General Demographics
- Total Population, 2023
- 42,3241
- Population Change, July 2022 - July 2023
- -2491
- Projected 2050 Population
- 37,1972
- Under 18 Years Old
- 9,9541
- Age 18-64 Years
- 24,5221
- Age 65+ Years
- 7,8481
- Median Age
- 40.33
Race / Ethnicity 4
- White
- 55.1%3
- Black/African American
- 31.7%3
- Native American
- 2.1%3
- Asian/Pacific Islander
- 0.8%3
- Hispanic/Latino
- 7.5%3
- Multi-Racial
- 2.6%3
- Other Single Race
- 0.2%3
Financial Stability
- Residents Below Federal Poverty Level, 2023
- 22.6%5
- Median Household Income, 2023
- $50,2425
Housing
- Cost-Burdened Households (Spend 30% of Household Income on Housing)
- 31.8%6
- Typical Home Value (July, 2024)
- $127,0977
- Median Gross Rent, 2 Bedroom Unit
- $7166
Education
- 4-Year High School Graduation Rate
- 79.6%8
- Postsecondary Enrollment
- 48%8
- Postsecondary Attainment (25-44 Year Olds With a Postsecondary Degree/Credential)
- 36.6%8
Employment
- 2024 County Economic Distress Tier
- 19
- Total Workforce Employed, 2023 Average
- 16,28310
- Total Workforce Unemployed, 2023 Average
- 77910
- Average Weekly Wage, 2023
- $84411
- Residents Working in Home County
- 68.1%12
- Labor Force Participation Rate
- 57.6%12
- Unemployment Rate (Annual Average), 2023
- 4.6%10
- Annual Pre-Tax Living Wage - 2 Adults (1 working), 1 Child Household (Feb, 2024)
- $62,46613
- Average Employment Change, 2013-23
- 1015 (8% Growth)11
- Gross Domestic Product, 2023 (Thousands of Dollars)
- $2,432,76514
- Top Industry By Employment, 2023
- Manufacturing (3,431 employees)11
- Top Employer in County, 2023
- Richmond County Schools (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: 2019-2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
- 13: MIT Living Wage Calculator
- 14: US Bureau of Economic Analysis
Health
- Residents Uninsured
- 9.5%15
- County Health Outcomes Rank
- 9516
- Food Insecurity Rate, 2022
- 18.2%17
- Primary Care Physicians Per 10K Residents, 2023
- 3.318
- Overdose Deaths Per 100 Thousand Residents, 2022
- 86.919
- Life Expectancy (Years)
- 70.520
- 15: 2019-2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
- 16: University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, 2024 County Health Rankings
- 17: Feeding America
- 18: UNC Sheps Center, Health Workforce Data
- 19: NCDHHS Overdose Epidemic Data
- 20: 2024 County Health Rankings, University of Wisconsin and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Broadband
- Households Without Computing Device (Laptop, Smartphone, etc.)
- 8.7%21
- Broadband Availability Index Score, 2021
- 60.322
- Households without an Internet Subscription
- 15.3%21
Infrastructure
- Designation of Water/Wastewater System as Distressed (Aug, 2024)
- Yes (Ellerbe)23
**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.**
SourcesSmall Business: Statewide Data
Small businesses make up 99.6% (1.1 million small businesses) of all NC Businesses.24
44.2% (1.7 million small business employees) of all North Carolinians are small business employees.24
Business Ownership
- Business Ownership - Women
- 46.0%24
- Business Ownership - Veterans
- 7.1%24
- Business Ownership - People of Color
- 22.8%24
Business Creation
- 2021
- 178,30025
- 2022
- 171,40025
- 2023
- 171,70025
Business Revenue
- 2019
- $125,700,00026
- 2020
- $141,400,00026
- 2021
- $159,200,00026
Employment Data
- Small Business Employment Change, March 2022 - March 2023
- Net increase of 100,187 jobs24
- Small Business Establishment Change, March 2022 - March 2023
- Net increase of 7,773 businesses24
Agriculture
- Farms
- 42,81727
- Acres of Farmland
- 8,128,13627
- Average Acreage of NC Farms
- 19027
Major Sectors
- Major Business Sectors
- Aerospace and Defense; Automotive, Truck & Heavy Machinery; Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals; Business and Financial Services; Corporate Headquarters; Energy; Food Processing and Manufacturing; Furniture; Information Technology; Plastics and Chemicals; Textiles; Tourism28
- 24: US Small Business Administration, 2024 Small Business Profile
- 25: Office of the Secretary of State, NC, 2024
- 26: Office of the Secretary of State, NC, 2021
- 27: USDA, 2022 Census of Agriculture
- 28: Department of Commerce, 2025