Elm City, NC

Town in NC, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

1,292

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

43.1

years ∙ half population younger than 43.1, half older

Diversity Index

39.9%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

0.3%

foreign-born population

99.7%Native

0.3% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Elm City is a town within Nash and Wilson counties, North Carolina, United States.

Location

Town in NC, US

Co-ordinates

DEC35.804042° N, 77.856682° W

DMS35° 48′ 14.55″ N, 77° 51′ 24.06″ W

Population Density & area

600.9/sq mi (232/km²)

Total Area

2.16 sq mi (5.59 km²)

Land Area

2.15 sq mi (5.57 km²) · 99.56%

Water Area

0.01 sq mi (0.02 km²) · 0.44%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

48.5% male

Male 48.5%

Female 51.5%

males per 100 females

Elm City 94

North Carolina 95.6

United States 98

Nativity

0.3%

foreign-born population

99.7%Native

0.3% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Elm City 0.3%

North Carolina 9.1%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

43.1

years ∙ half population younger than 43.1, half older

Elm City

43.1

North Carolina

39.1

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

107.4

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Elm City 107.4

North Carolina 63.8

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Elm City	North Carolina	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	25.1%	21.8%	22%
Working age (18-64)	48.2%	61%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	26.7%	17.2%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	107.4	63.8	64.4
Child dependency ratio	52	35.6	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	55.4	28.2	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

25.2%

Black

73.3%

Asian

Hispanic

Other

0.5%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

39.9%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Elm City 39.9%

North Carolina 58.4%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Elm City population

	Elm City	North Carolina	United States
Hispanic or Latino	1%	11.3%	19.3%
Mexican	0.7%	5.6%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.3%	1.3%	1.8%
Cuban	0%	0.3%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0%	4.1%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	99%	88.7%	80.7%
One race	98.5%	84.6%	76.4%
White	25.2%	60%	57.4%
Black or African American	73.3%	20%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0%	0.8%	0.5%
Asian	0%	3.3%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0.1%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0%	0.5%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	0.5%	4.1%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

63.7% family

Family 63.7%

Non family 36.3%

% family households

Elm City 63.7%

North Carolina 64.3%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.41

persons per household

Elm City

2.41

North Carolina

2.44

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Elm City population

	Elm City	North Carolina	United States
Total households	537	4,282,345	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.41	2.44	2.53
Family households	342	2,753,022	82,990,528
Average family size	2.97	3.03	3.14
Married couple family	191	2,021,951	60,637,388
Other families	151	731,071	22,353,140
Male householder	25	195,051	6,572,819
Female householder	126	536,020	15,780,321
Non-family households	195	1,529,323	46,236,968
One-person households	174	1,258,822	37,140,836
Male householder	50	544,050	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	24	160,332	5,225,110
Female householder	124	714,772	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	111	342,051	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	21	270,501	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

612

housing units

Elm City 612

North Carolina 4,895,668

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

87.7% occupied

Occupied 87.7%

Vacant 12.3%

vacancy rate

Elm City 12.3%

North Carolina 12.5%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

72.5%

Single family houses

72.5%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

20.1%

Mobile homes

7.4%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1978

Half of houses were built before 1978, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

10.6%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

20.9%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

64%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

4.6%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Elm City	North Carolina	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.2	5.6	5.5
1–3 rooms	8.5%	11.4%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	69.8%	54.9%	51.6%
7+ rooms	21.7%	33.6%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	3.1%	1.9%	2.9%
1 bedroom	6.7%	7.1%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	27.9%	23.8%	25%
3 bedrooms	42.6%	46.2%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	19.7%	21%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1978	1992	1981
Total housing units	612	4,895,668	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

58.1% owners

Renter-occupied 41.9%

Owner-occupied 58.1%

homeownership rate

Elm City 58.1%

North Carolina 66.6%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.13

Owner-occupied

2.78

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Elm City 2.13

North Carolina 2.54

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Elm City	North Carolina	United States
Total occupied units	537	4,282,345	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	16.3%	26.2%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	35%	39.2%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	15.6%	16.2%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	32.9%	18.5%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	97.6%	97.8%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	2.4%	1.5%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0%	0.7%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	7.8%	5.3%	8.4%
1 vehicle	38.5%	31.4%	33.1%
2 vehicles	37.4%	38%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	16.2%	25.2%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	16.5%	30.5%	51.4%
Electricity	81.4%	65.5%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0.9%	2%	3.9%
All other fuels	0.6%	1.3%	2%
No fuel used	0.6%	0.7%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.6%	0.3%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.4%	0.6%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0%	0.8%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$109,300

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Elm City

$109,300

North Carolina

$288,900

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

35%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

35%

Owners without a mortgage

25.1%

Renters

45.3%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Elm City	North Carolina	United States
Property value
Median Value	$109,300	$288,900	$332,700
Under $100,000	43.6%	12.7%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	47.2%	18.9%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	4.5%	20.5%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	3.8%	28.3%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	1%	16.3%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	0%	3.3%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	43.9%	61.3%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	56.1%	38.7%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,075	$1,631	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$482	$490	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$859	$1,228	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

10.7%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Elm City 10.7%

North Carolina 35.7%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

13.6%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Elm City 13.6%

North Carolina 9.9%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

204

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

K–12

80.9%

College / Undergraduate

17.2%

Graduate / Professional

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

14.7%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Elm City

14.7%

North Carolina

39.3%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Elm City	North Carolina	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	204	2,530,102	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	2%	5.3%	5.7%
K–12	80.9%	67.4%	67.6%
Kindergarten	0%	4.9%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	33.8%	20%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	30.9%	21%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	16.2%	21.5%	21.7%
College or graduate school	17.2%	27.3%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	17.2%	21.7%	21%
Graduate, professional school	0%	5.6%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	14.7%	39.3%	40.9%
School type
Public school	90.7%	82.3%	82%
Private school	9.3%	17.7%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

900

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

4.4%

9th-12th, no diploma

9.2%

HS graduate

47.4%

Some college no degree

20.6%

Associates degree

7.7%

Bachelors degree

4.7%

Graduate or professional degree

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

37.5% · 62.5%

9th-12th, no diploma

60.2% · 39.8%

HS graduate

43.8% · 56.2%

Some college no degree

44.3% · 55.7%

Associates degree

20.3% · 79.7%

Bachelors degree

71.4% · 28.6%

Graduate or professional degree

22.2% · 77.8%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Elm City	North Carolina	United States
Population (25+)	900	7,380,330	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	4.4%	3.9%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	9.2%	6%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	47.4%	24.8%	26%
Some college, no degree	20.6%	19.6%	19.1%
Associate's degree	7.7%	10.1%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	10.7%	35.7%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	4.7%	22.2%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	6%	13.5%	14.1%
High School or higher	86.3%	90.1%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$34,348

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$18,988

HS graduate

$41,333

Some college or associates

$25,278

Bachelors degree

$48,958

Graduate or professional degree

$—

Poverty Rate

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

58.5%

HS graduate

23.4%

Some college or associates

18.1%

Bachelors degree or higher

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Elm City	North Carolina	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$34,348	$49,275	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$18,988	$31,234	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$41,333	$37,346	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$25,278	$43,525	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$48,958	$64,395	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$—	$80,986	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	58.5%	26.6%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	23.4%	15.2%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	18.1%	10%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	0%	4.2%	4.5%

Insights for Elm City, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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