Demographics · NC
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).
252,037 people live in Winston-Salem, at a median age of 35.9 years (American Community Survey 2020–2024, a 5-year average)
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
The median age in Winston-Salem is 35.9 years (±0.4), 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 5 to 17 at 17.0%.
| Age band | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 14,943 | 5.9% | ±627 |
| 5 to 17 | 42,951 | 17.0% | ±1,484 |
| 18 to 24 | 29,691 | 11.8% | ±1,313 |
| 25 to 34 | 35,299 | 14.0% | ±935 |
| 35 to 44 | 30,748 | 12.2% | ±1,312 |
| 45 to 54 | 29,618 | 11.8% | ±885 |
| 55 to 64 | 30,099 | 11.9% | ±1,371 |
| 65 to 74 | 22,330 | 8.9% | ±1,015 |
| 75 and over | 16,358 | 6.5% | ±888 |
Median age by sex: 34.9 (male) · 36.7 (female).
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 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.
| Race (alone, or two or more) | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| White alone | 116,146 | 46.1% | ±2,609 |
| Black or African American alone | 80,852 | 32.1% | ±2,350 |
| American Indian & Alaska Native alone | 1,311 | 0.5% | ±503 |
| Asian alone | 5,847 | 2.3% | ±667 |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone | 199 | 0.1% | ±99 |
| Some other race alone | 21,043 | 8.3% | ±2,291 |
| Two or more races | 26,639 | 10.6% | ±2,284 |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 45,789 | 18.2% | ±1,443 |
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
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%
Share of all households · B11001
Living alone
35.6%
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
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% | 28,256 people · B05002 |
| Speak only English at home (age 5+) | 80.5% | C16001 |
| Top non-English language at home | 15.1% | 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
39.5% of adults age 25 and over in Winston-Salem 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+) | 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 →
Sources · provenance
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/.