Winston-Salem, North Carolina population is 257,271 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #90 nationally and #5 in North Carolina. Cost of living runs 8.0% below the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); a family of four needs roughly $82,371/yr to break even (2025 modeled). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
At a glance.
2025 population
257,271
+1,625 in the last year
Top 1% of 19,483 U.S. cities
Census Vintage 2025
Cost of living
RPP 92.0
−8.0% vs US
Winston-Salem, NC metro · BEA 2024
Family-of-4 budget
$82,371/yr
+2.8% vs US
Modeled 2025 · federal sources
Median HH income
$59,268
−24% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
Median home value
$233,800
−23% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
2-BR fair-market rent
$1,232/mo
HUD FY2026 · 40th pct
Avg July high
88°F
NOAA 1991–2020
Gigabit broadband
52%
ISP-reported, FCC BDC
How many people live in Winston-Salem?
257,271 people live in Winston-Salem as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #90 largest U.S. city.
Source detail
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population grew 3.1% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 249,549 → 2025: 257,271 (+3.1%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
249,549
April 1, 2020
2020
249,208
July 1, 2020
2021
250,449
July 1, 2021
2022
251,395
July 1, 2022
2023
253,320
July 1, 2023
2024
255,646
July 1, 2024
2025
257,271
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population grew 8.0% from 2010 to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Winston-Salem is the #90 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #5 in North Carolina.
▸ Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
249,549
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
+7,722
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
+3.1%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
+1,625
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
+0.6%
within V2025 only
Density
1,924
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
133.7
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#90
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#5
of 549 in North Carolina
What is the median household income in Winston-Salem?
Median household income is 24% below the U.S. median ($59,268 vs $77,719); 17.7% live in poverty — 5.2 points above the 12.5% U.S. rate.
Median household income$59,268
US
Winston-Salem: $59,268 — 24% below the US median of $77,719.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data
Winston-Salem
$59,268
United States
$77,719
Income and poverty estimates for Winston-Salem from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
59,268-23.7% vs US
±1,883
Per capita income
37,345-13.7% vs US
±1,095
Population in poverty
17.7%
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 23% below the U.S. median ($233,800 vs $303,400); median rent is 19% below ($1,087 vs $1,348); price-to-income ratio (3.9×) is roughly in line with the U.S. median (3.9×).
Median home value$233,800
US
Winston-Salem: $233,800 — 23% below the US median of $303,400.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$1,232/mo
US
Winston-Salem: $1,232/mo — 14% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2024 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Winston-Salem. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
4.0%
Winston-Salem (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
117,424
2024 annual avg
Worked from home
14.1%+1.0% vs US
share of workers 16+ commuting from home · U.S. median: 14% · ACS
County context — Winston-Salem sits in Forsyth County:
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Forsyth County
13.3%
$67,638
3.8%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Winston-Salem's linked county in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2024 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Health care and social assistance (62)
43,109
$1,397 / wk
#2
Retail trade (44-45)
22,366
$782 / wk
#3
Accommodation and food services (72)
18,281
$471 / wk
#4
Manufacturing (31-33)
16,130
$1,498 / wk
#5
Administrative and waste services (56)
12,537
$943 / wk
What workers earn in the Winston-Salem, NC metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Registered Nurses is the largest tracked occupation in the Winston-Salem, NC metro (10,180 jobs, median $86,120/yr).
▸ Show all 14 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Cashiers
6,220
$28,130
$13.53
Cooks, Fast Food
6,120
$27,280
$13.12
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
5,490
$37,160
$17.87
Fast Food and Counter Workers
4,900
$28,640
$13.77
Stockers and Order Fillers
4,890
$35,080
$16.86
Nursing Assistants
4,450
$38,660
$18.59
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
3,980
$46,370
$22.29
Waiters and Waitresses
3,940
$29,550
$14.21
Registered Nurses · benchmark
10,180
$86,120
$41.40
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
6,790
$30,100
$14.47
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
3,480
$51,320
$24.67
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
3,120
$96,840
$46.56
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
All items run 8.0% below the U.S. average (RPP 92.0); rents run 28.6% below (RPP 71.4) — the metro's housing affordability is the main driver.
