Town · North Carolina
Eureka, North Carolina
Eureka, town, in Wayne County, North Carolina. Eureka had 214 residents in the 2020 Census, a full count; the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 224 (±89). GEOID 3721960.
Residents, 2020 Census
214
Census count or controlled total
ACS 2020-2024 estimate: 224 ±89
Median household income
$66,250
±$7,635 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $72,388
Median home value
$122,900
±$52,166 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $288,900
Median gross rent
$865
±$134 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $1,228
Where is Eureka and what county is it in?
Eureka is a town in Wayne County, North Carolina. It covers 0.3 square miles of land, 626 residents per square mile in 2020.
Eureka is in the Goldsboro, NC metropolitan statistical area (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Eureka, and is it growing?
The 2020 Census counted 214 residents in Eureka, a full count rather than a sample. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a sample, estimates 224 (±89).
The Census Bureau publishes yearly population estimates for incorporated places only; Eureka is a census-designated place, so its figures come from the ACS and the 2020 Census.
| Measure | Eureka | Wayne County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 224 ±89 | 118,652 | no clear change |
| Households | 94 ±29 | 47,507 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.35 ±0.57 | 2.44 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 118 ±31 | 53,505 | no clear change |
Eureka's population since 2000
From 244 in 2000 to 214 in 2020: down 12.3%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Eureka as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Eureka?
The median resident of Eureka is 47.7 years old; 21.4% are under 18 and 24.6% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 69.6%, then non-Hispanic Black residents at 20.5%.
| Measure | Eureka | Wayne County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 47.7 ±10.5 | 37.3 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 21.4% ±11.0 pts | 23.6% | – |
| 65 years and over | 24.6% ±10.7 pts | 17.1% | – |
| Male | 47.8% ±12.8 pts | 49.8% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 8.0% ±8.9 pts | 13.7% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 69.6% ±12.9 pts | 50.2% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 20.5% ±12.4 pts | 29.6% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±17.2 pts | 1.2% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±17.2 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±17.2 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 1.8% ±3.4 pts | 4.9% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±17.2 pts | 0.3% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 6.7% ±7.2 pts | 7.9% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 9.7% ±9.8 pts | 14.8% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 13.1% ±8.0 pts | 11.5% | – |
| With a disability | 14.7% ±9.2 pts | 15.5% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 11.2% ±7.6 pts | 12.1% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 92.9% ±5.3 pts | 86.4% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 21.2% ±9.5 pts | 21.7% | – |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 7.6% ±7.2 pts | 6.6% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 75.9% ±20.1 pts | 86.1% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.0% ±17.2 pts | 2.9% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Eureka earn?
Half of Eureka's 94 households earn less than $66,250 a year (±$7,635), against $59,733 in Wayne County and $72,388 in North Carolina. In 2015-2019 it was $50,327 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart.
| Measure | Eureka | Wayne County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $66,250 ±$7,635 | $59,733 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $70,064 ±$12,887 | $79,980 | – |
| Per capita income | $30,232 ±$6,019 | $31,983 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 8.9% ±8.2 pts | 17.3% | – |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 2.1% ±9.7 pts | 26.1% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 11.7% ±9.8 pts | 19.6% | – |
| Households with a computer | 93.6% ±7.0 pts | 93.5% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 83.0% ±13.3 pts | 90.0% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Eureka?
Owners occupy 74.5% of Eureka's occupied homes and renters 25.5%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $122,900 by its owner (±$52,166). The median renter pays $865 a month including utilities.
| Measure | Eureka | Wayne County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $122,900 ±$52,166 | $178,700 | no clear change |
| Median gross rent | $865 ±$134 | $965 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 8.7% ±16.3 pts | 37.2% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,150 ±$376 | $1,367 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 74.5% ±14.9 pts | 61.5% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 25.5% ±14.9 pts | 38.5% | – |
| Housing units | 118 ±31 | 53,505 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±40.5 pts | 0.8% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 11.1% ±21.4 pts | 1.7% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 94.9% ±6.6 pts | 60.2% | – |
| Mobile homes | 5.1% ±6.6 pts | 23.0% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±29.4 pts | 1.7% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 4.2% ±7.5 pts | 7.4% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 16.1% ±10.4 pts | 5.3% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 4.3% ±6.3 pts | 6.8% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How do people in Eureka work and get to work?
83.5% of Eureka's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 32.8 minutes.
| Measure | Eureka | Wayne County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 49.5% ±14.5 pts | 61.2% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 6.6% ±6.7 pts | 5.2% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 83.5% ±12.2 pts | 81.3% | – |
| Carpooled | 12.9% ±12.7 pts | 11.3% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±36.7 pts | 0.3% | – |
| Walked | 1.2% ±2.6 pts | 0.7% | – |
| Worked from home | 2.4% ±3.7 pts | 5.4% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 32.8 min ±7.5 | 22.9 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Eureka?
No census tract lies mostly in Eureka; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 2Wayne County | 3,168 | $59,464 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Eureka) · Census block assignment files
How does Eureka compare with other places in North Carolina?
Eureka is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
Eureka's figures with every place in North Carolina (CSV)
Every place in North Carolina, sortable · Compare Eureka with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Eureka?
26 of the 57 figures for Eureka on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Eureka are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Eureka.