Counties in North Carolina by population under 18

Hoke County had the highest population under 18 of 100 counties in 2019, at 28.2%. Watauga County had the lowest, at 14.2%. The median was 20.6% and the figure for North Carolina was 22%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest28.2Hoke County
Lowest14.2Watauga County
Median20.6100 counties
North Carolina22History

Top 40 counties, 2019

Hoke County: 28.2 %Hoke County28.2Union County: 27.2 %Union County27.2Harnett County: 26.7 %Harnett County26.7Johnston County: 26 %Johnston County26Cabarrus County: 25.9 %Cabarrus County25.9Robeson County: 24.2 %Robeson County24.2Wake County: 24.1 %Wake County24.1Duplin County: 24.1 %Duplin County24.1Cumberland County: 24 %Cumberland County24Camden County: 24 %Camden County24Sampson County: 23.9 %Sampson County23.9Lee County: 23.4 %Lee County23.4Mecklenburg County: 23.2 %Mecklenburg County23.2Onslow County: 23.1 %Onslow County23.1Iredell County: 23.1 %Iredell County23.1Vance County: 22.9 %Vance County22.9Wayne County: 22.9 %Wayne County22.9Franklin County: 22.7 %Franklin County22.7Pender County: 22.7 %Pender County22.7Wilson County: 22.5 %Wilson County22.5Forsyth County: 22.5 %Forsyth County22.5Richmond County: 22.4 %Richmond County22.4Pitt County: 22.4 %Pitt County22.4Randolph County: 22.3 %Randolph County22.3Lenoir County: 22.2 %Lenoir County22.2Edgecombe County: 22.1 %Edgecombe County22.1Gaston County: 22.1 %Gaston County22.1Alamance County: 22 %Alamance County22Davidson County: 21.9 %Davidson County21.9Montgomery County: 21.9 %Montgomery County21.9Guilford County: 21.9 %Guilford County21.9Currituck County: 21.8 %Currituck County21.8Swain County: 21.8 %Swain County21.8Rowan County: 21.7 %Rowan County21.7Nash County: 21.6 %Nash County21.6Cleveland County: 21.5 %Cleveland County21.5Moore County: 21.4 %Moore County21.4Scotland County: 21.4 %Scotland County21.4Lincoln County: 21.3 %Lincoln County21.3Catawba County: 21.3 %Catawba County21.3
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2019 (%)Change on 2018
1Hoke County28.2-0.1 pts
2Union County27.2-0.4 pts
3Harnett County26.7-0.2 pts
4Johnston County26-0.2 pts
5Cabarrus County25.9-0.2 pts
6Robeson County24.2-0.2 pts
7Wake County24.1-0.3 pts
8Duplin County24.1-0.1 pts
9Cumberland County24-0 pts
10Camden County24+0.1 pts
11Sampson County23.9-0.1 pts
12Lee County23.4-0.3 pts
13Mecklenburg County23.2-0.3 pts
14Onslow County23.1-0.7 pts
15Iredell County23.1-0.3 pts
16Vance County22.9-0.2 pts
17Wayne County22.9-0.2 pts
18Franklin County22.7-0 pts
19Pender County22.7+0.1 pts
20Wilson County22.5-0.2 pts
21Forsyth County22.5-0.3 pts
22Richmond County22.4-0 pts
23Pitt County22.4-0.1 pts
24Randolph County22.3-0.3 pts
25Lenoir County22.2-0.1 pts
26Edgecombe County22.1-0.2 pts
27Gaston County22.1-0.2 pts
28Alamance County22-0.2 pts
29Davidson County21.9-0.3 pts
30Montgomery County21.9-0.5 pts
31Guilford County21.9-0.1 pts
32Currituck County21.8-0.4 pts
33Swain County21.8-0.1 pts
34Rowan County21.7-0.2 pts
35Nash County21.6-0.2 pts
36Cleveland County21.5-0.2 pts
37Moore County21.4-0 pts
38Scotland County21.4+0.1 pts
39Lincoln County21.3-0.1 pts
40Catawba County21.3-0.3 pts
41Pasquotank County21.3-0.3 pts
42Stanly County21.2-0.1 pts
43Surry County21-0.2 pts
44Davie County21-0.2 pts
45Person County20.9-0.4 pts
46Bladen County20.9-0.2 pts
47Granville County20.9-0.1 pts
48Yadkin County20.80 pts
49Craven County20.7-0.4 pts
50Gates County20.70 pts
51Graham County20.5+0.1 pts
52Columbus County20.4-0.3 pts
53Chatham County20.4-0.3 pts
54Durham County20.4-0.3 pts
55Rutherford County20.3-0.3 pts
56Wilkes County20.3-0.4 pts
57Caldwell County20.2-0.2 pts
58Rockingham County20.2-0.1 pts
59Burke County20-0 pts
60Martin County20-0.2 pts
61Halifax County20-0.3 pts
62Tyrrell County19.9+1.2 pts
63Orange County19.80 pts
64McDowell County19.8-0.3 pts
65Alexander County19.8-0.3 pts
66Beaufort County19.6-0.4 pts
67Anson County19.6+0.7 pts
68Washington County19.5-0.4 pts
69Chowan County19.4-0.3 pts
70Stokes County19.1-0.2 pts
71Greene County19.1+0.1 pts
72Henderson County18.9-0.2 pts
73New Hanover County18.7-0.2 pts
74Jones County18.5-0.2 pts
75Perquimans County18.50 pts
76Buncombe County18.5-0.3 pts
77Yancey County18.3-0.3 pts
78Hertford County18.3-0.4 pts
79Caswell County18.3-0.2 pts
80Macon County18.3-0.2 pts
81Madison County18.1-0.3 pts
82Warren County18-0.5 pts
83Hyde County18-0.5 pts
84Mitchell County180 pts
85Haywood County17.9-0.2 pts
86Alleghany County17.8-0.3 pts
87Dare County17.7-0.5 pts
88Ashe County17.6-0.3 pts
89Northampton County17.3-0.2 pts
90Bertie County17.2-0.2 pts
91Carteret County17.2-0.4 pts
92Transylvania County17.1-0.1 pts
93Jackson County17.1-0.2 pts
94Clay County16.7-0.4 pts
95Cherokee County16.7-0.2 pts
96Polk County16.2-0.4 pts
97Avery County15-0.1 pts
98Brunswick County15-0.5 pts
99Pamlico County14.8+0.1 pts
100Watauga County14.20 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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

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, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population-under-18/north-carolina-counties?period=2019.
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 28.2% in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest population under 18?

Watauga County, with 14.2% in 2019.

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