Official Federal Data
Iredell County, North Carolina
FIPS 37097 · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC · Population 196,544
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$81,419 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.6% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$13.5B ▲
GDP
34.1% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$81,419 ▲
Per Capita
$45,398 ▲
Mean Household
$113,658 ▲
Poverty Rate
10% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Iredell County$81,419
North Carolina$72,388
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 22.3%
18-34 · 20.2%
35-54 · 26.8%
55-64 · 14%
65+ · 16.8%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
91.5%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +1.9 pts
34.1%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 1.6 pts
11.1%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 3.0 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
196,544
Population
102,488
Labor Force
Employed
98,165
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.6% ▲ +0.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute 1 min below national avg
25.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.6%
Key Takeaways
- Broadly in line with U.S. norms across income, poverty, and education.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 12,214 workers (20.3% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $41,528.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $13.5B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Management of Companies and Enterprises averages $165,121 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $24,056, a 6.9x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Manufacturing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
4,374
Cluster Employment
16.13x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Textile Mills
16.13x 681
Textile Product Mills
5.39x 260
Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related
4.94x 1,486
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
4.33x 1,575
Building Material and Garden Supply Retailers
3.09x 2,200
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
3.07x 524
Electrical Equipment, Appliance Manufacturing
3.06x 689
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
3.00x 645
Management of Companies and Enterprises
2.94x 3,978
Forestry and Logging
2.69x 64
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.09x
Warehousing and Storage
86 employed
0.23x
Crop Production
63 employed
0.31x
Insurance Carriers and Related Activities
415 employed
0.33x
Support Activities for Transportation
140 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Textile Mills concentrates at 16.13x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$321,400 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,252 ▲
Rent/Mo
71.9% ▼
Owner-Occ
9.3% ▼
Vacancy
3.9x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,167/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,222/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,340/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,809/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,248/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,035/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.9x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- High home ownership: 71.9% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Affordable rent tiers: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,035/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
119,856 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 1 min below national avg
25.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.6%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
81.4%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
34.1% ▲
HS Diploma+
91.5% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
47,592/yr
10,279/yr
9,997/yr
8,666/yr
6,984/yr
6,278/yr
5,388/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
22.9%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
38.4%
Service
14.3%
Sales & Office
22.4%
Construction / Maint.
8.9%
Production / Transport
16%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 98,165 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 22.9% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 28,942 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Iredell County shows strong potential for textile mills attraction, with a 16.13x concentration and 681 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 22.9% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
The interconnected base across textile mills, textile product mills, and performing arts, spectator sports, and related creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Iredell County, North Carolina, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Iredell County, North Carolina?
196,544 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Iredell County, North Carolina?
$81,419 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Iredell County, North Carolina?
3.6% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Iredell County, North Carolina?
$13.5B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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