County · North Carolina

Lincoln County, North Carolina

Lincoln County, North Carolina. Lincoln County had 98,654 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 13.7% since 2020, faster than North Carolina (+7.2%). It holds 7 places (2 cities, villages and boroughs and 5 census-designated) and 18 census tracts. GEOID 37109.

Lincoln County is one of the 11 counties of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

98,654

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 86,810 · ACS 2020-2024: 92,716

Median household income

$80,016

±$4,599 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $72,388

Median home value

$321,000

±$13,100 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $288,900

Median gross rent

$1,015

±$67 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $1,228

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

The 2020 Census counted 86,810 residents in Lincoln County. The Census Bureau estimates 98,654 for July 1, 2025, up 13.7% since 2020, faster than North Carolina (+7.2%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 92,716 over 296 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +2,782 (89,935)
2021→2022 +3,153 (93,088)
2022→2023 +2,635 (95,723)
2023→2024 +1,796 (97,519)
2024→2025 +1,135 (98,654)

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

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Lincoln County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	92,716	10,730,404	+9,797
Households	36,811±527	4,282,345	+3,917
Average household size	2.50±0.04	2.44	no clear change
Housing units	39,504±90	4,895,668	+3,588

Lincoln County's population since 2000

From 63,780 in 2000 to 98,654 in 2025: up 54.7%. 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 63,780
2005 (estimate) 69,902
2010 Census 78,265
2015 (estimate) 80,646
2020 Census 86,810
2025 (estimate) 98,654

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 Lincoln County?

Lincoln County holds 7 places: 2 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 5 census-designated places. The largest is Lincolnton with 12,465 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 Lincoln County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Lincolnton	city	11,091	11,783±28	$46,320	$248,700	22.7%	100%
Westport	CDP	5,705	5,915±882	$131,908	$580,000	2.6%	100%
Lowesville	CDP	3,281	3,874±574	$113,510	$406,500	4.1%	100%
Denver	CDP	2,697	2,497±636	$65,721	$296,300	6.0%	100%
Iron StationGEOID 3733820	CDP	825	934±439	$77,083	$158,700	16.7%	100%
CrouseGEOID 3715640	CDP	322	408±242	not published	$212,300	0.0%	100%
Maiden	town	3,736	3,788±45	$75,511	$233,800	19.7%	0%

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 Lincoln County?

The median resident of Lincoln County is 44.4 years old; 20.6% are under 18 and 19.5% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 82.0%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 8.1%. 5.5% 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	Lincoln County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	44.4±0.2	39.1	+1.1
Under 18 years	20.6%	21.8%	–
65 years and over	19.5%±0.1 pts	17.2%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	8.1%	11.3%	+0.8 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	82.0%±0.7 pts	60.0%	−2.8 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	5.9%±0.3 pts	20.0%	+1.0 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.8%±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	2.9%±0.8 pts	4.1%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.5%	–
Born outside the United States	5.5%±0.7 pts	9.1%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	8.5%±0.9 pts	13.5%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	6.4%±0.8 pts	7.4%	–
With a disability	14.9%±1.0 pts	13.6%	–
No health insurance coverage	8.7%±1.1 pts	9.9%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	89.6%±1.1 pts	90.1%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	28.3%±2.3 pts	35.7%	+5.3 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	8.8%±1.1 pts	13.5%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	3.1%±0.8 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 Lincoln County earn?

Half of Lincoln County's 36,811 households earn less than $80,016 a year (±$4,599), against $72,388 in North Carolina. In 2015-2019 the median was $70,809 in 2024 dollars, so it rose by $9,207 after inflation. 11.2% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Lincoln County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$80,016±$4,599	$72,388	+$9,207
Mean household income	$108,694±$5,332	$101,208	–
Per capita income	$44,098±$2,205	$41,385	+$4,998
People below the poverty line	11.2%±1.8 pts	13.0%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	15.1%±4.7 pts	17.7%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	11.4%±1.6 pts	12.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	91.1%±1.4 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 Lincoln County?

