Salisbury, North Carolina demographics

Salisbury, NC demographics: median age 36.5; 29.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree. Age, race, households, languages and education, ACS 2020–2024 with margins of error.

ACS 2020–2024 · Salisbury city, North Carolina · Incorporated city · GEOID 3758860. The survey estimates a population of 35,825 for its five-year window. This is separate from the annual July 2025 population estimate on the city overview.

Median age in Salisbury is 36.5 years, with a 90% margin of error of 2.0 years. There are 14,043 households (±571). 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	36.5 ±2.0	39.1 ±0.2	38.9 ±0.1

Age groups · B01001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 35,825
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Under 18	7,861 ±815	21.9% ±2.3 pp	21.8%	22.0%
18–34	8,884 ±791	24.8% ±2.2 pp	22.9%	22.8%
35–64	12,953 ±942	36.2% ±2.6 pp	38.2%	38.0%
65 and older	6,127 ±550	17.1% ±1.5 pp	17.2%	17.2%

Sex categories as published by ACS · B01001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 35,825
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Male	17,749 ±559	49.5% ±1.6 pp	48.9%	49.5%
Female	18,076 ±554	50.5% ±1.5 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: 35,825
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
White alone	18,691 ±1,161	52.2% ±3.2 pp	61.8%	61.0%
Black or African American alone	12,654 ±908	35.3% ±2.5 pp	20.3%	12.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone	51 ±47 · low precision	0.1% ±0.1 pp · low precision	1.1%	0.9%
Asian alone	372 ±185	1.0% ±0.5 pp	3.3%	6.0%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone	17 ±22 · low precision	0.0% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.1%	0.2%
Some other race alone	1,357 ±527	3.8% ±1.5 pp	5.2%	7.1%
Two or more races	2,683 ±763	7.5% ±2.1 pp	8.3%	12.6%

Hispanic or Latino origin · B03003 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 35,825
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Not Hispanic or Latino	31,719 ±1,012	88.5% ±2.8 pp	88.7%	80.7%
Hispanic or Latino	4,106 ±1,020	11.5% ±2.8 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: 14,043
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Married-couple family	4,898 ±424	34.9% ±2.7 pp	47.2%	46.9%
Other family: male householder, no spouse present	681 ±261	4.8% ±1.8 pp	4.6%	5.1%
Other family: female householder, no spouse present	2,654 ±428	18.9% ±2.9 pp	12.5%	12.2%
Nonfamily: householder living alone	4,742 ±561	33.8% ±3.8 pp	29.4%	28.7%
Nonfamily: householder not living alone	1,068 ±300	7.6% ±2.1 pp	6.3%	7.0%

Households with children · B11005 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 14,043
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Households with people under 18	4,037 ±454	28.7% ±3.0 pp	29.1%	29.5%
Households without people under 18	10,006 ±736	71.3% ±4.4 pp	70.9%	70.5%

Household size · B11016 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 14,043
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
One-person nonfamily households	4,742 ±561	33.8% ±3.8 pp	29.4%	28.7%
Two-person households	4,599 ±609	32.7% ±4.1 pp	35.6%	33.8%
Three-person households	2,181 ±441	15.5% ±3.1 pp	15.6%	15.3%
Four-person households	1,273 ±363	9.1% ±2.6 pp	11.8%	12.6%
Five-person households	895 ±330	6.4% ±2.3 pp	5.0%	5.9%
Six-person households	254 ±148 · low precision	1.8% ±1.1 pp · low precision	1.8%	2.2%
Seven or more people	99 ±81 · low precision	0.7% ±0.6 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: 35,825
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Native	33,540 ±576	93.6% ±1.6 pp	90.9%	85.9%
Foreign born	2,285 ±575	6.4% ±1.6 pp	9.1%	14.1%

Language spoken at home · C16001 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 5 and older: 33,951
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
English only	30,092 ±1,043	88.6% ±2.9 pp	86.5%	77.7%
Spanish	2,861 ±854	8.4% ±2.5 pp	8.7%	13.6%
French, Haitian, or Cajun	67 ±51 · low precision	0.2% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.4%	0.7%
German or other West Germanic	211 ±155 · low precision	0.6% ±0.5 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.5%
Russian, Polish, or other Slavic	40 ±51 · low precision	0.1% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.7%
Other Indo-European	223 ±221 · low precision	0.7% ±0.7 pp · low precision	1.2%	2.0%
Korean	5 ±14 · low precision	0.0% ±0.0 pp · low precision	0.2%	0.3%
Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese	34 ±54 · low precision	0.1% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.4%	1.1%
Vietnamese	138 ±159 · low precision	0.4% ±0.5 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.5%
Tagalog, including Filipino	29 ±31 · low precision	0.1% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.2%	0.6%
Other Asian and Pacific Island	140 ±121 · low precision	0.4% ±0.4 pp · low precision	0.9%	1.1%
Arabic	40 ±38 · low precision	0.1% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.5%
Other and unspecified	71 ±132 · low precision	0.2% ±0.4 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: 23,855
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Less than high school graduate	3,083 ±502	12.9% ±2.1 pp	9.9%	10.4%
High school graduate or equivalency	6,629 ±736	27.8% ±2.9 pp	24.8%	26.0%
Some college, no degree	5,404 ±743	22.7% ±3.0 pp	19.6%	19.1%
Associate’s degree	1,602 ±316	6.7% ±1.3 pp	10.1%	8.8%
Bachelor’s degree	4,245 ±771	17.8% ±3.2 pp	22.2%	21.6%
Graduate or professional degree	2,892 ±492	12.1% ±2.0 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: 35,660
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Same house	30,795 ±993	86.4% ±2.8 pp	87.3%	87.7%
Moved within same county	1,497 ±617	4.2% ±1.7 pp	5.5%	6.3%
Moved from a different county in the same state	2,345 ±631	6.6% ±1.8 pp	3.6%	3.1%
Moved from a different state	851 ±231	2.4% ±0.6 pp	3.0%	2.3%
Moved from abroad	172 ±136 · low precision	0.5% ±0.4 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

7.7% of Salisbury residents (±1.4 percentage points) had no health insurance coverage when surveyed, compared with 9.9% in North Carolina and 8.4% nationally. 86.9% 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	Salisbury	North Carolina	U.S.	Compared with North Carolina
People without health insurance Civilian noninstitutionalized population	7.7% ±1.4 pp	9.9%	8.4%	Lower
Households with a broadband subscription Households	86.9% ±1.9 pp	90.1%	91.0%	Lower
Veterans Civilian population age 18 and older	6.6% ±1.0 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 Salisbury . 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 Salisbury housing and cost context or return to the city profile.