Lincoln County, North Carolina Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Lincoln County is located in North Carolina with a total population of 90,359. It is the 32nd most populous county out of 100 in North Carolina. The county encompasses 6 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Lincoln County is 44.3 years. This is 13% higher than the state median of 39.1 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Lincoln County is $78,490. This is 12% higher than the state median of $69,904. It is also about the same as the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 9.0%. This is 31% lower than the state poverty rate of 13.2%. The unemployment rate is 3.5%. This is 27% lower than the state rate of 4.8%. The median home value is $279,500. Housing costs are 8% higher than the state median of $259,400. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.6x. 78.5% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 18% higher than the state average of 66.4%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Lincoln County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 82.8% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 7.8%. The Black or African American population (5.8%) is well below the state average of 20.3%. The Asian population (0.8%) is well below the state average of 3.1%.

Education

27.0% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 22% 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 90.0%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Lincoln 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.