Brunswick County Demographics

A map of Brunswick County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	123,338	110,716	80.8%	81.0%
Black	12,620	11,392	8.3%	8.3%
Hispanic	8,583	7,420	5.6%	5.4%
Multiracial	6,063	5,091	4.0%	3.7%
Asian	1,002	890	0.7%	0.7%
Native American/Other	962	1,184	0.6%	0.9%

Brunswick County, North Carolina has an estimated population of 152,568, a large increase from the 136,693 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 80.8% White, 8.3% Black, 5.6% Hispanic, 4.0% Multiracial, 0.7% Asian, and 0.6% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Brunswick County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Brunswick is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is considerably less 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 Brunswick County, that probability was 33.3% in 2020 and 33.5% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Brunswick County is ranked the 19th most populous county in North Carolina, out of 100 counties. Brunswick County was ranked the 22nd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Brunswick County's White Population

123,338 residents of Brunswick County, or 80.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Brunswick County is significantly higher than in North Carolina overall, where 60% of the population is White. Brunswick County ranks 26th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brunswick County's White population has grown by an estimated 11.4%. White residents' share of Brunswick County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 80.8%.

Brunswick County is more White than neighboring New Hanover County (74.7% White), Columbus County (58.6% White), Pender County (74% White), Bladen County (53.4% White), and Horry County (75.5% White).

Brunswick County's Black Population

12,620 residents of Brunswick County, or 8.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Brunswick County is considerably lower than in North Carolina overall, where 20% of the population is Black. Brunswick County ranks 67th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brunswick County's Black population has grown by an estimated 10.8%. Black residents' share of Brunswick County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 8.3%.

Brunswick County is less Black than neighboring New Hanover County (10.7% Black), Columbus County (28% Black), Pender County (12.1% Black), Bladen County (32.1% Black), and Horry County (11.6% Black).

Brunswick County's Asian Population

1,002 residents of Brunswick County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Brunswick County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 3.3% of the population is Asian. Brunswick County ranks 55th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brunswick County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 12.6%. Asian residents' share of Brunswick County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Brunswick County is more Asian than neighboring Columbus County (0.5% Asian), and Bladen County (0.2% Asian). Brunswick County is less Asian than neighboring New Hanover County (1.4% Asian), and Horry County (1.3% Asian).

Brunswick County's Hispanic Population

8,583 residents of Brunswick County, or 5.6% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Brunswick County is lower than in North Carolina overall, where 11.3% of the population is Hispanic. Brunswick County ranks 68th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brunswick County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 15.7%. Hispanic residents' share of Brunswick County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 5.6%.

Brunswick County is less Hispanic than neighboring New Hanover County (7.9% Hispanic), Pender County (8.8% Hispanic), Bladen County (9.3% Hispanic), and Horry County (7.3% Hispanic).

Brunswick County's Native American/Other Population

962 residents of Brunswick County, or 0.6% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Brunswick County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 1.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Brunswick County ranks 30th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brunswick County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 18.8%. Native American/Other residents' share of Brunswick County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.6%.

Brunswick County is less Native American/Other than neighboring New Hanover County (0.7% Native American/Other), Columbus County (3.4% Native American/Other), Pender County (0.7% Native American/Other), Bladen County (2.6% Native American/Other), and Horry County (0.8% Native American/Other).

Brunswick County's Multiracial Population

6,063 residents of Brunswick County, or 4.0% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Brunswick County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 4.1% of the population is Multiracial. Brunswick County ranks 45th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brunswick County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 19.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Brunswick County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.0%.

Brunswick County is more Multiracial than neighboring Columbus County (3.9% Multiracial), Pender County (3.7% Multiracial), Bladen County (2.4% Multiracial), and Horry County (3.5% Multiracial). Brunswick County is less Multiracial than neighboring New Hanover County (4.6% 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.