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 92.0
US
Winston-Salem's cost of living runs 8.0% below the U.S. average (RPP 92.0 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 92.0
−8.0% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · Winston-Salem, NC metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$1,232/mo
FY2026 · Winston-Salem, NC HUD Metro FMR Area
State income tax (top marginal rate)
4.25%
flat · TY2025
Family-of-four monthly budget total
$6,864/mo
3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources
Single-adult monthly budget total
$4,291/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources
Local income tax
—
not applicable in North Carolina · no modeled local income tax
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
11.2% foreign-born (U.S. median 14%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (15.1% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Winston-Salem's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
Hottest month: July (88°F avg high). Coldest: January (29°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 45.1 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Winston-Salem from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Natural-hazard exposure for Winston-Salem from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
Forsyth County
91.5
Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm 97.8 Very High · Riverine Flooding 94.7 Relatively High · Winter Weather 91.6 Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Winston-Salem?
15 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 52% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Winston-Salem from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of June 30, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
15 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
13
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
52.8%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
51.7%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
123,991
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of June 30, 2025 · methodology →
How much crime is reported in Winston-Salem?
In 2024, law enforcement reported 2,057 violent and 7,421 property offenses in the Winston-Salem jurisdiction — a violent-crime rate of 809.7 per 100,000, above the U.S. estimate of 359.1.
Reported offenses known to law enforcement from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program (CIUS Table 8), 2024. Figures describe the FBI agency jurisdiction: Winston-Salem — an FBI jurisdiction population of 254,041, versus the Census place population of 257,271. The rate per 100,000 is the FBI's own (count ÷ that jurisdiction population), never divided by the Census place figure. These are reported crimes under voluntary participation — not measured or victimization crime — and the FBI cautions against using them to rank or compare places. See methodology §31.
Offenses known, 2024
Count
Rate /100k
U.S. rate
Violent crime
2,057
809.7
359.1
Property crime
7,421
2,921.2
1,760.1
▸ Offense breakdown and 3-year trend
Offense, 2024
Count
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
29
Rape
117
Robbery
247
Aggravated assault
1,664
Burglary
1,448
Larceny-theft
5,073
Motor vehicle theft
900
Arson (12-month reporters only)
70
Year
Violent /100k
Property /100k
Jurisdiction pop.
2022
1,175.5
3,893.8
251,295
2023
886.4
3,011.1
252,132
2024
809.7
2,921.2
254,041
Only years the agency reported a complete 12 months appear; the FBI does not estimate missing agency-years, so a gap is a non-reporting year, not zero crime.
U.S. rate is the FBI national estimate (imputes non-reporting agencies); the city figures are reported-only. Source: FBI UCR CIUS Table 8 (2022–2024) · FBI agency jurisdiction: Winston-Salem · methodology → · FBI Crime Data Explorer →
In-state context.
Winston-Salem sits at state rank #5 among 549 cities in North Carolina. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Glendale, AZ · #89 · 260,572 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Irving, TX · #91 · 257,076 residents.
Quick travel facts for Winston-Salem
Quick travel facts.
Nearest commercial airport
Piedmont Triad International Airport(GSO) ·
18 mi 29 km from city centroid
Best months to visit
Oct · months when the avg high sits in 65–80°F and precipitation is at or below the city's median monthly precip
Sources: elevation from USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP) · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (FAA-aligned, type=large/medium, scheduled_service=yes) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Winston-Salem.
How many people live in Winston-Salem, NC?
Winston-Salem has 257,271 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #90 largest city in the United States and #5 in North Carolina. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Winston-Salem growing or shrinking?
Winston-Salem has grown 3.1% since the April 2020 census baseline, adding 7,722 residents, including a 0.6% increase from 2024 to 2025. Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
What was Winston-Salem's population in the 2020 census?
The GEOID for Winston-Salem is 3775000. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
