Bladen County Demographics

A map of Bladen County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	15,790	15,830	53.4%	53.5%
Black	9,495	9,505	32.1%	32.1%
Hispanic	2,752	2,546	9.3%	8.6%
Native American/Other	780	776	2.6%	2.6%
Multiracial	702	902	2.4%	3.0%
Asian	47	47	0.2%	0.2%

Bladen County, North Carolina has an estimated population of 29,566, a less than 1% change from the 29,606 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 53.4% White, 32.1% Black, 9.3% Hispanic, 2.6% Native American/Other, 2.4% Multiracial, and 0.2% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Bladen County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Bladen is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is more diverse than North Carolina overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Bladen County, that probability was 60.2% in 2020 and 60.2% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Bladen County is ranked the 71st most populous county in North Carolina, out of 100 counties. Bladen County was ranked the 70th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Bladen County's White Population

15,790 residents of Bladen County, or 53.4% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Bladen County is lower than in North Carolina overall, where 60% of the population is White. Bladen County ranks 74th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bladen County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Bladen County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 53.4%.

Bladen County is more White than neighboring Sampson County (49.2% White), Cumberland County (39.8% White), and Robeson County (23.3% White). Bladen County is less White than neighboring Columbus County (58.6% White), and Brunswick County (80.8% White).

Bladen County's Black Population

9,495 residents of Bladen County, or 32.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Bladen County is considerably higher than in North Carolina overall, where 20% of the population is Black. Bladen County ranks 21st statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bladen County's Black population has remained roughly the same. Black residents' share of Bladen County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 32.1%.

Bladen County is more Black than neighboring Columbus County (28% Black), Sampson County (24% Black), Robeson County (23.2% Black), and Brunswick County (8.3% Black). Bladen County is less Black than neighboring Cumberland County (36.7% Black).

Bladen County's Asian Population

47 residents of Bladen County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Bladen County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 3.3% of the population is Asian. Bladen County ranks 97th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bladen County's Asian population has remained roughly the same. Asian residents' share of Bladen County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Bladen County is less Asian than neighboring Columbus County (0.5% Asian), Sampson County (0.4% Asian), Cumberland County (2.6% Asian), Robeson County (0.8% Asian), and Brunswick County (0.7% Asian).

Bladen County's Hispanic Population

2,752 residents of Bladen County, or 9.3% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Bladen County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 11.3% of the population is Hispanic. Bladen County ranks 36th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bladen County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 8.1%. Hispanic residents' share of Bladen County's population has increased from 8.6% to 9.3%.

Bladen County is more Hispanic than neighboring Columbus County (5.6% Hispanic), and Brunswick County (5.6% Hispanic). Bladen County is less Hispanic than neighboring Sampson County (22% Hispanic), Cumberland County (12.7% Hispanic), and Robeson County (10.9% Hispanic).

Bladen County's Native American/Other Population

780 residents of Bladen County, or 2.6% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Bladen County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 1.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Bladen County ranks 11th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bladen County's Native American/Other population has remained roughly the same. Native American/Other residents' share of Bladen County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.6%.

Bladen County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Sampson County (2.1% Native American/Other), Cumberland County (2.2% Native American/Other), and Brunswick County (0.6% Native American/Other). Bladen County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Columbus County (3.4% Native American/Other), and Robeson County (38.7% Native American/Other).

Bladen County's Multiracial Population

702 residents of Bladen County, or 2.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Bladen County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 4.1% of the population is Multiracial. Bladen County ranks 75th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bladen County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 22.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Bladen County's population has decreased from 3.0% to 2.4%.

Bladen County is more Multiracial than neighboring Sampson County (2.3% Multiracial). Bladen County is less Multiracial than neighboring Columbus County (3.9% Multiracial), Cumberland County (5.9% Multiracial), Robeson County (3.2% Multiracial), and Brunswick County (4% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.