County profile

Pamlico County

North Carolina · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
12,390
Median household income
$59,717
People below poverty
15.2%
Median home value
$216,800

Income

The median income of households in Pamlico County, North Carolina was $59,717. An estimated 7.2% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 4.3% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Pamlico County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 7.2
$10,000 to $14,999 6
$15,000 to $24,999 10.1
$25,000 to $34,999 8.9
$35,000 to $49,999 8.8
$50,000 to $74,999 18.5
$75,000 to $99,999 11.1
$100,000 to $149,999 17.1
$150,000 to $199,999 7.9
$200,000 or more 4.3

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Pamlico County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 56813
Female 41593

An estimated 55.2% of households received earnings. An estimated 53.1% of households received Social Security and an estimated 36.8 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $24,925. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Pamlico County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 55.2
Social Security 53.1
Retirement income 36.8
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 6.8
Cash public assistance income 1.3

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 15.2 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 17.5% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 13.1% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 15.7% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Pamlico County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 15.2
Children under 18 years below poverty 17.5
People 65 years old and over below poverty 13.1
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 15.7

In 2020-2024, 10.8 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 46.5% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 61.8% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 29.3% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Pamlico County, North Carolina in 2020-2024, 91.6% had health insurance coverage and 8.4% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 65.2% and public coverage was 50.1%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 3.1%.


In 2020-2024, Pamlico County, North Carolina had a total population of 12,390 - 6,024 (48.6%) females and 6,366 (51.4%) males. The median age was 54.1 years. An estimated 14.2% of the population was under 18 years, 22.7% was 19 to 44 years, 29.8% was 45 to 64 years, and 30.6 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Pamlico County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 239 212
5 to 9 334 314
10 to 14 209 145
15 to 19 410 235
20 to 24 224 65
25 to 29 218 412
30 to 34 323 257
35 to 39 387 277
40 to 44 351 304
45 to 49 328 266
50 to 54 495 368
55 to 59 495 546
60 to 64 625 565
65 to 69 509 712
70 to 74 491 475
75 to 79 323 406
80 to 84 213 241
85 and over 192 224

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 73.6% were White; 16.2% were Black or African American; 16.1% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.6% were Asian; 2.4% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 8.2% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 4.8% of the people in Pamlico County, North Carolina were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 73.4% of the people in Pamlico County, North Carolina were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 5,456 households in Pamlico County, North Carolina. The average household size was 2.12 people.

Married-couple households made up 46.1% of the households in Pamlico County, North Carolina while cohabiting couple households made up 8.1% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 27.2% of all households, while 18.6% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 15.4% of households were male householders living alone, and 17.3% were female householders living alone, for a total of 32.7% of all households.

In Pamlico County, North Carolina, 19.3% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 48.9% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Pamlico County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 46.1
Cohabiting Couples 8.1
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
18.6
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
27.2

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 46.6% of males and 49.4% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 28 21.2
Now married, except separated 46.6 49.4
Separated 2.7 3.8
Widowed 5.8 14.7
Divorced 16.9 10.9

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Pamlico County, North Carolina, 392 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 51.3% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 97.1% of the people living in Pamlico County, North Carolina were U.S. natives. 60.9% of the Pamlico County, North Carolina population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 2.9% of Pamlico County, North Carolina residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 46% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 89.5 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Pamlico County, North Carolina come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Pamlico County, North Carolina.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Pamlico County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 51
Asia 15.8
Europe 26.6
Africa 1.4
Northern America 5
Oceania 0.3

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Pamlico County, North Carolina in 2020-2024, 3.9 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 3% of people at least five years old; 1.1% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Pamlico County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 3
Other Indo-European languages 0.5
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.4
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 91 % of the people at least one year old living in Pamlico County, North Carolina were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Pamlico County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 91
Different house, same county 1.8
Different county, same state 4.1
Different state 3
Abroad 0

Education

In 2020-2024, 90.1 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 25.4% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 9.9% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Pamlico County, North Carolina was 1,786 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 170 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 1,324. College or graduate school enrollment was 292.

Educational Attainment of People in Pamlico County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 9.9
High school diploma or equivalency 31.8
Some college, no degree 23.1
Associate's degree 9.7
Bachelor's degree 13.8
Graduate or professional degree 11.6

Disability

In Pamlico County, North Carolina, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 21.2 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 14% of people under 18 years old, to 16.8% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 32% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Pamlico County, North Carolina, 40.8 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 57% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 73% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 19.6% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 7.4 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 3,230 73
Federal, state, or local government workers 866 19.6
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 326 7.4

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Pamlico County, North Carolina worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Pamlico County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 6.5
Construction 7.9
Manufacturing 9.8
Wholesale trade 2
Retail trade 10.1
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 6.1
Information 0.2
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3.6
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 10.4
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 26.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 9.9
Other Services, except public administration 2.3
Public administration 4.9

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Pamlico County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 1,383 31.3
Service occupations 782 17.7
Sales and office occupations 861 19.5
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 654 14.8
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 742 16.8

Commuting to Work

An estimated 80.7% of Pamlico County, North Carolina workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 3.9% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 26.5 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Pamlico County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 80.7
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 3.9
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 1.1
Walked 0.6
Other means 2.6
Worked from home 11.1

In 2020-2024, Pamlico County, North Carolina had a total of 7,322 housing units. Of these housing units, 70% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 4.4% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 25% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Pamlico County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 70
Apartments in multi-unit structures 4.4
Mobile homes 25
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.5

12% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 5.7% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Pamlico County, North Carolina was 5.4 rooms, and of these housing units 75.2% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Pamlico County, North Carolina had 5,456 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 1,866 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 82.9% while renters occupied 17.1%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.17 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.9.

4.6% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 15.2% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 3.5% and another 28.4% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Pamlico County, North Carolina:

House Heating Fuel Used in Pamlico County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 19.5
Electricity 78.5
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.1
All other fuels 1.3
No fuel used 0.6

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Pamlico County, North Carolina was $216,800.

Of the owner-occupied households, 49.7 % had a mortgage. 50.3% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,471 and for owners without a mortgage it was $487.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Pamlico County, North Carolina was $752. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.