Lenoir, North Carolina demographics

Lenoir, NC demographics: median age 45.7; 21.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree. Age, race, households, languages and education, ACS 2020–2024 with margins of error.

ACS 2020–2024 · Lenoir city, North Carolina · Incorporated city · GEOID 3737760. The survey estimates a population of 18,299 for its five-year window. This is separate from the annual July 2025 population estimate on the city overview.

Median age in Lenoir is 45.7 years, with a 90% margin of error of 3.3 years. There are 8,199 households (±450). Age and household distributions show how these totals are composed; they do not establish which neighborhood suits a particular person.

Every count and share is an estimate. “±” is a 90% margin of error (MOE); pp means percentage points. Derived shares use the category count divided by the named universe. Aggregated category MOEs and percentage MOEs are approximate. A margin larger than half its estimate is flagged as low precision. Blank source uncertainty is shown as unavailable, never zero.

Age distribution and sex

City, state and U.S. estimates · ACS 2020–2024
Measure / survey universe	City estimate ± MOE	State estimate ± MOE	U.S. estimate ± MOE
Median age Total population · years	45.7 ±3.3	39.1 ±0.2	38.9 ±0.1

Age groups · B01001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 18,299
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Under 18	3,562 ±525	19.5% ±2.9 pp	21.8%	22.0%
18–34	3,543 ±531	19.4% ±2.9 pp	22.9%	22.8%
35–64	6,995 ±806	38.2% ±4.4 pp	38.2%	38.0%
65 and older	4,199 ±543	22.9% ±3.0 pp	17.2%	17.2%

Sex categories as published by ACS · B01001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 18,299
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Male	8,425 ±494	46.0% ±2.7 pp	48.9%	49.5%
Female	9,874 ±492	54.0% ±2.7 pp	51.1%	50.5%

The age groups are mutually exclusive and cover the entire population. The sex categories follow this ACS table’s published classification; they are not a survey of gender identity.

Race and Hispanic origin

Race · B02001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 18,299
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
White alone	13,704 ±745	74.9% ±4.1 pp	61.8%	61.0%
Black or African American alone	1,822 ±375	10.0% ±2.0 pp	20.3%	12.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone	56 ±61 · low precision	0.3% ±0.3 pp · low precision	1.1%	0.9%
Asian alone	172 ±119 · low precision	0.9% ±0.7 pp · low precision	3.3%	6.0%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone	0 ±21 · low precision	0.0% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.1%	0.2%
Some other race alone	1,479 ±788 · low precision	8.1% ±4.3 pp · low precision	5.2%	7.1%
Two or more races	1,066 ±477	5.8% ±2.6 pp	8.3%	12.6%

Hispanic or Latino origin · B03003 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 18,299
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Not Hispanic or Latino	15,878 ±649	86.8% ±3.5 pp	88.7%	80.7%
Hispanic or Latino	2,421 ±649	13.2% ±3.5 pp	11.3%	19.3%

Hispanic origin and race are separate questions. People of Hispanic or Latino origin may be of any race and appear in both tables. Do not add the Hispanic share to race shares. Race alone and two-or-more-race groups are the mutually exclusive categories of the race table.

Household types, children and living alone

Household types · B11001 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 8,199
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Married-couple family	2,858 ±332	34.9% ±3.6 pp	47.2%	46.9%
Other family: male householder, no spouse present	512 ±204	6.2% ±2.5 pp	4.6%	5.1%
Other family: female householder, no spouse present	1,460 ±393	17.8% ±4.7 pp	12.5%	12.2%
Nonfamily: householder living alone	3,198 ±521	39.0% ±6.0 pp	29.4%	28.7%
Nonfamily: householder not living alone	171 ±105 · low precision	2.1% ±1.3 pp · low precision	6.3%	7.0%

Households with children · B11005 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 8,199
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Households with people under 18	1,803 ±357	22.0% ±4.2 pp	29.1%	29.5%
Households without people under 18	6,396 ±616	78.0% ±6.2 pp	70.9%	70.5%

Household size · B11016 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 8,199
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
One-person nonfamily households	3,198 ±521	39.0% ±6.0 pp	29.4%	28.7%
Two-person households	2,690 ±393	32.8% ±4.4 pp	35.6%	33.8%
Three-person households	1,040 ±369	12.7% ±4.4 pp	15.6%	15.3%
Four-person households	796 ±282	9.7% ±3.4 pp	11.8%	12.6%
Five-person households	245 ±160 · low precision	3.0% ±1.9 pp · low precision	5.0%	5.9%
Six-person households	150 ±113 · low precision	1.8% ±1.4 pp · low precision	1.8%	2.2%
Seven or more people	80 ±90 · low precision	1.0% ±1.1 pp · low precision	0.9%	1.4%

A family household contains related people under the Census definition. A nonfamily household can contain one person or unrelated people sharing a home. Households with children can also appear in the household-type and size tables, so those tables must not be added together. Household estimates exclude people living in group quarters from the household universe.

