county

Brunswick County, NC

Demographic and economic profile of Brunswick County, NC, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Brunswick County's economy reflects a largely residential and retirement-oriented character, consistent with its median age of 56.4 years and a labor force participation rate of just 48.9%—well below typical working-age norms. The county's 167,112 residents have grown by 15.0% over five years, with median household income at $77,024, though median worker earnings of $40,034 and a GDP per capita of $36,524 suggest modest wage density. Housing remains relatively accessible at a median home value of $314,700 and a homeownership rate of 84.6%, while 33.2% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

167,112

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Household Income

$77,024

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

56.4 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

+15.0% since 2018

Brunswick County added population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone124,657 (81.7%)
  • Black or African American Alone12,809 (8.4%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races4,782 (3.1%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race4,541 (3.0%)
  • Some Other Race Alone4,230 (2.8%)
  • Asian Alone1,020 (0.7%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish4,827
  2. 2.Other Indo-European611
  3. 3.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)287
  4. 4.German or other West Germanic212
  5. 5.Russian, Polish, or other Slavic160

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

14.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

52.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

33.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

3.6%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

14,158

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$36,524

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$44,565

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

5.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

9.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance13,073
  2. 2.Retail Trade (Group)8,148
  3. 3.Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services7,439
  4. 4.Construction (Group)6,113
  5. 5.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services5,739

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations23,997
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations13,701
  3. 3.Service Occupations11,011
  4. 4.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations7,086
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations6,684

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Construction (LQ 1.42×)5,779
  2. 2.Retail Trade (LQ 1.24×)7,960
  3. 3.Transportation, Warehousing, & Utilities (LQ 1.22×)4,196
  4. 4.Public Administration (LQ 1.13×)3,132
  5. 5.Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, & Accommodation (LQ 1.12×)5,763

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$314,700

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$1,267/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

84.6%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $300,000 to $399,99910,725 (18.3%)
  • $500,000 to $749,9999,740 (16.7%)
  • $400,000 to $499,9998,715 (14.9%)
  • $250,000 to $299,9996,401 (10.9%)
  • $200,000 to $249,9995,810 (9.9%)
  • $750,000 to $999,9993,631 (6.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

33.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

93.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

48.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$40,034

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

25.7 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

2.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone45,647 (74.5%)
  • Worked At Home9,024 (14.7%)
  • Carpooled4,805 (7.8%)
  • Other815 (1.3%)
  • Walked544 (0.9%)
  • Public Transit384 (0.6%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.