Data / Rankings / Population under 18 / Counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina by population under 18

Hoke County had the highest population under 18 of 100 counties in 2018, at 28.3%. Watauga County had the lowest, at 14.1%. The median was 20.7% and the figure for North Carolina was 22.3%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest28.3Hoke County
Lowest14.1Watauga County
Median20.7100 counties
North Carolina22.3History

Top 40 counties, 2018

Hoke County: 28.3 %Hoke County28.3Union County: 27.7 %Union County27.7Harnett County: 26.9 %Harnett County26.9Johnston County: 26.2 %Johnston County26.2Cabarrus County: 26.1 %Cabarrus County26.1Robeson County: 24.5 %Robeson County24.5Wake County: 24.4 %Wake County24.4Duplin County: 24.2 %Duplin County24.2Cumberland County: 24 %Cumberland County24Sampson County: 24 %Sampson County24Camden County: 23.9 %Camden County23.9Onslow County: 23.9 %Onslow County23.9Lee County: 23.7 %Lee County23.7Mecklenburg County: 23.5 %Mecklenburg County23.5Iredell County: 23.3 %Iredell County23.3Wayne County: 23.1 %Wayne County23.1Vance County: 23.1 %Vance County23.1Franklin County: 22.7 %Franklin County22.7Forsyth County: 22.7 %Forsyth County22.7Wilson County: 22.7 %Wilson County22.7Pender County: 22.5 %Pender County22.5Randolph County: 22.5 %Randolph County22.5Pitt County: 22.5 %Pitt County22.5Richmond County: 22.4 %Richmond County22.4Montgomery County: 22.3 %Montgomery County22.3Lenoir County: 22.3 %Lenoir County22.3Edgecombe County: 22.3 %Edgecombe County22.3Gaston County: 22.3 %Gaston County22.3Currituck County: 22.3 %Currituck County22.3Alamance County: 22.2 %Alamance County22.2Davidson County: 22.1 %Davidson County22.1Guilford County: 22 %Guilford County22Rowan County: 22 %Rowan County22Swain County: 21.9 %Swain County21.9Nash County: 21.8 %Nash County21.8Cleveland County: 21.7 %Cleveland County21.7Catawba County: 21.6 %Catawba County21.6Pasquotank County: 21.6 %Pasquotank County21.6Lincoln County: 21.5 %Lincoln County21.5Moore County: 21.4 %Moore County21.4
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Hoke County28.3-0.2 pts
2Union County27.7-0.3 pts
3Harnett County26.9-0.3 pts
4Johnston County26.2-0.2 pts
5Cabarrus County26.1-0.2 pts
6Robeson County24.5-0.4 pts
7Wake County24.4-0.2 pts
8Duplin County24.2-0.3 pts
9Cumberland County24-0.1 pts
10Sampson County24-0.2 pts
11Camden County23.9-0.3 pts
12Onslow County23.9+0.2 pts
13Lee County23.7-0.3 pts
14Mecklenburg County23.5-0.3 pts
15Iredell County23.3-0.2 pts
16Wayne County23.1-0.1 pts
17Vance County23.1-0.1 pts
18Franklin County22.7-0.4 pts
19Forsyth County22.7-0.3 pts
20Wilson County22.7-0.3 pts
21Pender County22.5-0.3 pts
22Randolph County22.5-0.4 pts
23Pitt County22.5-0 pts
24Richmond County22.40 pts
25Montgomery County22.3-0.4 pts
26Lenoir County22.3+0.1 pts
27Edgecombe County22.3-0.3 pts
28Gaston County22.3-0.2 pts
29Currituck County22.3-0.2 pts
30Alamance County22.2-0.1 pts
31Davidson County22.1-0.2 pts
32Guilford County22-0.2 pts
33Rowan County22-0.2 pts
34Swain County21.9-0.1 pts
35Nash County21.8-0.3 pts
36Cleveland County21.7-0.1 pts
37Catawba County21.6-0.4 pts
38Pasquotank County21.6-0.1 pts
39Lincoln County21.5-0.3 pts
40Moore County21.40 pts
41Stanly County21.3-0.1 pts
42Person County21.3-0.2 pts
43Scotland County21.2-0.5 pts
44Surry County21.2-0.2 pts
45Davie County21.2-0.2 pts
46Bladen County21.1-0.2 pts
47Craven County21.1-0.3 pts
48Granville County21+0.1 pts
49Yadkin County20.8-0.3 pts
50Durham County20.8-0.5 pts
51Columbus County20.7-0.4 pts
52Chatham County20.7-0.1 pts
53Gates County20.7-0.3 pts
54Wilkes County20.7-0.1 pts
55Rutherford County20.6-0.3 pts
56Graham County20.4-0.8 pts
57Caldwell County20.4-0.3 pts
58Rockingham County20.3-0.2 pts
59Halifax County20.3-0.2 pts
60Martin County20.30 pts
61Alexander County20.1-0.2 pts
62Burke County20.1-0.2 pts
63McDowell County20.1-0.2 pts
64Beaufort County20-0.3 pts
65Washington County19.9-0.3 pts
66Orange County19.8-0.5 pts
67Chowan County19.7-0.4 pts
68Stokes County19.3-0.2 pts
69Henderson County19.1-0.3 pts
70Greene County19-0.6 pts
71Anson County18.9-0.1 pts
72New Hanover County18.9-0.2 pts
73Buncombe County18.8-0.3 pts
74Jones County18.7-0.3 pts
75Hertford County18.7-0.5 pts
76Tyrrell County18.7-0.2 pts
77Yancey County18.60 pts
78Hyde County18.5+0.8 pts
79Warren County18.5-0 pts
80Macon County18.5-0.2 pts
81Perquimans County18.5-0.5 pts
82Caswell County18.5+0.2 pts
83Madison County18.4-0.2 pts
84Dare County18.2-0.2 pts
85Alleghany County18.1-0.1 pts
86Haywood County18.1-0.1 pts
87Mitchell County17.9-0.2 pts
88Ashe County17.8-0.2 pts
89Carteret County17.6-0.4 pts
90Northampton County17.5-0.5 pts
91Bertie County17.4-0.3 pts
92Jackson County17.2-0.3 pts
93Transylvania County17.2+0.1 pts
94Clay County17.1-0.5 pts
95Cherokee County16.9-0.5 pts
96Polk County16.6-0.3 pts
97Brunswick County15.5-0.5 pts
98Avery County15.2-0.3 pts
99Pamlico County14.7-0.5 pts
100Watauga County14.1-0 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of total population on 1 July. United States: Census Bureau county population estimates by age; states and the nation are sums of their counties.

Uses the US age of majority. Not comparable with population_0_14_share, which stops at 14.

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: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties (Counties in North Carolina by population under 18, 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html

MLA 9

Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties, Counties in North Carolina by population under 18, 2018. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 June 2026, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population-under-18/north-carolina-counties?period=2018. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties. Counties in North Carolina by population under 18, 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population-under-18/north-carolina-counties?period=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties, Counties in North Carolina by population under 18, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/population-under-18/north-carolina-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2018,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties: Counties in North Carolina by population under 18, 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population-under-18/north-carolina-counties?period=2018. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties: Counties in North Carolina by population under 18, 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/population-under-18/north-carolina-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population-under-18/north-carolina-counties?period=2018.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest population under 18?

Hoke County, with 28.3% in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest population under 18?

Watauga County, with 14.1% in 2018.

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: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Population under 18: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings