Person County, North Carolina Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Person County is located in North Carolina with a total population of 39,275. It is the 63rd most populous county out of 100 in North Carolina. The county encompasses 1 Census-designated place.

Age Demographics

The median age in Person County is 43.9 years. This is 12% higher than the state median of 39.1 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Person County is $64,927. This is 7% lower than the state median of $69,904. It is also 17% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 18.4%. This is 40% higher than the state poverty rate of 13.2%. The unemployment rate is 3.9%. This is 20% lower than the state rate of 4.8%. The median home value is $192,800. Housing costs are 26% lower than the state median of $259,400. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.0x. 75.9% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 14% higher than the state average of 66.4%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Person County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 64.8% of the population. Black or African American residents account for 25.5%. The Asian population (0.4%) is well below the state average of 3.1%.

Education

19.8% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 43% 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 89.1%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Person 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.