Demographics · NC

Winston-Salem, NC demographics.

Winston-Salem, NC demographics: 252,037 residents, with a median age of 35.9 years, from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020–2024 (5-year estimates).

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252,037people are estimated in Winston-Salem, at a median age of 35.9 years (American Community Survey 2020–2024 period estimate)

Median age 35.9 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 Winston-Salem, the largest race group is White (46.1%); 18.2% of residents are Hispanic or Latino (of any race); 11.2% were born outside the United States.

ACS 2020–2024 · B01001 / B01002

How old is Winston-Salem?

The estimated median age in Winston-Salem is 35.9 years (±0.4), compared with the U.S. estimate of 38.9 ± 0.1 years. These are descriptive comparisons, not significance tests. The population is 46.6% ± 0.4 percentage points male and 53.4% ± 0.3 percentage points female. The largest age band is 5 to 17 at 17.0%.

Under 5

5.9%

5 to 17

17.0%

18 to 24

11.8%

25 to 34

14.0%

35 to 44

12.2%

45 to 54

11.8%

55 to 64

11.9%

65 to 74

8.9%

75 and over

6.5%

Age band	People	Share	± margin
Under 5	14,943	5.9% ± 0.2 percentage points	±627
5 to 17	42,951	17.0% ± 0.6 percentage points	±1,484
18 to 24	29,691	11.8% ± 0.5 percentage points	±1,313
25 to 34	35,299	14.0% ± 0.4 percentage points	±935
35 to 44	30,748	12.2% ± 0.5 percentage points	±1,312
45 to 54	29,618	11.8% ± 0.4 percentage points	±885
55 to 64	30,099	11.9% ± 0.5 percentage points	±1,371
65 to 74	22,330	8.9% ± 0.4 percentage points	±1,015
75 and over	16,358	6.5% ± 0.4 percentage points	±888

Median age by sex: 34.9 (male) · 36.7 (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

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Winston-Salem?

The largest race group in Winston-Salem is White at 46.1% of the population. Separately, 18.2% 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.

White alone

46.1%

Black or African American alone

32.1%

American Indian & Alaska Native alone

0.5%

Asian alone

2.3%

Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone

0.1%

Some other race alone

8.3%

Two or more races

10.6%

Race (alone, or two or more)	People	Share	± margin
White alone	116,146	46.1% ± 1.0 percentage points	±2,609
Black or African American alone	80,852	32.1% ± 0.9 percentage points	±2,350
American Indian & Alaska Native alone	1,311	0.5% ± 0.2 percentage points	±503
Asian alone	5,847	2.3% ± 0.3 percentage points	±667
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone	199	0.1% ± 0.0 percentage points	±99
Some other race alone	21,043	8.3% ± 0.9 percentage points	±2,291
Two or more races	26,639	10.6% ± 0.9 percentage points	±2,284
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	45,789	18.2% ± 0.6 percentage points	±1,443

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

How many households are in Winston-Salem?

Winston-Salem has 103,058 households. 58.2% are family households and 35.6% are people living alone. The average household holds 2.35 people.

Total households

103,058

ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B11001

Avg household size

2.35

ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B25010 · ±0.03

Family households

58.2% ± 1.3 percentage points

Share of all households · B11001

Living alone

35.6% ± 1.3 percentage points

Share of all households · B11001

Household type	Households	± margin
Total households	103,058	±1,139
Family households	60,010	±1,503
Nonfamily households	43,048	±1,554
Householder living alone	36,673	±1,430

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

Where are Winston-Salem residents from?

11.2% of Winston-Salem residents were born outside the United States. 80.5% of residents age 5 and over speak only English at home. The most-spoken non-English language at home is Spanish (15.1%).

Measure	Value	Source / grain
Foreign-born share	11.2% ± 0.6 percentage points	28,256 people · B05002
Speak only English at home (age 5+)	80.5% ± 1.0 percentage points	C16001
Top non-English language at home	15.1% ± 0.8 percentage points	Spanish · 35,720 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

What share of Winston-Salem has a college degree?

39.5% ± 1.3 percentage points of adults age 25 and over in Winston-Salem hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The U.S. estimate is 35.7%.

Measure	Value	Source / grain
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	39.5%	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 →

← Full Winston-Salem, NC profile — population, housing, schools, climate, economy
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All cities by median household income — national ACS income ranking

Sources · provenance

Datasets on this page.

The GEOID for Winston-Salem is 3775000. 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/.