Demographics · NC
Wilmington, NC demographics: 120,805 residents, with a median age of 37.1 years, from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020–2024 (5-year estimates).
120,805people live in Wilmington, at a median age of 37.1 years (American Community Survey 2020–2024, a 5-year average)
Median age 37.1 years — younger than the U.S. median of 38.9.
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)
In Wilmington, the largest race group is White (72.4%); 8.8% of residents are Hispanic or Latino (of any race); 5.7% were born outside the United States.
ACS 2020–2024 · B01001 / B01002
The median age in Wilmington is 37.1 years (±0.8), younger than the U.S. median of 38.9 years. The population is 46.6% male and 53.4% female. The largest age band is 18 to 24 at 16.0%.
| Age band | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 4,902 | 4.1% | ±553 |
| 5 to 17 | 14,941 | 12.4% | ±968 |
| 18 to 24 | 19,329 | 16.0% | ±1,322 |
| 25 to 34 | 17,730 | 14.7% | ±930 |
| 35 to 44 | 14,337 | 11.9% | ±947 |
| 45 to 54 | 12,988 | 10.8% | ±756 |
| 55 to 64 | 14,548 | 12.0% | ±950 |
| 65 to 74 | 12,551 | 10.4% | ±827 |
| 75 and over | 9,479 | 7.8% | ±729 |
Median age by sex: 36.2 (male) · 38.4 (female).
Shares may not sum to 100% due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B01001 sex by age, B01002 median age) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B02001 / B03003
The largest race group in Wilmington is White at 72.4% of the population. Separately, 8.8% of residents are Hispanic or Latino of any race.Race and Hispanic origin are two different questions on the census form, so their shares are reported separately and are not additive.
| Race (alone, or two or more) | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| White alone | 87,410 | 72.4% | ±1,928 |
| Black or African American alone | 17,505 | 14.5% | ±1,416 |
| American Indian & Alaska Native alone | 289 | 0.2% | ±189 · low precision |
| Asian alone | 1,617 | 1.3% | ±368 |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone | 42 | 0.0% | ±64 · low precision |
| Some other race alone | 5,458 | 4.5% | ±1,315 |
| Two or more races | 8,484 | 7.0% | ±1,044 |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 10,612 | 8.8% | ±1,044 |
Race shares may not sum to 100% due to rounding; race and Hispanic origin are separate questions and are not additive. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B02001 race, B03003 Hispanic or Latino origin) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B11001 / B25010
Wilmington has 56,612 households. 46.6% are family households and 39.0% are people living alone. The average household holds 2.05 people.
Total households
56,612
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B11001
Avg household size
2.05
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B25010 · ±0.04
Family households
46.6%
Share of all households · B11001
Living alone
39.0%
Share of all households · B11001
| Household type | Households | ± margin |
|---|---|---|
| Total households | 56,612 | ±1,109 |
| Family households | 26,363 | ±899 |
| Nonfamily households | 30,249 | ±1,492 |
| Householder living alone | 22,086 | ±1,287 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B11001 household type, B25010 average household size) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B05002 / C16001
5.7% of Wilmington residents were born outside the United States. 91.5% of residents age 5 and over speak only English at home. The most-spoken non-English language at home is Spanish (5.9%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign-born share | 5.7% | 6,927 people · B05002 |
| Speak only English at home (age 5+) | 91.5% | C16001 |
| Top non-English language at home | 5.9% | Spanish · 6,843 speakers · C16001 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B05002 place of birth, C16001 language spoken at home) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B15003
46.8% of adults age 25 and over in Wilmington hold a bachelor's degree or higher (the U.S. share is about 35%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 46.8% | B15003 lines 22–25 over line 1 · place-grain |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B15003 educational attainment, population 25+) · place-grain · methodology →
Sources · provenance
The GEOID for Wilmington is 3774440. Every figure on this page is a place-grain American Community Survey 5-Year 2020–2024 estimate (ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)) shown with its margin of error. Full per-dataset detail: /sources/.