Wilkes County, NC Population

Overview

66,335

Total Population

45.1

Median age

50.09%

Female population %

99.7:100

Gender ratio (M:F)

55-59 years

Largest age group

61.3

Total dependency ratio

White

Largest racial group

4,511

Hispanic population

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Age

Wilkes County's population is old compared to the rest of the country:

The median age in Wilkes County is 45.1, compared to 38.8 nationwide, according to the American Community Survey 2017 - 2021 5 Year estimates.
Wilkes County's population under 18 was 20.41%, compared to the 22.51% nationwide.
Wilkes County's elderly or the senior population (over 65 age) was 21.59% as compared to 16.04% nationwide.
Of the total population in Wilkes County, 16.41% were under the age of 15, 17.13% aged 15 to 29, 44.88% aged 30 to 64, 19.05% aged 65 to 84, and 2.54% were 85 years of age and older.

There are 113 more females than males in Wilkes County:

The female percentage in the USA is 50.50% while the male percentage is 49.50%, compared to 50.09% females and 49.91% males in Wilkes County, NC.
The Wilkes County, NC gender ratio is 99.7:100 i.e. 99.7 men to 100 women (0.997).
For male population, the largest age group is 55-59 years with a population of 2,578.
For the female population, the largest age group is 55-59 years with a population of 2,746.

Wilkes County's population has become increasingly diverse:

Racial distribution of Wilkes County population: 89.44% are White, 3.89% are Black or African American, 0.34% are American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.57% are Asian, 0.32% are Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 1.52% are some other race and 3.93% are multiracial.
Wilkes County's racial breakdown clearly shows that there is an absolute majority of White population in the county.
By ethnicity, 4,511 is Hispanic or Latino (of any race), and 61,824 (93.20% of the total population) is Non-Hispanic.
The largest racial group in Wilkes County is White with a population of 59,328 (89.44% of the total population).

Wilkes County's population has already reached its peak and is showing a trend of decline:

The peak population was 69,265 in the year 2010
From 2000 to 2010, Wilkes County's population increased by 3,490 (5.31%), as compared to the national growth of 9.63%.
From 2010 to 2020, Wilkes County's population decreased by 3,361 (4.85%), according to Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program. For the same period, the rate of growth for the United States was 7.17%.
Between the year 2000 and 2022, Wilkes County's population was lowest in year 2000 at 65,775.