Person County, North Carolina

County in NC, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

39,542

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

Median Age

44.2

years ∙ half population younger than 44.2, half older

Diversity Index

51.6%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

3.1%

foreign-born population

96.9%Native

3.1% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Person County is a county in North Carolina, United States.

Location

County in NC, US

Co-ordinates

DEC36.386357° N, 78.965633° W

DMS36° 23′ 10.89″ N, 78° 57′ 56.28″ W

Population Density & area

100.8/sq mi (38.91/km²)

Total Area

404.3 sq mi (1,047.4 km²)

Land Area

392.3 sq mi (1,016.2 km²) · 97%

Water Area

12 sq mi (31.2 km²) · 3%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

48% male

Male 48%

Female 52%

males per 100 females

Person County 92.5

North Carolina 95.6

United States 98

Nativity

3.1%

foreign-born population

96.9%Native

3.1% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Person County 3.1%

North Carolina 9.1%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

44.2

years ∙ half population younger than 44.2, half older

Person County

44.2

North Carolina

39.1

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

72.2

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Person County 72.2

North Carolina 63.8

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Person County	North Carolina	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	20.6%	21.8%	22%
Working age (18-64)	58.1%	61%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	21.3%	17.2%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	72.2	63.8	64.4
Child dependency ratio	35.5	35.6	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	36.7	28.2	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

64.2%

Black

25.8%

Asian

0.1%

Hispanic

6.3%

Other

3.6%

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

51.6%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Person County 51.6%

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 Person County population

	Person County	North Carolina	United States
Hispanic or Latino	6.3%	11.3%	19.3%
Mexican	4%	5.6%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.9%	1.3%	1.8%
Cuban	0.1%	0.3%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	1.4%	4.1%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	93.7%	88.7%	80.7%
One race	90.5%	84.6%	76.4%
White	64.2%	60%	57.4%
Black or African American	25.8%	20%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.1%	0.8%	0.5%
Asian	0.1%	3.3%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0.1%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.2%	0.5%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	3.2%	4.1%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

67.3% family

Family 67.3%

Non family 32.7%

% family households

Person County 67.3%

North Carolina 64.3%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.43

persons per household

Person County

2.43

North Carolina

2.44

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Person County population

	Person County	North Carolina	United States
Total households	16,063	4,282,345	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.43	2.44	2.53
Family households	10,806	2,753,022	82,990,528
Average family size	2.97	3.03	3.14
Married couple family	7,662	2,021,951	60,637,388
Other families	3,144	731,071	22,353,140
Male householder	477	195,051	6,572,819
Female householder	2,667	536,020	15,780,321
Non-family households	5,257	1,529,323	46,236,968
One-person households	4,365	1,258,822	37,140,836
Male householder	1,829	544,050	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	855	160,332	5,225,110
Female householder	2,536	714,772	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	1,852	342,051	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	892	270,501	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

18,584

housing units

Person County 18,584

North Carolina 4,895,668

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

86.4% occupied

Occupied 86.4%

Vacant 13.6%

vacancy rate

Person County 13.6%

North Carolina 12.5%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

75.2%

Single family houses

75.2%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

6.3%

Mobile homes

18.4%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1985

Half of houses were built before 1985, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

6.6%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

26%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

43.9%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

23.4%

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

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Person County	North Carolina	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.9	5.6	5.5
1–3 rooms	6.4%	11.4%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	57%	54.9%	51.6%
7+ rooms	36.6%	33.6%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	1.9%	1.9%	2.9%
1 bedroom	3.9%	7.1%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	20.5%	23.8%	25%
3 bedrooms	57.9%	46.2%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	15.9%	21%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1985	1992	1981
Total housing units	18,584	4,895,668	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

77.3% owners

Renter-occupied 22.7%

Owner-occupied 77.3%

homeownership rate

Person County 77.3%

North Carolina 66.6%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.47

Owner-occupied

2.33

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Person County 2.47

North Carolina 2.54

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Person County	North Carolina	United States
Total occupied units	16,063	4,282,345	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	17.6%	26.2%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	33.2%	39.2%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	20.7%	16.2%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	28.5%	18.5%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	98.8%	97.8%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	1%	1.5%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.2%	0.7%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	4.9%	5.3%	8.4%
1 vehicle	25.8%	31.4%	33.1%
2 vehicles	33.2%	38%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	36.2%	25.2%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	32.1%	30.5%	51.4%
Electricity	64.2%	65.5%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	1%	2%	3.9%
All other fuels	2.4%	1.3%	2%
No fuel used	0.4%	0.7%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.2%	0.3%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.1%	0.6%	0.8%
No telephone service available	1%	0.8%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$213,900

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Person County

$213,900

North Carolina

$288,900

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

24.7%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

24.7%

Owners without a mortgage

11.4%

Renters

60.4%

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

	Person County	North Carolina	United States
Property value
Median Value	$213,900	$288,900	$332,700
Under $100,000	17.1%	12.7%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	29.3%	18.9%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	21.8%	20.5%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	23.3%	28.3%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	7.7%	16.3%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	0.8%	3.3%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	60.4%	61.3%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	39.6%	38.7%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,393	$1,631	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$454	$490	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$864	$1,228	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

19.3%

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

Person County 19.3%

North Carolina 35.7%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

11.2%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Person County 11.2%

North Carolina 9.9%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

8,654

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

5.1%

K–12

70.5%

College / Undergraduate

22.1%

Graduate / Professional

2.2%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

32%

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

Person County

32%

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

	Person County	North Carolina	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	8,654	2,530,102	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	5.1%	5.3%	5.7%
K–12	70.5%	67.4%	67.6%
Kindergarten	3.6%	4.9%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	16.5%	20%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	26.9%	21%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	23.5%	21.5%	21.7%
College or graduate school	24.3%	27.3%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	22.1%	21.7%	21%
Graduate, professional school	2.2%	5.6%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	32%	39.3%	40.9%
School type
Public school	86.5%	82.3%	82%
Private school	13.5%	17.7%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

28,089

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

3.8%

9th-12th, no diploma

7.4%

HS graduate

34.7%

Some college no degree

23%

Associates degree

11.9%

Bachelors degree

12.9%

Graduate or professional degree

6.4%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

55.8% · 44.2%

9th-12th, no diploma

45.8% · 54.2%

HS graduate

52.5% · 47.5%

Some college no degree

46.4% · 53.6%

Associates degree

46.9% · 53.1%

Bachelors degree

40.8% · 59.2%

Graduate or professional degree

30.1% · 69.9%

Educational Attainment Overview

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

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Person County	North Carolina	United States
Population (25+)	28,089	7,380,330	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	3.8%	3.9%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	7.4%	6%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	34.7%	24.8%	26%
Some college, no degree	23%	19.6%	19.1%
Associate's degree	11.9%	10.1%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.3%	35.7%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	12.9%	22.2%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	6.4%	13.5%	14.1%
High School or higher	88.9%	90.1%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$45,393

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$24,175

HS graduate

$39,194

Some college or associates

$41,449

Bachelors degree

$75,700

Graduate or professional degree

$74,721

Poverty Rate

7.2%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

35.9%

HS graduate

16.4%

Some college or associates

Bachelors degree or higher

7.2%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Person County	North Carolina	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$45,393	$49,275	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$24,175	$31,234	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$39,194	$37,346	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$41,449	$43,525	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$75,700	$64,395	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$74,721	$80,986	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	35.9%	26.6%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	16.4%	15.2%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	9%	10%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	7.2%	4.2%	4.5%

Insights for Person County, 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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