County · North Carolina

Lenoir County, North Carolina

Lenoir County, North Carolina. Lenoir County had 55,837 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than North Carolina (+7.2%). It holds 7 places (4 cities, villages and boroughs and 3 census-designated) and 17 census tracts. GEOID 37107.

Lenoir County is the county of the Kinston, NC micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

55,837

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 55,122 · ACS 2020-2024: 54,919

Median household income

$45,143

±$2,547 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $72,388

Median home value

$120,500

±$7,092 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $288,900

Median gross rent

$861

±$28 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $1,228

How many people live in Lenoir County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 55,122 residents in Lenoir County. The Census Bureau estimates 55,837 for July 1, 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than North Carolina (+7.2%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 54,919 over 399 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −349 (54,713)
2021→2022 −173 (54,540)
2022→2023 +443 (54,983)
2023→2024 +449 (55,432)
2024→2025 +405 (55,837)

Lenoir County in North Carolina. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Lenoir County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	54,919	10,730,404	−1,837
Households	23,351±486	4,282,345	no clear change
Average household size	2.30±0.05	2.44	−0.09
Housing units	26,879±37	4,895,668	−728

Lenoir County's population since 2000

From 59,648 in 2000 to 55,837 in 2025: down 6.4%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. 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.

2000 Census 59,648
2005 (estimate) 59,195
2010 Census 59,495
2015 (estimate) 58,012
2020 Census 55,122
2025 (estimate) 55,837

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); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Lenoir County?

Lenoir County holds 7 places: 4 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 3 census-designated places. The largest is Kinston with 19,705 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Lenoir County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Kinston	city	19,900	19,505±26	$36,878	$119,300	27.9%	100%
La Grange	town	2,595	2,756±17	$48,078	$83,800	32.0%	100%
Jackson HeightsGEOID 3734038	CDP	1,071	794±313	$39,403	$133,500	11.7%	100%
Deep RunGEOID 3716720	CDP	572	662±268	$54,602	$73,400	11.9%	100%
Pink Hill	town	451	527±222	$46,635	$99,300	24.9%	100%
GraingersGEOID 3727300	CDP	229	27±27	$32,750	not published	0.0%	100%
Grifton	town	2,448	2,515±523	$36,794	$152,700	32.7%	6%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Lenoir County?

The median resident of Lenoir County is 41.9 years old; 22.6% are under 18 and 21.5% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 47.3%, then non-Hispanic Black residents at 39.2%. 4.4% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Lenoir County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	41.9±0.7	39.1	no clear change
Under 18 years	22.6%±0.1 pts	21.8%	–
65 years and over	21.5%±0.2 pts	17.2%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	8.8%	11.3%	+1.0 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	47.3%±0.4 pts	60.0%	−1.9 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	39.2%±0.9 pts	20.0%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.7%±0.2 pts	3.3%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.8%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.1%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	3.6%±1.0 pts	4.1%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.5%	–
Born outside the United States	4.4%±0.7 pts	9.1%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	8.3%±0.7 pts	13.5%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	8.3%±0.9 pts	7.4%	–
With a disability	23.5%±1.7 pts	13.6%	–
No health insurance coverage	10.1%±1.4 pts	9.9%	−2.4 pts
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	82.9%±2.0 pts	90.1%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	16.3%±1.4 pts	35.7%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	5.9%±0.9 pts	13.5%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.5%±0.4 pts	3.0%	–

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 Lenoir County earn?

Half of Lenoir County's 23,351 households earn less than $45,143 a year (±$2,547), against $72,388 in North Carolina. In 2015-2019 it was $48,492 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 22.0% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Lenoir County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$45,143±$2,547	$72,388	no clear change
Mean household income	$65,291±$3,469	$101,208	–
Per capita income	$29,431±$1,792	$41,385	no clear change
People below the poverty line	22.0%±2.4 pts	13.0%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	30.3%±5.4 pts	17.7%	−10.0 pts
Households receiving SNAP	27.3%±2.2 pts	12.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	81.3%±2.2 pts	90.1%	–

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 Lenoir County?

