County · North Carolina

Wilkes County, North Carolina

Wilkes County, North Carolina. Wilkes County had 66,233 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than North Carolina (+7.2%). It holds 11 places (4 cities, villages and boroughs and 7 census-designated) and 18 census tracts. GEOID 37193.

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

Residents, July 2025 estimate

66,233

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 65,969 · ACS 2020-2024: 65,935

Median household income

$51,721

±$2,459 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $72,388

Median home value

$168,800

±$8,937 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $288,900

Median gross rent

$723

±$37 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $1,228

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

The 2020 Census counted 65,969 residents in Wilkes County. The Census Bureau estimates 66,233 for July 1, 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than North Carolina (+7.2%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 65,935 over 754 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −59 (65,812)
2021→2022 −5 (65,807)
2022→2023 +217 (66,024)
2023→2024 +228 (66,252)
2024→2025 −19 (66,233)

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

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Wilkes County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	65,935	10,730,404	−2,534
Households	27,107±553	4,282,345	−1,646
Average household size	2.40±0.05	2.44	no clear change
Housing units	31,836±43	4,895,668	−1,751

Wilkes County's population since 2000

From 65,632 in 2000 to 66,233 in 2025: up 0.9%. 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 65,632
2005 (estimate) 68,104
2010 Census 69,340
2015 (estimate) 68,302
2020 Census 65,969
2025 (estimate) 66,233

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 Wilkes County?

Wilkes County holds 11 places: 4 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 7 census-designated places. The largest is North Wilkesboro with 4,369 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 Wilkes County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

North Wilkesboro	town	4,382	4,421±15	$38,474	$212,700	23.8%	100%
Wilkesboro	town	3,687	3,646±21	$40,907	$223,700	22.6%	100%
Mulberry	CDP	2,275	2,037±514	$51,919	$172,400	11.7%	100%
Fairplains	CDP	2,029	1,803±417	$38,585	$140,200	36.3%	100%
Cricket	CDP	1,966	2,317±701	$39,859	$140,600	27.0%	100%
Millers Creek	CDP	1,931	1,689±408	$63,125	$227,200	18.9%	100%
Moravian FallsGEOID 3744280	CDP	1,712	1,285±497	$47,548	$218,800	5.4%	100%
HaysGEOID 3730340	CDP	1,595	1,053±424	$55,035	$183,800	4.9%	100%
Pleasant HillGEOID 3752920	CDP	831	793±398	$52,381	$147,800	7.1%	100%
Ronda	town	438	436±178	$48,393	$109,500	21.3%	100%
Elkin	town	4,122	4,043±32	$60,740	$226,900	22.3%	2%

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 Wilkes County?

The median resident of Wilkes County is 45.7 years old; 20.0% are under 18 and 22.9% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 85.7%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 7.5%. 3.7% 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	Wilkes County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	45.7±0.4	39.1	+0.8
Under 18 years	20.0%±0.1 pts	21.8%	–
65 years and over	22.9%±0.2 pts	17.2%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	7.5%	11.3%	+1.0 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	85.7%±0.1 pts	60.0%	−1.5 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	3.6%±0.5 pts	20.0%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.6%±0.1 pts	3.3%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±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	2.4%±0.6 pts	4.1%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.5%	–
Born outside the United States	3.7%±0.5 pts	9.1%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	7.5%±1.0 pts	13.5%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	6.1%±0.7 pts	7.4%	–
With a disability	19.1%±1.5 pts	13.6%	–
No health insurance coverage	10.5%±1.1 pts	9.9%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	81.7%±1.9 pts	90.1%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	16.9%±1.9 pts	35.7%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	6.1%±1.0 pts	13.5%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	0.5%±0.3 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 Wilkes County earn?

Half of Wilkes County's 27,107 households earn less than $51,721 a year (±$2,459), against $72,388 in North Carolina. In 2015-2019 it was $54,282 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 16.7% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Wilkes County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$51,721±$2,459	$72,388	no clear change
Mean household income	$66,361±$2,650	$101,208	–
Per capita income	$27,947±$1,144	$41,385	−$3,069
People below the poverty line	16.7%±2.0 pts	13.0%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	25.2%±4.9 pts	17.7%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	15.4%±1.7 pts	12.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	88.1%±1.6 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 Wilkes County?

