County profile

Stanly 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
64,651
Median household income
$60,704
People below poverty
15.2%
Median home value
$242,400

Income

The median income of households in Stanly County, North Carolina was $60,704. An estimated 5.9% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 5.4% had income of $200,000 or more.

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

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Percent
Less than $10,000 5.9
$10,000 to $14,999 4.4
$15,000 to $24,999 8.4
$25,000 to $34,999 10.3
$35,000 to $49,999 12.9
$50,000 to $74,999 16.1
$75,000 to $99,999 13.5
$100,000 to $149,999 16.3
$150,000 to $199,999 6.8
$200,000 or more 5.4

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

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Dollars
Male 56677
Female 46325

An estimated 71.8% of households received earnings. An estimated 39.2% of households received Social Security and an estimated 25.9 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $22,499. 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 Stanly County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 71.8
Social Security 39.2
Retirement income 25.9
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 4.2
Cash public assistance income 1.6

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 15.2 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 22.9% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 11.2% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 13.7% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

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

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Percent
People in poverty 15.2
Children under 18 years below poverty 22.9
People 65 years old and over below poverty 11.2
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 13.7

In 2020-2024, 15.4 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 47.5% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 43.5% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 32.8% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Stanly County, North Carolina in 2020-2024, 91% had health insurance coverage and 9% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 64.8% and public coverage was 40.2%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 4.2%.


In 2020-2024, Stanly County, North Carolina had a total population of 64,651 - 32,308 (50%) females and 32,343 (50%) males. The median age was 40.5 years. An estimated 21.7% of the population was under 18 years, 30.6% was 19 to 44 years, 26.4% was 45 to 64 years, and 19.1 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 1933 1663
5 to 9 2327 1876
10 to 14 1730 1947
15 to 19 1909 2100
20 to 24 2052 1776
25 to 29 2058 1874
30 to 34 2348 2114
35 to 39 1888 2277
40 to 44 1808 1563
45 to 49 2007 1866
50 to 54 2210 2112
55 to 59 2171 2026
60 to 64 2228 2410
65 to 69 1885 1885
70 to 74 1555 1876
75 to 79 915 1037
80 to 84 734 1012
85 and over 585 894

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 79.1% were White; 11.2% were Black or African American; 13.4% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 1.9% were Asian; 7.5% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 4.2% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 5.7% of the people in Stanly County, North Carolina were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 78% of the people in Stanly 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 25,240 households in Stanly County, North Carolina. The average household size was 2.49 people.

Married-couple households made up 48.4% of the households in Stanly County, North Carolina while cohabiting couple households made up 6.3% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 27.6% of all households, while 17.7% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 12.9% of households were male householders living alone, and 16.4% were female householders living alone, for a total of 29.3% of all households.

In Stanly County, North Carolina, 29.9% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 35.1% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

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

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Percent
Married-couple households 48.4
Cohabiting Couples 6.3
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
17.7
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
27.6

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 51.2% of males and 48.1% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 32.8 26
Now married, except separated 51.2 48.1
Separated 1.3 2.5
Widowed 3.7 11.9
Divorced 11 11.5

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Stanly County, North Carolina, 1,566 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 40.3% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 95.6% of the people living in Stanly County, North Carolina were U.S. natives. 73.3% of the Stanly County, North Carolina population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 4.4% of Stanly County, North Carolina residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 45.3% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 68.8 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Stanly 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 Stanly County, North Carolina.

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

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Percent
Latin America 59.1
Asia 26.4
Europe 8.9
Africa 0.1
Northern America 1.5
Oceania 3.9

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Stanly County, North Carolina in 2020-2024, 7 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 4.5% of people at least five years old; 2.6% 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 Stanly County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 4.5
Other Indo-European languages 0.9
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 1.6
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 89.3 % of the people at least one year old living in Stanly County, North Carolina were living in the same house one year earlier.

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

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Percent
Same house 89.3
Different house, same county 4.1
Different county, same state 5.2
Different state 1
Abroad 0.3

Education

In 2020-2024, 88.5 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 19.9% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 11.4% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Stanly County, North Carolina was 14,164 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 966 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 9,916. College or graduate school enrollment was 3,282.

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

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 11.4
High school diploma or equivalency 32.1
Some college, no degree 22.8
Associate's degree 13.8
Bachelor's degree 14.4
Graduate or professional degree 5.5

Disability

In Stanly County, North Carolina, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 17.5 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 4% of people under 18 years old, to 16% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 38.4% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Stanly County, North Carolina, 55.9 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 41.6% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 81.9% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 12.4% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 5.6 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 23,947 81.9
Federal, state, or local government workers 3,613 12.4
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 1,637 5.6

Industries

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

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

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1.5
Construction 10.6
Manufacturing 16.2
Wholesale trade 2.2
Retail trade 11.6
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4.9
Information 0.7
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 4.9
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 8.8
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 21.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 6.4
Other Services, except public administration 6.7
Public administration 4.2

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 9,517 32.6
Service occupations 4,755 16.3
Sales and office occupations 5,684 19.4
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 3,689 12.6
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 5,580 19.1

Commuting to Work

An estimated 78.2% of Stanly County, North Carolina workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 10.4% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 28.1 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 78.2
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 10.4
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.2
Walked 0.6
Other means 0.6
Worked from home 9.8

In 2020-2024, Stanly County, North Carolina had a total of 28,632 housing units. Of these housing units, 80.4% 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"). 8.1% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 11.5% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

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

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Percent
Single-family houses 80.4
Apartments in multi-unit structures 8.1
Mobile homes 11.5
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

10.6% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 11.7% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Stanly County, North Carolina was 5.6 rooms, and of these housing units 68.6% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Stanly County, North Carolina had 25,240 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 3,392 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 74.5% while renters occupied 25.5%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.51 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.4.

3.3% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 18% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 5.5% and another 34.9% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

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

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Percent
Gas 16.5
Electricity 75
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 5.3
All other fuels 2.3
No fuel used 0.8

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Stanly County, North Carolina was $242,400.

Of the owner-occupied households, 54 % had a mortgage. 46% 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 $1,420 and for owners without a mortgage it was $430.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Stanly County, North Carolina was $861. 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.