Income in North Carolina

Income gap between rural and urban areas remains.

Per capita income in the state grew by 17 percent from 1990 to 2000, and both rural and urban areas shared equally in this growth. As a result, the gap in per capita income between rural and urban areas did not narrow during the nineties. In fact, the average per capita income in rural North Carolina remains about three-quarters of the average urban income, where it has been for the last three decades.

Source: US Bureau of the Census

Per capita income varies widely across the state.

Per capita income was approximately $23,000 in the Charlotte and Research Triangle partnership regions in 2000. In contrast, per capita income in the Northeast, Southeast, Eastern and Advantage West partnerships ranged from $16,000 to $18,000.

Source: US Bureau of the Census

Disparities exist among race and ethnic groups in per capita income.

There are tremendous differences in per capita income within rural and urban areas. The group with the highest per capita income is urban whites with a per capita income of over $26,000. Rural Hispanics have the lowest per capita income at $9,500. For every race and ethnic group, there is at least $2,800 difference between rural and urban places.

Source: US Bureau of the Census

Rural counties have more low-income households.

Thirty-six percent of households in rural areas have incomes below $25,000 compared to 25 percent in urban areas. Urban counties have more than double the percent of households with incomes above $100,000.

Source: US Bureau of the Census

The fastest growing counties in median household income were all rural.

The 21 counties with the greatest increase in median household income from 1990 to 2000 were all rural. However, it should be noted that these counties started well behind urban income levels and the size of the improvement was modest in many cases. Even with the increases, rural areas still lag considerably behind urban areas in median household income.

Source: US Bureau of the Census

Structural changes in the North Carolina economy have impacted incomes

The recession of 2001 and the structural changes in the economy have led to a drop in median household income in North Carolina. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that median household income has dropped to a 2-year average of $37,315 in 2002-2003 from $39,184 in 2000. Only 9 states in the county experienced declines in income.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000-2003