What is the poverty rate in North Carolina?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 12.5% of North Carolina’s population as of 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 1,349,479 people in North Carolina were considered in poverty.
12.5%
of the population (2024)
1.35M
people living under the poverty line (2024)
The state's poverty rate was 12.5% in 2024, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 0.2 percentage points lower than the previous year. North Carolina's poverty rate hit a peak in 2012 of 18%.
In 2024, 12.5% of North Carolina's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2024
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2024, 1,349,479 people living in North Carolina were in poverty — down 21.3% from the 2013 peak of 1,715,397.
In 2024, 1.35M people in North Carolina were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2024
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in North Carolina?
From 2014 to 2024, the poverty rate for children under 18 in North Carolina decreased from 24.3% to 16.5%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 16.4% to 11.6%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 9.7% to 11.1%.
In 2024, 16.5% of children in North Carolina were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2014–2024
How does poverty differ by race in North Carolina?
Among racial or ethnic groups in North Carolina during 2024, six had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, some other race, and two or more races.
Two had a lower than average poverty rate: Asian, White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race) population shifted the most, decreasing from 33.6% in 2014 to 20.2% in 2024.
In North Carolina, the poverty rate for the Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race) population decreased from 33.6% in 2014 to 20.2% in 2024.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2014–2024
What counties in North Carolina have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among North Carolina counties ranged from 5% in Camden County to 28.8% in Robeson County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Wake County — was 7.9%.
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among North Carolina counties ranged from 5.0% to 28.8%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2023)
| 1. | Robeson County | 28.8% |
| 2. | Scotland County | 26.6% |
| 3. | Halifax County | 25.2% |
| 4. | Richmond County | 25.2% |
| 5. | Washington County | 24.7% |
| 6. | Watauga County | 24.7% |
| 7. | Lenoir County | 22.5% |
| 8. | Greene County | 22.4% |
| 9. | Hyde County | 22.4% |
| 10. | Warren County | 22.2% |
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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.
