Lake Santeetlah, North Carolina Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 82, Lake Santeetlah's ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Lake Santeetlah is a small community located in North Carolina, within Graham County. The total population is 82. It ranks as the 754th most populous out of 772 Census-designated places in North Carolina.

Age Demographics

The median age in Lake Santeetlah is 62.5 years. This is 60% higher than the state median of 39.1 years. 24.4% of residents are 75 or older, suggesting a significant retirement-age population with implications for healthcare services and senior housing.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Lake Santeetlah is $85,625. This is 18% higher than the state median of $72,388. It is also 6% higher than the national median of $80,734. The ACS records no residents below the poverty line in Lake Santeetlah. In a community this small the estimate rests on very few survey responses, so it should be read as an absence of measurement rather than a measured absence of poverty. The survey records no unemployed residents in Lake Santeetlah, which reflects the size of the sample rather than a labor market without joblessness. The median home value is $464,300. Housing costs are 61% higher than the state median of $288,900. The home-value-to-income ratio is 5.4x. 90.2% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 35% higher than the state average of 66.6%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Lake Santeetlah is White (non-Hispanic), making up 81.7% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 3.7%. The Hispanic or Latino population (3.7%) is well below the state average of 11.3%.

Education

81.0% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This places Lake Santeetlah in the top 10% of all cities in the state for educational attainment. This is 127% higher than the state rate of 35.6%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. No surveyed resident aged 25 or older reported leaving school before earning a high school diploma, though a rate of exactly 100% reflects the limits of a small sample. Notably, 34.9% of adults hold a graduate or professional degree, indicating a highly educated workforce.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Lake Santeetlah, North Carolina is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against North Carolina state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 772 Census-designated places in North Carolina. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.