Owners occupy 59.2% of Lenoir County's occupied homes and renters 40.8%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $120,500 by its owner (±$7,092). The median renter pays $861 a month including utilities, and 39.1% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Lenoir County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$120,500±$7,092	$288,900	no clear change
Median gross rent	$861±$28	$1,228	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	39.1%±4.8 pts	39.6%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,237±$65	$1,631	–
Owner-occupied homes	59.2%±2.8 pts	66.6%	no clear change
Housing units	26,879±37	4,895,668	−728
Homeowner vacancy rate	2.2%±1.6 pts	1.3%	–
Rental vacancy rate	1.4%±1.2 pts	7.1%	–
Single-family detached homes	60.7%±2.3 pts	65.3%	–
Mobile homes	21.3%±1.8 pts	11.0%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.7%±0.3 pts	3.0%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	7.4%±1.3 pts	4.9%	–

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 many new homes is Lenoir County building?

Builders took permits for 131 new housing units across Lenoir County in 2025 (127 single-family), 2.3 per 1,000 residents.

2019 90 units
2020 107 units
2021 112 units
2022 294 units
2023 171 units
2024 148 units
2025 131 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Lenoir County get to work?

82.4% of Lenoir County's workers drive alone and 3.4% work from home. The average trip to work takes 24.3 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 9.0%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Lenoir County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	56.3%±1.7 pts	62.8%	–
Unemployment rate	9.0%±1.6 pts	4.7%	−2.4 pts
Drove alone to work	82.4%±2.6 pts	71.5%	–
Carpooled	12.2%±2.4 pts	8.5%	–
Public transportation	0.6%±0.6 pts	0.7%	–
Walked	0.9%±0.5 pts	1.6%	–
Worked from home	3.4%±1.0 pts	16.3%	+1.6 pts
Mean travel time to work	24.3 min±1.5	25.1 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 are Lenoir County's census tracts?

Lenoir County is divided into 17 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $15,859 (Tract 103) to $73,886 (Tract 112.02).

Census tracts of Lenoir County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 10137107010100	Graingers (12%)	4,520	4,463±596	$36,809	$83,700	$813	22.4%
Tract 10237107010200	Kinston (93%)	2,276	2,126±358	$41,142	$93,800	$992	33.8%
Tract 10337107010300	Kinston (94%)	1,465	1,214±238	$15,859	$30,400	$355	56.4%
Tract 10437107010400	Kinston	723	999±267	$27,586	$34,200	$574	45.6%
Tract 10537107010500	Kinston (98%)	3,257	3,242±577	$30,540	$68,100	$786	41.6%
Tract 10637107010600	Kinston	3,559	3,311±630	$64,485	$165,900	$941	16.9%
Tract 10737107010700	Kinston (97%)	2,116	1,980±359	$18,934	$80,300	$630	32.8%
Tract 10837107010800	Kinston (93%)	4,952	4,811±654	$49,851	$159,000	$1,025	15.8%
Tract 10937107010900	Kinston (12%)	3,080	2,917±597	$57,123	$120,100	$962	14.0%
Tract 110.0137107011001	Kinston (35%)	4,435	4,411±538	$49,250	$172,100	$929	19.7%
Tract 110.0237107011002	–	3,810	4,262±623	$44,024	$157,000	$938	16.1%
Tract 11137107011100	La Grange (47%)	5,366	5,419±712	$42,853	$108,700	$706	23.4%
Tract 112.0137107011201	Pink Hill (27%)	3,295	3,065±364	$50,563	$145,700	$887	13.3%
Tract 112.0237107011202	Pink Hill (11%)	3,471	3,579±790	$73,886	$98,800	not published	7.8%
Tract 113.0137107011301	Jackson Heights (21%)	1,665	1,417±259	$62,019	$163,800	$773	15.8%
Tract 113.0237107011302	Jackson Heights (19%)	2,912	3,259±571	$46,466	$109,200	$995	27.2%
Tract 11437107011400	Kinston (9%)	4,220	4,444±531	$59,750	$118,400	$852	18.8%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Lenoir County compare with North Carolina's other counties?

Lenoir County's rank among North Carolina's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	49th of 100
Growth 2020-2025	75th of 100
Residents per square mile	43rd of 100
Median household income	95th of 100
Median home value	92nd of 100
Median gross rent	58th of 100
Poverty rate	9th of 100
Bachelor's degree or higher	89th of 100
Median age	57th of 100

Every county in North Carolina

Source: PlainCities ranks 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 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 Lenoir County 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.