Nativity and languages spoken at home

Nativity · B05002 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 18,299
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Native	17,008 ±532	92.9% ±2.9 pp	90.9%	85.9%
Foreign born	1,291 ±532	7.1% ±2.9 pp	9.1%	14.1%

Language spoken at home · C16001 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 5 and older: 17,042
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
English only	14,935 ±757	87.6% ±4.1 pp	86.5%	77.7%
Spanish	1,932 ±691	11.3% ±4.0 pp	8.7%	13.6%
French, Haitian, or Cajun	0 ±21 · low precision	0.0% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.4%	0.7%
German or other West Germanic	0 ±21 · low precision	0.0% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.5%
Russian, Polish, or other Slavic	20 ±27 · low precision	0.1% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.7%
Other Indo-European	4 ±8 · low precision	0.0% ±0.0 pp · low precision	1.2%	2.0%
Korean	0 ±21 · low precision	0.0% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.2%	0.3%
Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese	0 ±21 · low precision	0.0% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.4%	1.1%
Vietnamese	135 ±142 · low precision	0.8% ±0.8 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.5%
Tagalog, including Filipino	0 ±21 · low precision	0.0% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.2%	0.6%
Other Asian and Pacific Island	16 ±29 · low precision	0.1% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.9%	1.1%
Arabic	0 ±21 · low precision	0.0% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.5%
Other and unspecified	0 ±21 · low precision	0.0% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.5%	0.8%

Foreign born means not a U.S. citizen at birth; it includes naturalized citizens. Language categories describe speech at home among people age five and older. A language other than English at home does not establish that someone cannot speak English. This city page uses the published C16001 summary categories because the more detailed B16001 table does not provide these city records in this release.

Educational attainment

Highest completed education · B15003 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 25 and older: 13,360
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Less than high school graduate	1,979 ±463	14.8% ±3.4 pp	9.9%	10.4%
High school graduate or equivalency	4,077 ±586	30.5% ±4.2 pp	24.8%	26.0%
Some college, no degree	3,046 ±611	22.8% ±4.5 pp	19.6%	19.1%
Associate’s degree	1,424 ±366	10.7% ±2.7 pp	10.1%	8.8%
Bachelor’s degree	2,096 ±425	15.7% ±3.1 pp	22.2%	21.6%
Graduate or professional degree	738 ±227	5.5% ±1.7 pp	13.5%	14.1%

The denominator excludes residents under 25. Each person is counted in the highest attainment category they completed. This table does not measure the quality of local schools or the education level of every current student.

Residence one year earlier

Geographic mobility · B07003 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 1 and older: 18,107
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Same house	16,348 ±557	90.3% ±3.0 pp	87.3%	87.7%
Moved within same county	807 ±305	4.5% ±1.7 pp	5.5%	6.3%
Moved from a different county in the same state	256 ±128	1.4% ±0.7 pp	3.6%	3.1%
Moved from a different state	645 ±459 · low precision	3.6% ±2.5 pp · low precision	3.0%	2.3%
Moved from abroad	51 ±61 · low precision	0.3% ±0.3 pp · low precision	0.6%	0.6%

These are respondents’ residence patterns one year before their survey response, pooled across the five-year window. They are not a net migration count for 2025. A person can move to a different house within the same city or county; moves within the same county should not automatically be interpreted as new arrivals to the city.

Health insurance, internet access and veterans

12.5% of Lenoir residents (±2.8 percentage points) had no health insurance coverage when surveyed, compared with 9.9% in North Carolina and 8.4% nationally. 82.0% of households subscribe to broadband of any type, including cellular data plans. A subscription is not the same as available service: the FCC National Broadband Map shows providers at a specific address.

City, state and U.S. shares · ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Lenoir	North Carolina	U.S.	Compared with North Carolina
People without health insurance Civilian noninstitutionalized population	12.5% ±2.8 pp	9.9%	8.4%	Not statistically different
Households with a broadband subscription Households	82.0% ±2.9 pp	90.1%	91.0%	Lower
Veterans Civilian population age 18 and older	6.8% ±2.0 pp	7.4%	6.2%	Not statistically different

Reading and reusing the estimates

The Census table links above lead to the original detailed tables. Counts, source universes and uncertainty are retained in the source observation download for Lenoir . Compare these figures with the same survey window; do not compare one city’s five-year estimate with another city’s annual estimate as though they measured the same period. For methods, see uncertainty and denominator calculations.

Read Lenoir housing and cost context or return to the city profile.