How many people live in Wayne County, NC?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 120,300 people living in Wayne County, NC. That makes Wayne County the 25th-most populous county in North Carolina. It is home to 1.1% of people living in the state.
120K
population of Wayne County, NC (2024)
1.1%
County share of the North Carolina population (2024)
About 120,300 people lived in Wayne County, NC in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Wayne County, NC’s age demographics?
About 21,400 Wayne County, NC residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 17.8% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 18% of North Carolina’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 28,400 Wayne County residents, or 23.6% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 21.6% of North Carolina’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Wayne County, NC's population is aged under 18 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Wayne County, NC’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic Black or African American residents make up 30.6% of the Wayne County, NC population, higher than the national share of 12.6%. Wayne County, NC also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic two or more races (2.6%) than the US overall (2.5%).
In contrast, Wayne County’s non-Hispanic white population accounts for 50.2%, below the 57.5% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Asian population makes up 1.3% of the county, compared with 6.5% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Wayne County, NC has a higher share of a non-Hispanic Black or African American population than North Carolina as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Wayne County, NC is Goldsboro with about 34,600 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Wayne County, NC ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Goldsboro | 34,629 |
| 2. | Mount Olive (pt.) | 4,492 |
| 3. | Fremont | 1,207 |
| 4. | Walnut Creek | 1,103 |
| 5. | Pikeville | 729 |
| 6. | Seven Springs | 57 |
| 7. | Balance of Wayne County | 78,121 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