Owners occupy 78.9% of Lincoln County's occupied homes and renters 21.1%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $321,000 by its owner (±$13,100). The median renter pays $1,015 a month including utilities, and 38.4% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Lincoln County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$321,000±$13,100	$288,900	+$109,321
Median gross rent	$1,015±$67	$1,228	+$120
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	38.4%±6.3 pts	39.6%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,618±$54	$1,631	–
Owner-occupied homes	78.9%±1.9 pts	66.6%	+2.5 pts
Housing units	39,504±90	4,895,668	+3,588
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.5%±0.4 pts	1.3%	–
Rental vacancy rate	3.0%±2.0 pts	7.1%	–
Single-family detached homes	74.4%±2.0 pts	65.3%	–
Mobile homes	14.9%±1.7 pts	11.0%	–
Built 2020 or later	4.4%±0.8 pts	3.0%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	5.2%±1.0 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 Lincoln County building?

Builders took permits for 785 new housing units across Lincoln County in 2025 (785 single-family), 8.0 per 1,000 residents.

2019 725 units
2020 1,336 units
2021 1,062 units
2022 898 units
2023 677 units
2024 697 units
2025 785 units

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

How do people in Lincoln County get to work?

76.2% of Lincoln County's workers drive alone and 14.3% work from home. The average trip to work takes 29.3 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 3.3%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Lincoln County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	60.9%±1.3 pts	62.8%	–
Unemployment rate	3.3%±0.7 pts	4.7%	−2.2 pts
Drove alone to work	76.2%±1.9 pts	71.5%	–
Carpooled	7.1%±1.1 pts	8.5%	–
Public transportation	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.7%	–
Walked	0.9%±0.5 pts	1.6%	–
Worked from home	14.3%±1.8 pts	16.3%	+9.9 pts
Mean travel time to work	29.3 min±1.2	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 Lincoln County's census tracts?

Lincoln County is divided into 18 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $47,414 (Tract 701) to $154,806 (Tract 712.03).

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

Tract 70137109070100	Lincolnton (98%)	4,896	5,401±684	$47,414	$250,500	$792	21.6%
Tract 702.0137109070201	Lincolnton (69%)	4,736	5,684±661	$49,551	$227,200	$981	23.8%
Tract 702.0237109070202	Lincolnton (12%)	3,323	3,107±255	$83,333	$304,100	$1,583	5.6%
Tract 70337109070300	Lincolnton (60%)	4,029	3,953±486	$53,857	$290,800	$1,096	8.3%
Tract 70437109070400	Crouse (12%)	5,881	5,837±717	$64,573	$181,400	$976	15.7%
Tract 70537109070500	–	4,889	5,032±681	$66,944	$210,200	$693	13.2%
Tract 70637109070600	–	4,226	4,409±513	$65,907	$210,000	$806	10.2%
Tract 70737109070700	Lincolnton (1%)	3,560	3,755±513	$75,818	$228,900	$836	8.5%
Tract 70837109070800	Lincolnton (8%)	6,249	6,652±1,138	$59,830	$230,800	$1,088	32.0%
Tract 709.0137109070901	–	3,536	4,064±425	$78,889	$300,500	$1,143	8.9%
Tract 709.0237109070902	–	7,143	7,259±812	$86,367	$396,500	$1,122	2.9%
Tract 710.0137109071001	Iron Station (19%)	5,505	4,987±600	$70,741	$258,500	$1,330	8.1%
Tract 710.0237109071002	–	2,719	3,319±530	$70,827	$235,600	$1,182	12.3%
Tract 711.0137109071101	Denver (36%)	7,254	8,048±793	$81,438	$397,800	$865	8.8%
Tract 711.0237109071102	Lowesville (49%)	6,689	8,320±1,141	$125,053	$458,900	$1,551	3.6%
Tract 712.0137109071201	–	1,862	1,828±252	$145,313	$662,800	$1,150	5.3%
Tract 712.0237109071202	Westport (62%)	3,995	4,312±497	$117,375	$485,900	$1,884	2.8%
Tract 712.0337109071203	Westport (34%)	6,318	6,749±775	$154,806	$648,700	$1,250	5.1%

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

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

Lincoln County's rank among North Carolina's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	31st of 100
Growth 2020-2025	6th of 100
Residents per square mile	18th of 100
Median household income	15th of 100
Median home value	20th of 100
Median gross rent	37th of 100
Poverty rate	78th of 100
Bachelor's degree or higher	31st of 100
Median age	41st 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 Lincoln 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.