Person County, North Carolina
Located in North Carolina, Person County has a population of 39,542 residents and a median age of 44.2 years, making it the #1,221 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 17.5%. The median home value is $213,900, and the median household income is $63,300, which is 16% below the national median.
Demographics
Person County has a population of 39,542, making it the #1,221 most populous county in the US. The median age is 44.2 years, which is 13.6% above the national median.
Population Trend
Rankings →Year-over-Year Population Growth
Age & Sex Distribution
Race & Ethnicity
Nativity
Geographic Mobility (Past Year)
Economy
The median household income in Person County is $63,300, ranking #1,769 out of 3,222 counties — 15.8% below the national median. The poverty rate is 17.5% and unemployment stands at 5.6%.
Median Household Income Trend
Rankings →Income Distribution
Industry of Employment
Occupation
Housing
The median home value in Person County is $213,900 (-24.1% vs national). Renters pay a median of $864/mo and the homeownership rate is 77.3%.
Median Home Value Trend
Rankings →Household Type
Education
In Person County, 19.3% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 42.6% below the national average, ranking #2,120 out of 3,222 counties.
Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend
Rankings →Health & Wellbeing
Life expectancy in Person County is 74.8 years. 21.7% of adults report poor or fair health and 10.9% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).
Life Expectancy Trend
Substance Use
20.1% of adults in Person County smoke , 40.5% are obese , and 19.8% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 27.9 per 100,000.
Adult Smoking Trend
Safety
The homicide rate in Person County is 9.1 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 15.7 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 18.1 per 100,000.
Homicide Rate Trend
Families & Children
19.2% of children in Person County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 8.2 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 24.7 per 1,000 females age 15–19.
Infant Mortality Trend
Civic & Transportation
Voter turnout in Person County is 71.7%. The mean commute time is 33.8 min, which is 22.5% above the national average.
Voter Turnout Trend
Mean Commute Time Trend
Rankings →Elections
In the 2024 presidential election, Person County voted Republican with a margin of 23.7%. The vote was 37.7% Dem / 61.4% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 2.2 toward Republicans .
Vote Share Over Time
About Person County, North Carolina
Person County, North Carolina has a total population of 39,542, making it the 1,221st most populous county in the United States. The median age in Person County is 44.2 years, which is 13.6% above the national median of 38.9 years.
The median household income in Person County is $63,300, which ranks #1,769 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 15.8% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 17.5%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 5.6%.
The median home value in Person County is $213,900, 24.1% below the national median. Renters in Person County pay a median gross rent of $864 per month. The homeownership rate is 77.3%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.
In Person County, 19.3% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 42.6% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 90.6% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 33.8 min.
Person County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 64.2% of the population, followed by Black (non-Hispanic) (25.8%) and Hispanic or Latino (6.3%).
All data for Person 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.