Lee County, North Carolina Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Lee County is located in North Carolina with a total population of 64,565. It is the 42nd most populous county out of 100 in North Carolina. The county encompasses 1 Census-designated place.

Age Demographics

The median age in Lee County is 39.9 years. This is 2% higher than the state median of 39.1 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Lee County is $63,060. This is 10% lower than the state median of $69,904. It is also 20% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 15.5%. This is 17% higher than the state poverty rate of 13.2%. The unemployment rate is 4.0%. This is 16% lower than the state rate of 4.8%. The median home value is $213,800. Housing costs are 18% lower than the state median of $259,400. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.4x. 66.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Lee County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 56.4% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 21.1%. The Hispanic or Latino population is significantly higher than the state average (21.1% vs 10.9%). The Asian population (1.1%) is well below the state average of 3.1%.

Education

21.6% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 38% lower than the state rate of 34.7%. Nationally, 35.0% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 85.1%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Lee County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023), with comparisons drawn against North Carolina and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.