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 2024, at 37%. Onslow County had the lowest, at 12.4%. The median was 22.3% and the figure for North Carolina was 18.6%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest37Clay County
Lowest12.4Onslow County
Median22.3100 counties
North Carolina18.6History

Top 40 counties, 2024

CSVChart (SVG)

Clay CountyClay County: 37 %37Brunswick CountyBrunswick County: 36.2 %36.2Pamlico CountyPamlico County: 34.2 %34.2Polk CountyPolk County: 33.4 %33.4Cherokee CountyCherokee County: 33.1 %33.1Transylvania CountyTransylvania County: 31.4 %31.4Macon CountyMacon County: 31.3 %31.3Northampton CountyNorthampton County: 31 %31Alleghany CountyAlleghany County: 30.9 %30.9Carteret CountyCarteret County: 29.4 %29.4Washington CountyWashington County: 29.3 %29.3Ashe CountyAshe County: 29.3 %29.3Perquimans CountyPerquimans County: 29.2 %29.2Henderson CountyHenderson County: 28.6 %28.6Warren CountyWarren County: 28.6 %28.6Chowan CountyChowan County: 28.6 %28.6Beaufort CountyBeaufort County: 28.4 %28.4Dare CountyDare County: 28.3 %28.3Yancey CountyYancey County: 28.2 %28.2Haywood CountyHaywood County: 27.8 %27.8Hyde CountyHyde County: 27.6 %27.6Chatham CountyChatham County: 27.4 %27.4Graham CountyGraham County: 27 %27Mitchell CountyMitchell County: 26.9 %26.9Martin CountyMartin County: 26.7 %26.7Jones CountyJones County: 26.5 %26.5Bertie CountyBertie County: 26.4 %26.4Avery CountyAvery County: 26.4 %26.4Hertford CountyHertford County: 26.4 %26.4Moore CountyMoore County: 25.3 %25.3Caswell CountyCaswell County: 25 %25Madison CountyMadison County: 24.7 %24.7Halifax CountyHalifax County: 24.5 %24.5Wilkes CountyWilkes County: 24.3 %24.3Stokes CountyStokes County: 24.2 %24.2Montgomery CountyMontgomery County: 23.7 %23.7Craven CountyCraven County: 23.7 %23.7Davie CountyDavie County: 23.6 %23.6Bladen CountyBladen County: 23.6 %23.6Gates CountyGates County: 23.2 %23.2
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankCounties2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Clay County37+1.1 pts
2Brunswick County36.2+0.5 pts
3Pamlico County34.2+0.5 pts
4Polk County33.4+0.8 pts
5Cherokee County33.1+0.5 pts
6Transylvania County31.4+0.2 pts
7Macon County31.3+0.7 pts
8Northampton County31+0.7 pts
9Alleghany County30.9+0.6 pts
10Carteret County29.4+0.6 pts
11Washington County29.3+0.4 pts
12Ashe County29.3+0.5 pts
13Perquimans County29.2+0.6 pts
14Henderson County28.6+0.4 pts
15Warren County28.6+0.2 pts
16Chowan County28.6+0.7 pts
17Beaufort County28.4+0.6 pts
18Dare County28.3+0.9 pts
19Yancey County28.2+0.6 pts
20Haywood County27.8+0.4 pts
21Hyde County27.6+1.5 pts
22Chatham County27.4+0.4 pts
23Graham County270 pts
24Mitchell County26.9+0.5 pts
25Martin County26.7+0.2 pts
26Jones County26.5+0.6 pts
27Bertie County26.4+0.4 pts
28Avery County26.4-0 pts
29Hertford County26.4+0.7 pts
30Moore County25.3+0.3 pts
31Caswell County25+0.7 pts
32Madison County24.7+0.2 pts
33Halifax County24.5+0.7 pts
34Wilkes County24.3+0.3 pts
35Stokes County24.2+0.4 pts
36Montgomery County23.7+0.6 pts
37Craven County23.7+0.6 pts
38Davie County23.6+0.3 pts
39Bladen County23.6+0.3 pts
40Gates County23.2+0.5 pts
41Rutherford County23.1+0.4 pts
42Rockingham County23.1+0.4 pts
43Tyrrell County23+0.1 pts
44Person County23+0.5 pts
45Edgecombe County22.7+0.5 pts
46McDowell County22.7+0.2 pts
47Burke County22.7+0.4 pts
48Surry County22.6+0.2 pts
49Buncombe County22.5+0.3 pts
50Caldwell County22.4+0.4 pts
51Lenoir County22.2+0.3 pts
52Columbus County22+0.3 pts
53Yadkin County22+0.3 pts
54Swain County21.6+0.1 pts
55Anson County21.5+0.4 pts
56Alexander County21.5+0.3 pts
57Nash County21.2+0.3 pts
58Vance County21.1+0.3 pts
59Scotland County21.1+0.3 pts
60Lincoln County21+0.6 pts
61New Hanover County20.9+0.3 pts
62Jackson County20.9+0.6 pts
63Wilson County20.7+0.4 pts
64Pasquotank County20.7+0.6 pts
65Davidson County20.5+0.3 pts
66Randolph County20.3+0.4 pts
67Catawba County20.3+0.3 pts
68Stanly County20.1+0.1 pts
69Richmond County20.1+0.2 pts
70Cleveland County20+0.1 pts
71Currituck County19.9+0.7 pts
72Duplin County19.90 pts
73Pender County19.6+0.3 pts
74Rowan County19.5+0.3 pts
75Greene County19.4+0.4 pts
76Lee County19.3+0.3 pts
77Granville County19.1+0.7 pts
78Forsyth County18.7+0.4 pts
79Sampson County18.60 pts
80Wayne County18.6+0.2 pts
81Watauga County18.4+0.5 pts
82Franklin County18.4+0.2 pts
83Alamance County18.4+0.2 pts
84Camden County18.1+0.7 pts
85Iredell County17.9+0.3 pts
86Gaston County17.9+0.2 pts
87Guilford County17.6+0.4 pts
88Orange County17.6+0.6 pts
89Robeson County16.9+0.2 pts
90Pitt County15.9+0.4 pts
91Durham County15.6+0.3 pts
92Johnston County14.8+0.3 pts
93Union County14.7+0.4 pts
94Cumberland County14.6+0.4 pts
95Cabarrus County14.5+0.2 pts
96Harnett County14.5+0.1 pts
97Wake County14+0.4 pts
98Hoke County12.8+0.4 pts
99Mecklenburg County12.8+0.2 pts
100Onslow County12.4+0.3 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.

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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 37% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Onslow County, with 12.4% in 2024.

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