Data / Rankings / Population aged 65 and over / Counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina by share of population aged 65 and over

Clay County had the highest share of population aged 65 and over of 100 counties in 2023, at 35.8%. Onslow County had the lowest, at 12%. The median was 22% and the figure for North Carolina was 18.2%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest35.8Clay County
Lowest12Onslow County
Median22100 counties
North Carolina18.2History

Top 40 counties, 2023

CSVChart (SVG)

Clay CountyClay County: 35.8 %35.8Brunswick CountyBrunswick County: 35.6 %35.6Pamlico CountyPamlico County: 33.7 %33.7Polk CountyPolk County: 32.6 %32.6Cherokee CountyCherokee County: 32.6 %32.6Transylvania CountyTransylvania County: 31.2 %31.2Macon CountyMacon County: 30.6 %30.6Alleghany CountyAlleghany County: 30.3 %30.3Northampton CountyNorthampton County: 30.3 %30.3Washington CountyWashington County: 28.9 %28.9Carteret CountyCarteret County: 28.7 %28.7Ashe CountyAshe County: 28.7 %28.7Perquimans CountyPerquimans County: 28.7 %28.7Warren CountyWarren County: 28.4 %28.4Henderson CountyHenderson County: 28.2 %28.2Chowan CountyChowan County: 27.9 %27.9Beaufort CountyBeaufort County: 27.8 %27.8Yancey CountyYancey County: 27.5 %27.5Dare CountyDare County: 27.5 %27.5Haywood CountyHaywood County: 27.4 %27.4Chatham CountyChatham County: 27 %27Graham CountyGraham County: 26.9 %26.9Martin CountyMartin County: 26.5 %26.5Mitchell CountyMitchell County: 26.4 %26.4Avery CountyAvery County: 26.4 %26.4Hyde CountyHyde County: 26.1 %26.1Bertie CountyBertie County: 26 %26Jones CountyJones County: 25.9 %25.9Hertford CountyHertford County: 25.6 %25.6Moore CountyMoore County: 24.9 %24.9Madison CountyMadison County: 24.5 %24.5Caswell CountyCaswell County: 24.3 %24.3Wilkes CountyWilkes County: 23.9 %23.9Halifax CountyHalifax County: 23.8 %23.8Stokes CountyStokes County: 23.8 %23.8Bladen CountyBladen County: 23.3 %23.3Davie CountyDavie County: 23.3 %23.3Montgomery CountyMontgomery County: 23.1 %23.1Craven CountyCraven County: 23.1 %23.1Tyrrell CountyTyrrell County: 22.9 %22.9
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Clay County35.8+0.7 pts
2Brunswick County35.6+0.5 pts
3Pamlico County33.7+0.4 pts
4Polk County32.6+0.4 pts
5Cherokee County32.6+0.4 pts
6Transylvania County31.2+0.2 pts
7Macon County30.6+0.2 pts
8Alleghany County30.3+0.6 pts
9Northampton County30.3+0.9 pts
10Washington County28.9+0.8 pts
11Carteret County28.7+0.8 pts
12Ashe County28.7+0.6 pts
13Perquimans County28.7+0.7 pts
14Warren County28.4+0.7 pts
15Henderson County28.2+0.5 pts
16Chowan County27.9+0.7 pts
17Beaufort County27.8+0.7 pts
18Yancey County27.5+0.2 pts
19Dare County27.5+0.9 pts
20Haywood County27.4+0.5 pts
21Chatham County27+0.4 pts
22Graham County26.9+0.6 pts
23Martin County26.5+0.4 pts
24Mitchell County26.4+0.5 pts
25Avery County26.4+0.4 pts
26Hyde County26.1+1 pts
27Bertie County26+0.7 pts
28Jones County25.9+0.5 pts
29Hertford County25.6+1.2 pts
30Moore County24.9+0.3 pts
31Madison County24.5+0.4 pts
32Caswell County24.3+0.2 pts
33Wilkes County23.9+0.4 pts
34Halifax County23.8+0.6 pts
35Stokes County23.8+0.5 pts
36Bladen County23.3+0.4 pts
37Davie County23.3+0.5 pts
38Montgomery County23.1+0.5 pts
39Craven County23.1+0.7 pts
40Tyrrell County22.9+0.3 pts
41Rutherford County22.8+0.3 pts
42Gates County22.7+0.7 pts
43Rockingham County22.7+0.5 pts
44McDowell County22.5+0.4 pts
45Person County22.5+0.5 pts
46Surry County22.4+0.3 pts
47Edgecombe County22.3+0.4 pts
48Burke County22.2+0.3 pts
49Buncombe County22.1+0.5 pts
50Caldwell County22+0.3 pts
51Lenoir County21.9+0.2 pts
52Columbus County21.8+0.3 pts
53Yadkin County21.6+0.1 pts
54Swain County21.4+0.3 pts
55Alexander County21.2+0.4 pts
56Anson County21.1+0.2 pts
57Nash County20.9+0.4 pts
58Vance County20.8+0.5 pts
59Scotland County20.7+0.4 pts
60New Hanover County20.6+0.4 pts
61Lincoln County20.4+0.5 pts
62Wilson County20.4+0.3 pts
63Jackson County20.2-0.1 pts
64Davidson County20.2+0.3 pts
65Pasquotank County20.1+0.5 pts
66Stanly County20+0.1 pts
67Catawba County20+0.3 pts
68Cleveland County20+0.3 pts
69Randolph County19.9+0.4 pts
70Duplin County19.9+0.2 pts
71Richmond County19.9+0.5 pts
72Pender County19.20 pts
73Currituck County19.2+0.8 pts
74Rowan County19.2+0.2 pts
75Greene County19+0.4 pts
76Lee County19+0.3 pts
77Sampson County18.6+0.2 pts
78Granville County18.5+0.5 pts
79Wayne County18.4+0.2 pts
80Forsyth County18.3+0.3 pts
81Alamance County18.2+0.3 pts
82Franklin County18.2+0.3 pts
83Watauga County17.9+0.5 pts
84Gaston County17.7+0.1 pts
85Iredell County17.6+0.3 pts
86Camden County17.3+0.5 pts
87Guilford County17.2+0.3 pts
88Orange County16.9+0.5 pts
89Robeson County16.80 pts
90Pitt County15.5+0.4 pts
91Durham County15.3+0.4 pts
92Johnston County14.5+0.2 pts
93Harnett County14.3+0.3 pts
94Cabarrus County14.3+0.2 pts
95Union County14.2+0.2 pts
96Cumberland County14.2+0.5 pts
97Wake County13.6+0.3 pts
98Mecklenburg County12.6+0.3 pts
99Hoke County12.4+0.5 pts
100Onslow County12+0.4 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Residents aged 65 or over as a percentage of total population. Spain: 1 January, INE annual census. United States: 1 July, Census Bureau population estimates. World Bank figures for other countries and the World refer to mid-year.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex (cc-est agesex): residents aged 65 and over as a percentage of the total, 1 July; states and the nation summed from counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/counties/asrh/cc-est2025-agesex-all.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Use this data in your AI agent

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Rank Counties in North Carolina by share of population aged 65 and over using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"population_65_plus_share","level":"province","within":"North Carolina","limit":10}
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Questions

Which county has the highest share of population aged 65 and over?

Clay County, with 35.8% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest share of population aged 65 and over?

Onslow County, with 12% in 2023.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex (cc-est agesex): residents aged 65 and over as a percentage of the total, 1 July; states and the nation summed from counties. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Population aged 65 and over: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings