county

Sampson County, NC

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

AI Overview

Sampson County is a rural North Carolina county of 59,245 residents with an economy reflected in below-average per capita GDP of $29,989 and median household income of $52,432, alongside a 20.2% poverty rate and 5.2% unemployment. The labor force is relatively small, with participation at 56.7% and only 15.8% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher, though 84.3% have a high school diploma; median worker earnings stand at $36,734. The county has seen a population decline of 6.8% over five years, while housing remains low-cost with a median home value of $128,400 and median gross rent of $811/month, and a homeownership rate of 73.8%.

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

Population

59,245

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$52,432

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

39.7 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-6.8% since 2018

Sampson County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone30,375 (51.1%)
  • Black or African American Alone14,323 (24.1%)
  • Some Other Race Alone9,164 (15.4%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race2,526 (4.2%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races1,526 (2.6%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone1,230 (2.1%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish10,408
  2. 2.Korean112
  3. 3.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)67
  4. 4.Vietnamese41
  5. 5.Other Asian and Pacific Island35

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

24.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

57.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

18.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

10.6%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

3,083

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$29,989

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$26,978

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

5.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

20.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance6,091
  2. 2.Manufacturing (Group)3,257
  3. 3.Retail Trade (Group)2,910
  4. 4.Construction (Group)2,340
  5. 5.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining2,106

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations7,814
  2. 2.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations4,868
  3. 3.Sales & Office Occupations4,475
  4. 4.Service Occupations3,934
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations3,667

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 5.04×)2,000
  2. 2.Construction (LQ 1.68×)2,895
  3. 3.Manufacturing (LQ 1.23×)3,053
  4. 4.Retail Trade (LQ 1.20×)3,234
  5. 5.Public Administration (LQ 1.07×)1,253

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$128,400

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$811/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

73.8%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $100,000 to $124,9991,996 (12.5%)
  • $200,000 to $249,9991,759 (11.0%)
  • $300,000 to $399,9991,693 (10.6%)
  • $150,000 to $174,9991,494 (9.4%)
  • $250,000 to $299,9991,015 (6.4%)
  • $175,000 to $199,999871 (5.5%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

15.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

84.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

56.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$36,734

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

26.5 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

5.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone19,754 (82.4%)
  • Carpooled2,432 (10.1%)
  • Worked At Home1,186 (4.9%)
  • Other233 (1.0%)
  • Public Transit210 (0.9%)
  • Walked147 (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.