North Carolina
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North Carolina State Profile
Population
- With 8,683,242 residents in 2005, North Carolina is the 11th most populated state in the U.S.
- The total population of North Carolina grew 7.9 percent from 2000 to 2005 – a growth rate above the U.S. average of 5.3 percent.
- North Carolina is becoming more diverse. The percentage of Whites is declining while the percentages of Hispanics and Asians are growing.
| Distribution (%) of Total Population by Race/Ethnicity from 2000 to 2005 |
| Race/Ethnicity |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
| White |
70.3% |
69.8% |
69.4% |
69.0% |
68.6% |
68.3% |
| Hispanic, Latino |
4.7% |
5.1% |
5.4% |
5.8% |
6.1% |
6.4% |
| African-American |
21.5% |
21.5% |
21.5% |
21.5% |
21.5% |
21.4% |
| Native American, AK Native |
1.2% |
1.2% |
1.2% |
1.2% |
1.2% |
1.2% |
| Asian, Pacific Islander |
1.5% |
1.6% |
1.6% |
1.7% |
1.7% |
1.8% |
| Two or More Races |
0.8% |
0.8% |
0.9% |
0.9% |
0.9% |
0.9% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates
North Carolina - Cities and Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs)
- The five largest cities (Metropolitan Areas) in North Carolina are Charlotte, Raleigh-Cary, Greensboro-High Point, Durham, and Winston-Salem.
- The Charlotte MSA – with a population of more than 1,521,271 – is the 36th largest metropolitan area in the U.S.
- The estimated population Raleigh (the Capital of NC) in 2005 was 949,681 – the 51st largest metropolitan area in the U.S.
- Greensboro was the 73rd largest metropolitan area with 674, 500 residents.
- The population in Durham was 456,187 (ranked 103rd) and 448,629 people resided in Winston-Salem (ranked 106th in the U.S.)
North Carolina - Income and Poverty
- In 2004, North Carolina ranked 37th among the 50 states in personal income per capita ($29,322 per resident).
- North Carolina’s personal income relative to the U.S. average rose steadily from 71 percent in 1960 to 92 percent in 1995, but fell to 89 percent of the U.S. average in 2004 (see below).
Personal Income per Capita in North Carolina as a Percent of the U.S. Average from 1960 to 2004
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Among the 50 states, North Carolina has the 12th highest percentage of its total population living in poverty (15.1%) and the 12th highest percentage of children under 18 living in poverty (21.3%) – 2005 American Community Survey.
North Carolina - Educational Attainment
- In 2005, North Carolina ranked 35th among the 50 states in the percentage of its adults aged 25 to 64 with at least high school diploma (85.6%).
- North Carolina ranked 29th in the percentage of adults aged 25 to 64 with a bachelor’s degree or higher (26.8%) and 35th in the percentage with a graduate or professional degree (8.3%).
- Relative to the U.S. average, North Carolina has a higher percentage of adults who have not completed high school and lower percentages who have completed bachelor’s and graduate and professional degrees (see below).
Educational Attainment of 25 to 64 Year Olds in 2005 – North Carolina and the U.S. Average
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey
North Carolina - Workforce and Economy
- In 2005, North Carolina had the 18th highest unemployment rate of all states – 5.2 percent compared to the U.S. average of 5.1 percent. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Relative to the U.S. average, North Carolina has larger percentages of its workforce employed in construction, production, and farming occupations and smaller percentages in the remaining categories of occupations (see below).
Distribution (%) of Employment by Occupation in 2005
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey
- The distribution of employment by industry reveals a similar pattern of employment – with much larger percentages of North Carolina’s employment in manufacturing and construction industries relative to the U.S. average (see below).
Distribution (%) of Employment by Industry in 2005
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey
- North Carolina ranked 26th among the states on the Progressive Policy Institute’s 2002 State New Economy Index – an index that measures the degree to which states are structured according to the new “knowledge-based” economy. (Located at: http://www.neweconomyindex.org/states/index.html)
North Carolina - Health and Well-Being
- 15.7 percent of North Carolina residents do not have health insurance – the 17th highest percentage in the U.S. (2005 Current Population Survey)
- 24.2 percent of North Carolina residents are overweight enough to be labeled obese – higher than the national average of 23.1 percent. (Centers for Disease Control)
- In North Carolina, 204 per 100,000 residents died of cancer during the years 2000 to 2002 – the same as the U.S. average of 204 per 100,000 residents (Centers for Disease Control).
- A higher proportion of North Carolina residents (338 of 100,000) died of cardiovascular complication from 2000 to 2002 – slightly higher than the national average of 333 per 100,000 residents (Centers for Disease Control).
- On the 2005 America’s Health Rankings (United Health Foundation), North Carolina ranked 36th among the states in overall health. The state rankings and measures can be accessed at http://www.unitedhealthfoundation.org/ahr2005.html.
North Carolina - Crime and Corrections
- In 2004, North Carolina had the 20th highest rate of violent crime among the 50 states (448 incidences per 100,000 residents). The U.S. rate was 466 incidences per 100,000 residents. (FBI, Uniform Crime Reports)
- In the same year, there were 4,160 incidences of property crime per 100,000 residents in North Carolina – above the U.S. average of 3,517.
- North Carolina had the 27th highest incarceration rate per capita in 2004 – with 415 prisoners under federal and state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents. The rate of incarceration in North Carolina has declined relative to the U.S. average since 1995 (see below).
Number of Prisoners (Federal and State) Per 100,000 Residents – North Carolina and the U.S. Average
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau
North Carolina Counties
State averages often mask vast disparities within states. For example, the personal income per capita in North Carolina ranges from $18,817 in Hoke County to $40,416 in Mecklenburg County. Also, the percentage of adults aged 25 to 64 with a bachelor’s degree or higher ranges from 8.6 percent in Caswell County to 54.1 percent in Orange County (a ratio of nearly 6 to 1).
Therefore, it is important to display regional and county differences. Many of these data are available to MyOnlineMaps.com subscribers at the state and county levels – and can be used to generate state and county maps or to download for research purposes. Furthermore, the “Resources” section of MyonlineMaps.com contains links to these and other valuable data sources.
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