Wilkes

General Demographics

Total Population, 2022

65,784¹

Population Change, April 2020 - July 2022

-184¹

Projected 2050 Population

65,040²

Under 18 Years Old

12,880¹

Age 18-64 Years

37,693¹

Age 65+ Years

15,211¹

Median Age

45.3³

Race / Ethnicity ³

• 1: US Census Bureau, 2022 Population Estimates
• 2: NC Office of State Budget and Management, State Demographer
• 3: 2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Financial Stability

Residents Below Federal Poverty Level, 2022

19.1%⁴

Median Household Income, 2022

$48,229⁴

• 4: US Census Bureau, 2022 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates

Housing

Cost-Burdened Households (Spend 30% of Household Income on Housing)

22.2%⁵

Typical Home Value (July, 2023)

$221,444⁶

Median Gross Rent, 2 Bedroom Unit

$675⁵

• 5: 2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 6: Zillow, Zillow Home Value Index

Education

4-Year County High School Graduation Rate

90.1%⁷

Postsecondary Enrollment

53%⁸

Postsecondary Attainment (25-44 Year Olds With a Postsecondary Degree/Credential)

40.7%⁸

• 7: North Carolina School Report Cards (2023), North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
• 8: myFutureNC, 2022 County Profiles

Employment

2024 County Economic Distress Tier

1⁹

Total Workforce Employed, 2022

26,199¹⁰

Total Workforce Unemployed, 2022

1,042¹⁰

Average Weekly Wage, 2022

$868¹¹

Residents Working in Home County

72.4%¹²

Labor Force Participation Rate

56.0%¹²

Unemployment Rate (Annual Average), 2022

3.8%¹³

Annual Living Wage - 1 Adult, 1 Child Household (Pre-Tax)

$69,141¹⁴

Avgerage Employment Change, 2012-22

-1017 (-5% Decline)¹¹

Gross Domestic Product, 2022

$3,021,717¹⁵

Top Industry By Employment, 2021

Manufacturing (4,715 Employees)¹⁶

Top Employer in County, 2022

Tyson Farms Inc (1000+ Employees)¹¹

• 9: North Carolina Department of Commerce
• 10: Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Retrieved from NC Department of Commerce D4 Data Site
• 11: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Retrieved from NC Department of Commerce D4 Data Site
• 12: 2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 13: Local Area Unemployment Statistics (2022), Retrieved from NC Department of Commerce D4 Data Site
• 14: MIT Living Wage Calculator
• 15: US Bureau of Economic Analysis
• 16: US Census Bureau, 2021 County Business Patterns

Health

Residents Uninsured

11.7%¹⁷

County Health Outcomes Rank

73¹⁸

Food Insecurity Rate, 2021

14.9%¹⁹

Primary Care Physicians Per 10K Residents, 2022

4.72²⁰

Overdose Deaths Per 100 Thousand Residents, 2021

33.6²¹

Life Expectancy

76¹⁸

• 17: 2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 18: 2023 County Health Rankings, University of Wisconsin and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• 19: Feeding America
• 20: UNC Sheps Center, Health Workforce Data
• 21: NCDHHS Opioid and Substance Use Action Plan Data Dashboard

Broadband

Households Without Computing Device (Laptop, Smartphone, etc.)

11.1%²²

Broadband Availability Index Score, 2021

73.5²³

Households without an Internet Subscription

15.5%²²

• 22: 2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 23: North Carolina Department of Information Technology

Infrastructure

Designation of Water/Wastewater System as Distressed

Yes (Ronda, Wilkesboro)²⁴

**Distressed is defined as a “public water system or wastewater system operated by a local government unit exhibiting signs of failure to identify or address those financial or operating needs necessary to enable that system to become or to remain a local government unit generating sufficient revenues to adequately fund management and operations, personnel, appropriate levels of maintenance, and reinvestment that facilitate the provision of reliable water or wastewater services” per Session Law 2020-79.**

• 24: North Carolian Department of Environmental Quality