Lincoln County Demographics

A map of Lincoln County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	75,997	71,661	82.0%	82.5%
Hispanic	7,542	6,412	8.1%	7.4%
Black	5,472	4,405	5.9%	5.1%
Multiracial	2,647	3,180	2.9%	3.7%
Asian	733	692	0.8%	0.8%
Native American/Other	325	460	0.4%	0.5%

Lincoln County, North Carolina has an estimated population of 92,716, an increase from the 86,810 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 82.0% White, 8.1% Hispanic, 5.9% Black, 2.9% Multiracial, 0.8% Asian, and 0.4% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Lincoln County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Lincoln has become slightly more 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 Lincoln County, that probability was 30.9% in 2020 and 31.7% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Lincoln County is ranked the 31st most populous county in North Carolina, out of 100 counties. Lincoln County was ranked the 33rd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Lincoln County's White Population

75,997 residents of Lincoln County, or 82.0% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Lincoln County is significantly higher than in North Carolina overall, where 60% of the population is White. Lincoln County ranks 23rd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lincoln County's White population has grown by an estimated 6.1%. White residents' share of Lincoln County's population has decreased from 82.5% to 82.0%.

Lincoln County is more White than neighboring Catawba County (71.9% White), Gaston County (66.4% White), Cleveland County (70.6% White), and Mecklenburg County (43.2% White). Lincoln County is less White than neighboring Alexander County (85.5% White).

Lincoln County's Black Population

5,472 residents of Lincoln County, or 5.9% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Lincoln County is considerably lower than in North Carolina overall, where 20% of the population is Black. Lincoln County ranks 74th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lincoln County's Black population has grown by an estimated 24.2%. Black residents' share of Lincoln County's population has increased from 5.1% to 5.9%.

Lincoln County is more Black than neighboring Alexander County (5% Black). Lincoln County is less Black than neighboring Catawba County (7.7% Black), Gaston County (17.1% Black), Cleveland County (17.9% Black), and Mecklenburg County (29.7% Black).

Lincoln County's Asian Population

733 residents of Lincoln County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Lincoln County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 3.3% of the population is Asian. Lincoln County ranks 48th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lincoln County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 5.9%. Asian residents' share of Lincoln County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.8%.

Lincoln County is less Asian than neighboring Catawba County (4.3% Asian), Gaston County (1.6% Asian), Cleveland County (0.9% Asian), Alexander County (1% Asian), and Mecklenburg County (6.3% Asian).

Lincoln County's Hispanic Population

7,542 residents of Lincoln County, or 8.1% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Lincoln County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 11.3% of the population is Hispanic. Lincoln County ranks 51st statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lincoln County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 17.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Lincoln County's population has increased from 7.4% to 8.1%.

Lincoln County is more Hispanic than neighboring Cleveland County (4.7% Hispanic), and Alexander County (5.6% Hispanic). Lincoln County is less Hispanic than neighboring Catawba County (11.5% Hispanic), Gaston County (9.9% Hispanic), and Mecklenburg County (16% Hispanic).

Lincoln County's Native American/Other Population

325 residents of Lincoln County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Lincoln County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 1.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Lincoln County ranks 84th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lincoln County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 29.3%. Native American/Other residents' share of Lincoln County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Lincoln County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Alexander County (0.1% Native American/Other). Lincoln County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Catawba County (0.5% Native American/Other), Gaston County (0.8% Native American/Other), Cleveland County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Mecklenburg County (0.7% Native American/Other).

Lincoln County's Multiracial Population

2,647 residents of Lincoln County, or 2.9% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Lincoln County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 4.1% of the population is Multiracial. Lincoln County ranks 50th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lincoln County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 16.8%. Multiracial residents' share of Lincoln County's population has decreased from 3.7% to 2.9%.

Lincoln County is more Multiracial than neighboring Alexander County (2.8% Multiracial). Lincoln County is less Multiracial than neighboring Catawba County (4.3% Multiracial), Gaston County (4.2% Multiracial), Cleveland County (5.3% Multiracial), and Mecklenburg County (4.1% 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.