Owners occupy 73.5% of Wilkes County's occupied homes and renters 26.5%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $168,800 by its owner (±$8,937). The median renter pays $723 a month including utilities, and 34.8% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Wilkes County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$168,800±$8,937	$288,900	+$13,363
Median gross rent	$723±$37	$1,228	−$55
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	34.8%±7.0 pts	39.6%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,152±$37	$1,631	–
Owner-occupied homes	73.5%±2.1 pts	66.6%	no clear change
Housing units	31,836±43	4,895,668	−1,751
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.1%±0.1 pts	1.3%	–
Rental vacancy rate	2.1%±1.4 pts	7.1%	–
Single-family detached homes	66.2%±2.0 pts	65.3%	–
Mobile homes	24.5%±1.8 pts	11.0%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.5%±0.3 pts	3.0%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	6.0%±1.1 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 Wilkes County building?

Builders took permits for 152 new housing units across Wilkes County in 2025 (152 single-family), 2.3 per 1,000 residents.

2019 92 units
2020 110 units
2021 169 units
2022 135 units
2023 141 units
2024 134 units
2025 152 units

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

How do people in Wilkes County get to work?

79.2% of Wilkes County's workers drive alone and 9.1% work from home. The average trip to work takes 25.9 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 5.0%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Wilkes County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	55.7%±1.5 pts	62.8%	–
Unemployment rate	5.0%±0.9 pts	4.7%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	79.2%±2.6 pts	71.5%	–
Carpooled	10.2%±2.5 pts	8.5%	–
Public transportation	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.7%	–
Walked	1.0%±0.6 pts	1.6%	–
Worked from home	9.1%±1.6 pts	16.3%	+6.1 pts
Mean travel time to work	25.9 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 Wilkes County's census tracts?

Wilkes County is divided into 18 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $39,239 (Tract 9607) to $64,176 (Tract 9610.02).

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

Tract 9601.0137193960101	Elkin (20%)	3,158	2,819±505	$60,455	$153,300	$707	8.1%
Tract 9601.0237193960102	Ronda (19%)	3,437	3,584±561	$46,997	$123,100	$748	28.6%
Tract 960237193960200	–	3,455	3,642±608	$43,206	$147,700	$674	25.2%
Tract 960337193960300	Hays (16%)	5,978	5,797±765	$58,886	$153,300	$739	5.3%
Tract 9604.0137193960401	–	3,213	3,239±510	$46,532	$126,600	$599	13.8%
Tract 9604.0237193960402	Mulberry (40%)	3,639	3,051±554	$50,318	$157,800	$623	14.6%
Tract 960537193960500	North Wilkesboro (54%)	3,283	3,619±475	$39,553	$152,000	$543	24.6%
Tract 960637193960600	North Wilkesboro (89%)	2,575	2,573±375	$47,206	$234,300	$576	22.1%
Tract 960737193960700	North Wilkesboro (30%)	3,590	4,515±772	$39,239	$136,500	$743	27.3%
Tract 9608.0137193960801	Millers Creek (26%)	3,972	3,693±522	$56,595	$195,200	$784	27.3%
Tract 9608.0237193960802	Wilkesboro (26%)	4,339	4,459±795	$61,768	$207,600	$576	16.3%
Tract 9609.0137193960901	–	2,377	1,994±365	$41,369	$129,800	$673	15.9%
Tract 9609.0237193960902	–	2,260	2,426±507	$50,000	$121,600	$423	7.7%
Tract 9610.0137193961001	Wilkesboro (5%)	4,749	4,188±596	$62,819	$113,400	$821	15.2%
Tract 9610.0237193961002	Moravian Falls (27%)	4,969	4,988±604	$64,176	$259,100	$769	7.1%
Tract 961137193961100	Wilkesboro (48%)	4,157	4,181±424	$49,013	$182,200	$853	15.9%
Tract 9612.0137193961201	–	3,567	3,947±707	$54,984	$246,600	$990	12.5%
Tract 9612.0237193961202	–	3,251	3,220±427	$51,133	$161,600	$755	18.0%

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

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

Wilkes County's rank among North Carolina's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	40th of 100
Growth 2020-2025	84th of 100
Residents per square mile	62nd of 100
Median household income	79th of 100
Median home value	75th of 100
Median gross rent	96th of 100
Poverty rate	35th of 100
Bachelor's degree or higher	84th of 100
Median age	32nd 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 Wilkes 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.