Bladen County, North Carolina

NC · FIPS 37017 Republican

Located in North Carolina, Bladen County has a population of 29,566 residents and a median age of 44.7 years, making it the #1,487 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 22.0%. The median home value is $135,100, and the median household income is $42,422, which is 44% below the national median.

29,566
Population
#1,487 of 3,222
$42,422
Median Income
-43.5% #3,017 of 3,222
44.7 years
Median Age
+14.9% #795 of 3,222
22.0%
Poverty Rate
+74.3% #2,839 of 3,222

Demographics

Bladen County has a population of 29,566, making it the #1,487 most populous county in the US. The median age is 44.7 years, which is 14.9% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

96.2%
Native Born
3.8%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Bladen County is $42,422, ranking #3,017 out of 3,222 counties — 43.5% below the national median. The poverty rate is 22.0% and unemployment stands at 5.4%.

Income#3,017
$42,422
-43.5%
vs nation
6th percentile
Per Capita#2,732
$27,713
-32.8%
vs nation
15th percentile
Poverty#2,839
22.0%
+74.3%
vs nation
12th percentile
Unemployment#2,281
5.4%
+2.6%
vs nation
29th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Bladen County is $135,100 (-52.1% vs national). Renters pay a median of $773/mo and the homeownership rate is 69.2%.

Home Value#2,456
$135,100
-52.1%
vs nation
24th percentile
Rent#2,322
$773
-33.5%
vs nation
28th percentile
Homeownership#2,380
69.2%
+7.5%
vs nation
26th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Bladen County, 19.5% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 42.2% below the national average, ranking #2,094 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
19.5% −42.2% vs nation
Rank #2,094 of 3,222
35th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Bladen County is 70.3 years. 20.9% of adults report poor or fair health and 14.0% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#2,824
70.3
-6.4%
vs nation
8th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#2,029
20.9%
+6.8%
vs nation
36th percentile
Diabetes#2,418
12.7%
+14.1%
vs nation
23th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#1,758
38.2%
+2.4%
vs nation
44th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#1,298
5.5
-2.3%
vs nation
59th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#1,971
4.6
+3.9%
vs nation
37th percentile
Uninsured Rate#2,514
14.0%
+33.4%
vs nation
20th percentile
Physical Inactivity#2,052
28.2%
+6.9%
vs nation
35th percentile
Food Insecurity#2,573
17.5%
+21.5%
vs nation
18th percentile

Substance Use

17.7% of adults in Bladen County smoke , 38.6% are obese , and 17.4% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 67.5 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#1,556
17.7%
-1.4%
vs nation
51th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,637
38.6%
+1.8%
vs nation
48th percentile
Excessive Drinking#657
17.4%
-12.6%
vs nation
79th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#2,017
67.5
+108.7%
vs nation
5th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Bladen County is 16.4 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 12.8 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 43.1 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#1,390
16.4
+105.5%
vs nation
10th percentile
Suicide Rate#396
12.8
-35.1%
vs nation
85th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#1,861
22.2
+24.1%
vs nation
25th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#2,741
43.1
+112.9%
vs nation
3th percentile

Families & Children

29.1% of children in Bladen County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 8.7 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 31.0 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#1,133
8.7
+27.5%
vs nation
17th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#2,390
31.0
+42.0%
vs nation
20th percentile
Child Poverty#2,794
29.1%
+53.2%
vs nation
11th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Bladen County is 67.3%. The mean commute time is 31.3 min, which is 13.5% above the national average.

Voter Turnout
67.3% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
31.3 min +13.5% vs nation
Rank #684 of 3,222
79th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Bladen County voted Republican with a margin of 20.4%. The vote was 39.5% Dem / 59.9% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 6.7 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +20.4%
39.5% 59.9%
Dem 16,743 votes Rep
2020 REP +13.7%
42.8% 56.5%
Dem 17,125 votes Rep
2016 REP +9.5%
44.6% 54.1%
Dem 15,743 votes Rep
2012 DEM +2.0%
50.6% 48.6%
Dem 16,351 votes Rep
2008 DEM +2.0%
50.7% 48.7%
Dem 15,480 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Bladen County, North Carolina

Bladen County, North Carolina has a total population of 29,566, making it the 1,487th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Bladen County is 44.7 years, which is 14.9% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Bladen County is $42,422, which ranks #3,017 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 43.5% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 22.0%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 5.4%.

The median home value in Bladen County is $135,100, 52.1% below the national median. Renters in Bladen County pay a median gross rent of $773 per month. The homeownership rate is 69.2%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Bladen County, 19.5% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 42.2% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 89.8% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 31.3 min.

Bladen County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 53.4% of the population, followed by Black (non-Hispanic) (32.1%) and Hispanic or Latino (9.3%).

All data for Bladen County, North Carolina comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.