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Turkey, NC

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

391
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

26.4
years ∙ half population younger than 26.4, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
58.9%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

2%
foreign-born population
98%Native
2% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Turkey is a town within Sampson County, North Carolina, United States.
Location
Town in Sampson County, NC, US
Co-ordinates
DEC34.995035° N, 78.184152° W
DMS34° 59′ 42.13″ N, 78° 11′ 02.95″ W

Population Density & area

984.9/sq mi (380.7/km²)
Total Area
0.397 sq mi (1.027 km²)
Land Area
0.397 sq mi (1.027 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

34.8% male
Male 34.8%
Female 65.2%
males per 100 females
Turkey 53.3
Sampson County 99.5
North Carolina 95.6

Nativity

2%
foreign-born population
98%Native
2% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Turkey 2%
Sampson County 10.6%
North Carolina 9.1%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

26.4
years ∙ half population younger than 26.4, half older
Turkey
26.4
Sampson County
39.7
North Carolina
39.1

Dependency ratio

Low High
128.7
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Turkey 128.7
Sampson County 74.4
North Carolina 63.8

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Turkey Sampson County North Carolina
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 36.6% 24.5% 21.8%
Working age (18-64) 43.7% 57.4% 61%
Senior (65+) 19.7% 18.1% 17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 128.7 74.4 63.8
Child dependency ratio 83.6 42.8 35.6
Old-age dependency ratio 45 31.7 28.2
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
52.2%
Black
12.8%
Asian
0%
Hispanic
35%
Other
0%
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

Low High
58.9%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Turkey 58.9%
Sampson County 65.1%
North Carolina 58.4%
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 Turkey population
Racial and ethnic composition — Turkey vs Sampson County vs North Carolina. Source: ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.
Turkey Sampson County North Carolina
Hispanic or Latino 35% 22% 11.3%
Mexican 28.9% 12.1% 5.6%
Puerto Rican 0% 0.3% 1.3%
Cuban 0% 0.6% 0.3%
Other Hispanic / Latino 6.1% 9% 4.1%
Not Hispanic or Latino 65% 78% 88.7%
One race 65% 75.7% 84.6%
White 52.2% 49.2% 60%
Black or African American 12.8% 24% 20%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0% 1.6% 0.8%
Asian 0% 0.4% 3.3%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0.1% 0.1%
Some Other Race 0% 0.4% 0.5%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 0% 2.3% 4.1%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

36.4% family
Family 36.4%
Non family 63.6%
% family households
Turkey 36.4%
Sampson County 68.3%
North Carolina 64.3%

Average household size

3.03
persons per household
Turkey
3.03
Sampson County
2.68
North Carolina
2.44

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Turkey population
Turkey Sampson County North Carolina
Total households 129 21,607 4,282,345
Average houshold size 3.03 2.68 2.44
Family households 47 14,747 2,753,022
Average family size 5.04 3.29 3.03
Married couple family 20 10,390 2,021,951
Other families 27 4,357 731,071
Male householder 7 1,331 195,051
Female householder 20 3,026 536,020
Non-family households 82 6,860 1,529,323
One-person households 80 6,214 1,258,822
Male householder 11 2,615 544,050
Senior (65+) living alone 8 872 160,332
Female householder 69 3,599 714,772
Senior (65+) living alone 60 2,142 342,051
Other living arrangements 2 646 270,501

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

141
housing units
Turkey 141
Sampson County 25,852
North Carolina 4,895,668

Occupancy status

91.5% occupied
Occupied 91.5%
Vacant 8.5%
vacancy rate
Turkey 8.5%
Sampson County 16.4%
North Carolina 12.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

78%
Single family houses
Single family houses
78%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
0%
Mobile homes
22%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1975
Half of houses were built before 1975, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
2.1%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
21.2%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
74.4%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
2.1%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Turkey Sampson County North Carolina
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 5.9 6.1 5.6
1–3 rooms 0% 5.5% 11.4%
4–6 rooms 79.4% 55.1% 54.9%
7+ rooms 20.6% 39.5% 33.6%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 0% 3.1% 1.9%
1 bedroom 0% 1.7% 7.1%
2 bedrooms 13.5% 19.6% 23.8%
3 bedrooms 83.7% 58.6% 46.2%
4+ bedrooms 2.8% 17% 21%
At a glance
Median year built 1975 1989 1992
Total housing units 141 25,852 4,895,668
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

81.4% owners
Renter-occupied 18.6%
Owner-occupied 81.4%
homeownership rate
Turkey 81.4%
Sampson County 73.8%
North Carolina 66.6%

Average household size

1.71
Owner-occupied
8.79
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Turkey 1.71
Sampson County 2.6
North Carolina 2.54

