Caldwell County Demographics

A map of Caldwell County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	68,703	67,868	85.3%	84.1%
Hispanic	5,381	4,923	6.7%	6.1%
Black	3,262	3,843	4.1%	4.8%
Multiracial	2,569	3,042	3.2%	3.8%
Asian	426	527	0.5%	0.7%
Native American/Other	195	449	0.2%	0.6%

Caldwell County, North Carolina has an estimated population of 80,536, a less than 1% change from the 80,652 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 85.3% White, 6.7% Hispanic, 4.1% Black, 3.2% Multiracial, 0.5% Asian, and 0.2% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Caldwell County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Caldwell has become less racially diverse since 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 Caldwell County, that probability was 28.4% in 2020 and 26.5% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Caldwell County is ranked the 34th most populous county in North Carolina, out of 100 counties. Caldwell County was ranked the 34th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Caldwell County's White Population

68,703 residents of Caldwell County, or 85.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Caldwell County is significantly higher than in North Carolina overall, where 60% of the population is White. Caldwell County ranks 20th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Caldwell County's White population has grown by an estimated 1.2%. White residents' share of Caldwell County's population has increased from 84.1% to 85.3%.

Caldwell County is more White than neighboring Burke County (79.1% White), and Catawba County (71.9% White). Caldwell County is less White than neighboring Watauga County (88.5% White), Alexander County (85.5% White), and Avery County (85.7% White).

Caldwell County's Black Population

3,262 residents of Caldwell County, or 4.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Caldwell County is significantly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 20% of the population is Black. Caldwell County ranks 76th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Caldwell County's Black population has declined by an estimated 15.1%. Black residents' share of Caldwell County's population has decreased from 4.8% to 4.1%.

Caldwell County is more Black than neighboring Watauga County (1.6% Black), and Avery County (3.8% Black). Caldwell County is less Black than neighboring Burke County (6.1% Black), Alexander County (5% Black), and Catawba County (7.7% Black).

Caldwell County's Asian Population

426 residents of Caldwell County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Caldwell County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 3.3% of the population is Asian. Caldwell County ranks 54th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Caldwell County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 19.2%. Asian residents' share of Caldwell County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Caldwell County is more Asian than neighboring Avery County (0.4% Asian). Caldwell County is less Asian than neighboring Burke County (3.5% Asian), Watauga County (0.9% Asian), Alexander County (1% Asian), and Catawba County (4.3% Asian).

Caldwell County's Hispanic Population

5,381 residents of Caldwell County, or 6.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Caldwell County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 11.3% of the population is Hispanic. Caldwell County ranks 61st statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Caldwell County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 9.3%. Hispanic residents' share of Caldwell County's population has increased from 6.1% to 6.7%.

Caldwell County is more Hispanic than neighboring Watauga County (6.2% Hispanic), Alexander County (5.6% Hispanic), and Avery County (6.1% Hispanic). Caldwell County is less Hispanic than neighboring Burke County (8.5% Hispanic), and Catawba County (11.5% Hispanic).

Caldwell County's Native American/Other Population

195 residents of Caldwell County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Caldwell County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 1.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Caldwell County ranks 80th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Caldwell County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 56.6%. Native American/Other residents' share of Caldwell County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Caldwell County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Alexander County (0.1% Native American/Other). Caldwell County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Burke County (0.3% Native American/Other), Avery County (0.7% Native American/Other), and Catawba County (0.5% Native American/Other).

Caldwell County's Multiracial Population

2,569 residents of Caldwell County, or 3.2% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Caldwell County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 4.1% of the population is Multiracial. Caldwell County ranks 40th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Caldwell County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 15.5%. Multiracial residents' share of Caldwell County's population has decreased from 3.8% to 3.2%.

Caldwell County is more Multiracial than neighboring Burke County (2.5% Multiracial), Watauga County (2.7% Multiracial), and Alexander County (2.8% Multiracial). Caldwell County is less Multiracial than neighboring Avery County (3.3% Multiracial), and Catawba County (4.3% 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.