Richmond County, North Carolina

NC · FIPS 37153 Republican

Located in North Carolina, Richmond County has a population of 42,344 residents and a median age of 40.5 years, making it the #1,162 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 25.2%. The median home value is $127,800, and the median household income is $44,883, which is 40% below the national median.

42,344
Population
#1,162 of 3,222
$44,883
Median Income
-40.3% #2,968 of 3,222
40.5 years
Median Age
+4.1% #1,965 of 3,222
25.2%
Poverty Rate
+100.2% #3,000 of 3,222

Demographics

Richmond County has a population of 42,344, making it the #1,162 most populous county in the US. The median age is 40.5 years, which is 4.1% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

95.9%
Native Born
4.1%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Richmond County is $44,883, ranking #2,968 out of 3,222 counties — 40.3% below the national median. The poverty rate is 25.2% and unemployment stands at 9.7%.

Income#2,968
$44,883
-40.3%
vs nation
8th percentile
Per Capita#2,904
$25,908
-37.2%
vs nation
10th percentile
Poverty#3,000
25.2%
+100.2%
vs nation
7th percentile
Unemployment#3,075
9.7%
+83.6%
vs nation
5th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Richmond County is $127,800 (-54.7% vs national). Renters pay a median of $724/mo and the homeownership rate is 65.9%.

Home Value#2,534
$127,800
-54.7%
vs nation
21th percentile
Rent#2,619
$724
-37.7%
vs nation
19th percentile
Homeownership#2,669
65.9%
+2.4%
vs nation
17th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Richmond County, 16.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 52.4% below the national average, ranking #2,660 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
16.0% −52.4% vs nation
Rank #2,660 of 3,222
17th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Richmond County is 68.8 years. 21.7% of adults report poor or fair health and 12.5% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#2,960
68.8
-8.5%
vs nation
3th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#2,178
21.7%
+10.9%
vs nation
31th percentile
Diabetes#2,454
12.8%
+15.0%
vs nation
22th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#1,655
37.9%
+1.6%
vs nation
47th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#1,390
5.5
-1.6%
vs nation
56th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#2,122
4.7
+6.1%
vs nation
33th percentile
Uninsured Rate#2,221
12.5%
+19.1%
vs nation
29th percentile
Physical Inactivity#1,964
27.8%
+5.4%
vs nation
38th percentile
Food Insecurity#2,701
18.2%
+26.3%
vs nation
14th percentile

Substance Use

19.2% of adults in Richmond County smoke , 39.8% are obese , and 17.6% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 77.0 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#2,047
19.2%
+6.9%
vs nation
35th percentile
Adult Obesity#2,011
39.8%
+5.0%
vs nation
36th percentile
Excessive Drinking#748
17.6%
-11.2%
vs nation
76th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#2,051
77.0
+138.2%
vs nation
3th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Richmond County is 16.2 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 7.2 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 22.6 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#1,380
16.2
+102.1%
vs nation
10th percentile
Suicide Rate#26
7.2
-63.8%
vs nation
99th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#1,517
18.7
+4.5%
vs nation
39th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#1,875
22.6
+11.7%
vs nation
34th percentile

Families & Children

31.0% of children in Richmond County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 11.6 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 37.3 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#1,310
11.6
+70.3%
vs nation
4th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#2,730
37.3
+70.8%
vs nation
9th percentile
Child Poverty#2,892
31.0%
+63.2%
vs nation
8th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Richmond County is 61.3%. The mean commute time is 26.5 min, which is 4.1% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
61.3% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
26.5 min −4.1% vs nation
Rank #1,587 of 3,222
51th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Richmond County voted Republican with a margin of 20.9%. The vote was 39.2% Dem / 60.1% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 6.1 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +20.9%
39.2% 60.1%
Dem 19,848 votes Rep
2020 REP +14.8%
42.2% 57%
Dem 20,763 votes Rep
2016 REP +10.1%
44.1% 54.2%
Dem 18,813 votes Rep
2012 DEM +2.7%
51% 48.3%
Dem 19,127 votes Rep
2008 DEM +1.5%
50.3% 48.8%
Dem 19,327 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Richmond County, North Carolina

Richmond County, North Carolina has a total population of 42,344, making it the 1,162nd most populous county in the United States. The median age in Richmond County is 40.5 years, which is 4.1% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Richmond County is $44,883, which ranks #2,968 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 40.3% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 25.2%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 9.7%.

The median home value in Richmond County is $127,800, 54.7% below the national median. Renters in Richmond County pay a median gross rent of $724 per month. The homeownership rate is 65.9%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Richmond County, 16.0% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 52.4% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 88.4% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 26.5 min.

Richmond County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 54.7% of the population, followed by Black (non-Hispanic) (31.2%) and Hispanic or Latino (7.8%).

All data for Richmond 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.