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Turkey Sampson County North Carolina
Total occupied units 129 21,607 4,282,345
Year moved in
2020 or later 14.7% 14.7% 26.2%
2010 to 2019 29.5% 34.2% 39.2%
2000 to 2009 13.2% 20.8% 16.2%
1999 or earlier 42.6% 30.3% 18.5%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 100% 95.7% 97.8%
1.01 to 1.50 0% 3.1% 1.5%
1.51 or more 0% 1.3% 0.7%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 3.9% 4.8% 5.3%
1 vehicle 31% 28.7% 31.4%
2 vehicles 43.4% 32.6% 38%
3 or more vehicles 21.7% 33.9% 25.2%
House heating fuel used
Gas 5.4% 15.4% 30.5%
Electricity 92.2% 81.6% 65.5%
Solar 0% 0.9% 0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 2.3% 0.8% 2%
All other fuels 0% 0.7% 1.3%
No fuel used 0% 0.5% 0.7%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 10.1% 0.4% 0.3%
Lacking complete kitchen 0% 0.2% 0.6%
No telephone service available 0% 0.7% 0.8%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$52,100
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Turkey
$52,100
Sampson County
$150,700
North Carolina
$288,900

Housing Cost Burden

53.8%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
53.8%
Owners without a mortgage
3.8%
Renters
13%
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
Turkey Sampson County North Carolina
Property value
Median Value $52,100 $150,700 $288,900
Under $100,000 73.4% 32% 12.7%
$100,000 - $200,000 24.8% 32.6% 18.9%
$200,000 - $300,000 1.9% 17.4% 20.5%
$300,000 - $500,000 0% 15.2% 28.3%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 0% 2.7% 16.3%
$1,000,000 and more 0% 0.2% 3.3%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 24.8% 41.6% 61.3%
Without a mortgage 75.2% 58.4% 38.7%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $857 $1,241 $1,631
Without a mortgage $373 $454 $490
Gross rent
Median rent $847 $834 $1,228

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

3.1%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Turkey 3.1%
Sampson County 16.2%
North Carolina 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

0%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Turkey 0%
Sampson County 15.9%
North Carolina 9.9%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

28
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
0%
K–12
75%
College / Undergraduate
25%
Graduate / Professional
0%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

30.4%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Turkey
30.4%
Sampson County
26.9%
North Carolina
39.3%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Turkey Sampson County North Carolina
Total enrolled (age 3+) 28 13,967 2,530,102
Nursery / preschool 0% 5.3% 5.3%
K–12 75% 76.1% 67.4%
Kindergarten 0% 7.2% 4.9%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 21.4% 21.6% 20%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 14.3% 23.6% 21%
High School: Grades 9–12 39.3% 23.7% 21.5%
College or graduate school 25% 18.6% 27.3%
College, undergraduate 25% 17.2% 21.7%
Graduate, professional school 0% 1.4% 5.6%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 30.4% 26.9% 39.3%
School type
Public school 100% 88.7% 82.3%
Private school 0% 11.3% 17.7%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

225
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
0%
9th-12th, no diploma
0%
HS graduate
51.1%
Some college no degree
37.8%
Associates degree
8%
Bachelors degree
3.1%
Graduate or professional degree
0%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
* The Census Bureau did not publish education attainment by gender data for Turkey due to an insufficient sample size to produce reliable estimates.
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
—% · —%
9th-12th, no diploma
—% · —%
HS graduate
87.8% · 12.2%
Some college no degree
20% · 80%
Associates degree
27.8% · 72.2%
Bachelors degree
28.6% · 71.4%
Graduate or professional degree
—% · —%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Turkey Sampson County North Carolina
Population (25+) 225 39,810 7,380,330
Less than 9th grade 0% 6.4% 3.9%
9th–12th, no diploma 0% 9.5% 6%
High school diploma or GED 51.1% 34.6% 24.8%
Some college, no degree 37.8% 20.7% 19.6%
Associate's degree 8% 12.6% 10.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 3.1% 16.2% 35.7%
Bachelor's degree 3.1% 11.6% 22.2%
Graduate or professional 0% 4.7% 13.5%
High School or higher 100% 84.1% 90.1%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$36,452
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$—
HS graduate
$36,492
Some college or associates
$—
Bachelors degree
$—
Graduate or professional degree
$—

Poverty Rate

0%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
—%
HS graduate
10.4%
Some college or associates
4.9%
Bachelors degree or higher
0%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Turkey Sampson County North Carolina
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $36,452 $42,485 $49,275
Less than high school graduate $— $31,175 $31,234
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $36,492 $40,422 $37,346
Some college or associate's degree $— $42,036 $43,525
Bachelor's degree $— $53,321 $64,395
Graduate or professional degree $— $60,898 $80,986
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate —% 30.4% 26.6%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 10.4% 16.3% 15.2%
Some college or associate's degree 4.9% 16.7% 10%
Bachelor's degree or higher 0% 4% 4.2%
Insights for Turkey, by topic

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