Census-designated place · North Carolina
Laurel Hill, North Carolina
Laurel Hill, census-designated place, in Scotland County, North Carolina. Laurel Hill had 1,121 residents in the 2020 Census, a full count; the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 986 (±284). GEOID 3737120.
Residents, 2020 Census
1,121
Census count or controlled total
ACS 2020-2024 estimate: 986 ±284
Median household income
$30,893
±$21,606 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $72,388
Median home value
$56,700
±$50,586 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $288,900
Median gross rent
$798
±$518 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $1,228
Where is Laurel Hill and what county is it in?
Laurel Hill is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for counting, with no city government of its own, in Scotland County, North Carolina. It covers 2.4 square miles of land, 468 residents per square mile in 2020.
Laurel Hill is in the Laurinburg, NC micropolitan 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 Laurel Hill, and is it growing?
The 2020 Census counted 1,121 residents in Laurel Hill, a full count rather than a sample. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a sample, estimates 986 (±284).
The Census Bureau publishes yearly population estimates for incorporated places only; Laurel Hill is a census-designated place, so its figures come from the ACS and the 2020 Census.
| Measure | Laurel Hill | Scotland County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 986 ±284 | 33,590 | no clear change |
| Households | 394 ±98 | 12,580 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.50 ±0.48 | 2.49 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 523 ±106 | 14,441 | no clear change |
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 Laurel Hill?
The median resident of Laurel Hill is 36.9 years old; 27.1% are under 18 and 21.5% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 31.9%, then non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native residents at 21.9%.
| Measure | Laurel Hill | Scotland County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36.9 ±11.0 | 38.7 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 27.1% ±8.9 pts | 23.2% | – |
| 65 years and over | 21.5% ±9.5 pts | 18.4% | – |
| Male | 43.6% ±9.6 pts | 50.1% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% ±3.7 pts | 4.0% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 31.9% ±13.7 pts | 40.1% | −35.4 pts |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 17.6% ±10.0 pts | 37.0% | no clear change |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±4.2 pts | 1.3% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 21.9% ±15.0 pts | 11.5% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±4.2 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 14.8% ±12.0 pts | 5.2% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 11.3% ±9.9 pts | 1.0% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 2.2% ±2.4 pts | 3.5% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 3.0% ±3.9 pts | 5.2% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 4.3% ±4.9 pts | 7.0% | – |
| With a disability | 21.7% ±8.5 pts | 18.4% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 9.3% ±6.0 pts | 9.9% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 80.0% ±13.4 pts | 83.2% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 10.2% ±6.3 pts | 16.6% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 2.9% ±3.5 pts | 6.6% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 92.9% ±8.8 pts | 89.7% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.0% ±4.2 pts | 2.7% | – |
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 Laurel Hill earn?
Laurel Hill's median household income is published as $30,893 with a margin of ±$21,606, too wide to rely on.
| Measure | Laurel Hill | Scotland County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $30,893 ±$21,606 | $45,730 | – |
| Mean household income | $50,473 ±$11,617 | $70,579 | – |
| Per capita income | $21,272 ±$4,820 | $28,395 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 31.3% ±15.0 pts | 25.8% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 30.7% ±26.9 pts | 39.0% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 18.0% ±11.2 pts | 31.6% | – |
| Households with a computer | 93.1% ±9.0 pts | 92.6% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 96.4% ±4.7 pts | 87.3% | – |
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 Laurel Hill?
Owners occupy 69.5% of Laurel Hill's occupied homes and renters 30.5%. The median renter pays $798 a month including utilities, and 72.4% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.
| Measure | Laurel Hill | Scotland County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $56,700 ±$50,586 | $114,900 | – |
| Median gross rent | $798 ±$518 | $778 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 72.4% ±31.6 pts | 42.9% | no clear change |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,199 ±$451 | $1,231 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 69.5% ±13.4 pts | 61.8% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 30.5% ±13.4 pts | 38.2% | – |
| Housing units | 523 ±106 | 14,441 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±14.3 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% ±29.0 pts | 0.2% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 58.1% ±12.3 pts | 56.8% | – |
| Mobile homes | 37.3% ±12.4 pts | 27.2% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 1.9% ±2.7 pts | 1.6% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 6.5% ±7.6 pts | 4.7% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 2.7% ±3.9 pts | 5.4% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 0.8% ±1.5 pts | 10.8% | – |
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 Laurel Hill work and get to work?
72.5% of Laurel Hill's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 33.1 minutes.
| Measure | Laurel Hill | Scotland County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 62.3% ±13.7 pts | 52.9% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 12.9% ±11.2 pts | 10.9% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 72.5% ±19.3 pts | 82.9% | – |
| Carpooled | 22.0% ±19.0 pts | 9.2% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±11.0 pts | 0.2% | – |
| Walked | 1.4% ±2.2 pts | 0.8% | – |
| Worked from home | 0.0% ±11.0 pts | 5.6% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 33.1 min ±10.3 | 25.1 min | +14.4 min |
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 Laurel Hill?
No census tract lies mostly in Laurel Hill; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 105.02Scotland County | 3,619 | $46,719 |
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 Laurel Hill) · Census block assignment files
How does Laurel Hill compare with other places in North Carolina?
Laurel Hill 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.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population (ACS 2020-2024) | 434th | 443 |
| Residents per square mile | 367th | 443 |
| Per capita income | 412th | 443 |
| Median gross rent | 315th | 395 |
| Poverty rate | 33rd | 341 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 401st | 421 |
| Median age | 325th | 442 |
| Owner-occupied share | 209th | 443 |
| Travel time to work | 34th | 439 |
Laurel Hill's figures with every place in North Carolina (CSV)
Every place in North Carolina, sortable · Compare Laurel Hill 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 Laurel Hill?
25 of the 57 figures for Laurel Hill 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 Laurel Hill 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' school search.