feb 11, 2025

Top 5 cities with the largest Non-Hispanic White population in Rutherford County

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  • 1
    Forest City
    Non-Hispanic White population in Forest City is 3,981
    49.86% of Forest City population is Non-Hispanic White
  • 2
    Spindale
    Non-Hispanic White population in Spindale is 3,359
    76.41% of Spindale population is Non-Hispanic White
  • 3
    Rutherfordton
    Non-Hispanic White population in Rutherfordton is 2,649
    64.06% of Rutherfordton population is Non-Hispanic White
  • 4
    Lake Lure
    Non-Hispanic White population in Lake Lure is 1,227
    71.30% of Lake Lure population is Non-Hispanic White
  • 5
    Ellenboro
    Non-Hispanic White population in Ellenboro is 744
    75.76% of Ellenboro population is Non-Hispanic White

List of 8 cities in Rutherford County, NC by Non-Hispanic White Population

View Methodology
Rank by Non-Hispanic White Population
City
Non-Hispanic White Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Rutherford County Non-Hispanic White Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Forest City 3,981 49.86% 30.98%
2 Spindale 3,359 76.41% 26.14%
3 Rutherfordton 2,649 64.06% 20.61%
4 Lake Lure 1,227 71.30% 9.55%
5 Ellenboro 744 75.76% 5.79%
6 Ruth 434 71.38% 3.38%
7 Bostic 325 87.13% 2.53%
8 131 100.00% 1.02%

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 Rutherford County, NC by their Non-Hispanic White population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census Defines Non-Hispanic 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 Non-Hispanic 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 Non-Hispanic White alone, while others identify as Non-Hispanic White along with another race (such as Non-Hispanic White and White).
  • Hispanic / Latino origin is reported separately from race, so someone can be both Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White .
  • We’ve used the “Non-Hispanic White alone or in combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Non-Hispanic White population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Non-Hispanic 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 Non-Hispanic White .
  2. % of Total Rutherford County Non-Hispanic White Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Non-Hispanic 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 Non-Hispanic 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 Non-Hispanic 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 Non-Hispanic 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.