Locust, NC

City in NC, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

5,840

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

Median Age

36.2

years ∙ half population younger than 36.2, half older

Diversity Index

16.9%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

1.8%

foreign-born population

98.2%Native

1.8% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Locust is a city within Cabarrus and Stanly counties, North Carolina, United States.

Location

City in NC, US

Co-ordinates

DEC35.268643° N, 80.436721° W

DMS35° 16′ 07.11″ N, 80° 26′ 12.20″ W

Population Density & area

710.5/sq mi (274.2/km²)

Total Area

8.22 sq mi (21.3 km²)

Land Area

8.22 sq mi (21.3 km²) · 100%

Water Area

0 sq mi (0 km²) · 0%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

46.3% male

Male 46.3%

Female 53.7%

males per 100 females

Locust 86.3

North Carolina 95.6

United States 98

Nativity

1.8%

foreign-born population

98.2%Native

1.8% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Locust 1.8%

North Carolina 9.1%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

36.2

years ∙ half population younger than 36.2, half older

Locust

36.2

North Carolina

39.1

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

76.1

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Locust 76.1

North Carolina 63.8

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Locust	North Carolina	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	23.8%	21.8%	22%
Working age (18-64)	56.8%	61%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	19.4%	17.2%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	76.1	63.8	64.4
Child dependency ratio	41.9	35.6	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	34.2	28.2	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

91%

Black

2.7%

Asian

Hispanic

3.8%

Other

2.5%

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

16.9%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Locust 16.9%

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 Locust population

	Locust	North Carolina	United States
Hispanic or Latino	3.8%	11.3%	19.3%
Mexican	2.4%	5.6%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.8%	1.3%	1.8%
Cuban	0%	0.3%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0.5%	4.1%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	96.2%	88.7%	80.7%
One race	93.7%	84.6%	76.4%
White	91%	60%	57.4%
Black or African American	2.7%	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)	2.5%	4.1%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

68.6% family

Family 68.6%

Non family 31.4%

% family households

Locust 68.6%

North Carolina 64.3%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.66

persons per household

Locust

2.66

North Carolina

2.44

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Locust population

	Locust	North Carolina	United States
Total households	2,193	4,282,345	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.66	2.44	2.53
Family households	1,505	2,753,022	82,990,528
Average family size	3.2	3.03	3.14
Married couple family	1,061	2,021,951	60,637,388
Other families	444	731,071	22,353,140
Male householder	104	195,051	6,572,819
Female householder	340	536,020	15,780,321
Non-family households	688	1,529,323	46,236,968
One-person households	538	1,258,822	37,140,836
Male householder	100	544,050	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	29	160,332	5,225,110
Female householder	438	714,772	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	408	342,051	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	150	270,501	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

2,334

housing units

Locust 2,334

North Carolina 4,895,668

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

94% occupied

Occupied 94%

Vacant 6%

vacancy rate

Locust 6%

North Carolina 12.5%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

85.2%

Single family houses

85.2%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

6.6%

Mobile homes

8.3%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

2008

Half of houses were built before 2008, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

17.3%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

25.7%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

56.9%

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

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Locust	North Carolina	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	6	5.6	5.5
1–3 rooms	6.6%	11.4%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	52.1%	54.9%	51.6%
7+ rooms	41.3%	33.6%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	0%	1.9%	2.9%
1 bedroom	1.1%	7.1%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	18.2%	23.8%	25%
3 bedrooms	62%	46.2%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	18.7%	21%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	2008	1992	1981
Total housing units	2,334	4,895,668	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

86.9% owners

Renter-occupied 13.1%

Owner-occupied 86.9%

homeownership rate

Locust 86.9%

North Carolina 66.6%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.7

Owner-occupied

2.39

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Locust 2.7

North Carolina 2.54

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Locust	North Carolina	United States
Total occupied units	2,193	4,282,345	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	21.5%	26.2%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	46.7%	39.2%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	6.1%	16.2%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	25.8%	18.5%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	98.9%	97.8%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	1.1%	1.5%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0%	0.7%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	6.7%	5.3%	8.4%
1 vehicle	25.7%	31.4%	33.1%
2 vehicles	36%	38%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	31.7%	25.2%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	8.9%	30.5%	51.4%
Electricity	86.1%	65.5%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	4.8%	2%	3.9%
All other fuels	0.2%	1.3%	2%
No fuel used	0%	0.7%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0%	0.3%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0%	0.6%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0%	0.8%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$322,100

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Locust

$322,100

North Carolina

$288,900

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

27.3%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

27.3%

Owners without a mortgage

10.3%

Renters

69.5%

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

	Locust	North Carolina	United States
Property value
Median Value	$322,100	$288,900	$332,700
Under $100,000	3.5%	12.7%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	14.8%	18.9%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	25.4%	20.5%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	42.1%	28.3%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	13%	16.3%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	1.2%	3.3%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	55.8%	61.3%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	44.2%	38.7%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,621	$1,631	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$481	$490	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$895	$1,228	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

22.5%

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

Locust 22.5%

North Carolina 35.7%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

11.9%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Locust 11.9%

North Carolina 9.9%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

1,383

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

8.6%

K–12

76.1%

College / Undergraduate

14%

Graduate / Professional

1.4%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

27.3%

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

Locust

27.3%

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

	Locust	North Carolina	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	1,383	2,530,102	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	8.6%	5.3%	5.7%
K–12	76.1%	67.4%	67.6%
Kindergarten	6.5%	4.9%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	24.1%	20%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	10.6%	21%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	34.9%	21.5%	21.7%
College or graduate school	15.3%	27.3%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	14%	21.7%	21%
Graduate, professional school	1.4%	5.6%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	27.3%	39.3%	40.9%
School type
Public school	75.3%	82.3%	82%
Private school	24.7%	17.7%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

3,900

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

3.5%

9th-12th, no diploma

8.4%

HS graduate

29.6%

Some college no degree

19%

Associates degree

16.9%

Bachelors degree

15.7%

Graduate or professional degree

6.8%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

38% · 62%

9th-12th, no diploma

47% · 53%

HS graduate

54.3% · 45.7%

Some college no degree

46.8% · 53.2%

Associates degree

25.9% · 74.1%

Bachelors degree

52.4% · 47.6%

Graduate or professional degree

34.8% · 65.2%

Educational Attainment Overview

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

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Locust	North Carolina	United States
Population (25+)	3,900	7,380,330	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	3.5%	3.9%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	8.4%	6%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	29.6%	24.8%	26%
Some college, no degree	19%	19.6%	19.1%
Associate's degree	16.9%	10.1%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.5%	35.7%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	15.7%	22.2%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	6.8%	13.5%	14.1%
High School or higher	88.1%	90.1%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$60,561

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$41,116

HS graduate

$52,611

Some college or associates

$54,648

Bachelors degree

$77,560

Graduate or professional degree

$76,618

Poverty Rate

4.4%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

22.8%

HS graduate

8.5%

Some college or associates

10%

Bachelors degree or higher

4.4%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Locust	North Carolina	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$60,561	$49,275	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$41,116	$31,234	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$52,611	$37,346	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$54,648	$43,525	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$77,560	$64,395	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$76,618	$80,986	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	22.8%	26.6%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	8.5%	15.2%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	10%	10%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	4.4%	4.2%	4.5%

Insights for Locust, 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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