Polish Population in New Hanover County, NC by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Polish population in New Hanover County, NC is reported at 5,689 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Each of the four cities in New Hanover County shows a Polish population, including Wilmington (2,612), Carolina Beach (344), Kure Beach (117), and Wrightsville Beach (68). Together, they comprise the bulk of 5,689 residents in the county. The rest appear to reside in unincorporated areas. This city-plus-rural pattern is examined in the insights below.

Top 5 cities with the largest Polish population in New Hanover County

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  • 1
    Wilmington
    Polish population in Wilmington is 2,612
    2.20% of Wilmington population is Polish
  • 2
    Carolina Beach
    Polish population in Carolina Beach is 344
    5.16% of Carolina Beach population is Polish
  • 3
    Kure Beach
    Polish population in Kure Beach is 117
    5.04% of Kure Beach population is Polish
  • 4
    Wrightsville Beach
    Polish population in Wrightsville Beach is 68
    2.54% of Wrightsville Beach population is Polish

Overview of Polish population in New Hanover County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows New Hanover County contains 5,689 Polish residents (2.5% of 231,214 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 90th percentile nationally among counties and 95th percentile within North Carolina for Polish demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS indicate New Hanover County's Polish population of 2.5% exceeds North Carolina's state average of 1.4% while remaining below the national average of 2.6%, placing the county above regional demographic benchmarks while below national concentration levels.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data documents New Hanover County with 5,689 Polish residents, representing 3.8% of North Carolina's total Polish population of 148,819.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey document New Hanover County with 29.6 Polish Americans per square mile, more than nine times North Carolina's average density of 3.1 per square mile, placing the county among the most densely concentrated jurisdictions within the state.
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New Hanover County Cities Ranked by Polish Population

View Methodology
ACS demographic data [1] document 5,689 Polish residents across all four cities in New Hanover County, NC included in this analysis* — Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Wrightsville Beach. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on Census Bureau data.
cities in New Hanover County, NC ranked by Polish population count
Rank by Polish Population
City
Polish Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total New Hanover County Polish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Wilmington 2,612 2.20% 45.91%
2 Carolina Beach 344 5.16% 6.05%
3 Kure Beach 117 5.04% 2.06%
4 Wrightsville Beach 68 2.54% 1.20%
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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 city in New Hanover County, NC by their Polish population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Polish population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Polish ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Polish alone, while others identify as Polish along with another race (such as Polish and German).
  • We’ve used the “Polish alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Polish population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Polish alone or in combination in city. 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 Polish .
  2. % of Total New Hanover County Polish Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Polish 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 Polish 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.
  • City that don’t have any reported Polish 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 Polish populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.