New Hanover County Demographics

A map of New Hanover County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	175,818	167,150	74.7%	74.1%
Black	25,279	26,974	10.7%	12.0%
Hispanic	18,547	17,300	7.9%	7.7%
Multiracial	10,742	8,992	4.6%	4.0%
Asian	3,194	3,468	1.4%	1.5%
Native American/Other	1,649	1,818	0.7%	0.8%

New Hanover County, North Carolina has an estimated population of 235,229, an increase from the 225,702 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 74.7% White, 10.7% Black, 7.9% Hispanic, 4.6% Multiracial, 1.4% Asian, and 0.7% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of New Hanover County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

New Hanover has become slightly 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 New Hanover County, that probability was 43.0% in 2020 and 42.1% in the most recent ACS estimates.

New Hanover County is ranked the 10th most populous county in North Carolina, out of 100 counties. New Hanover County was ranked the 11th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

New Hanover County's White Population

175,818 residents of New Hanover County, or 74.7% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in New Hanover County is considerably higher than in North Carolina overall, where 60% of the population is White. New Hanover County ranks 39th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, New Hanover County's White population has grown by an estimated 5.2%. White residents' share of New Hanover County's population has increased from 74.1% to 74.7%.

New Hanover County is more White than neighboring Pender County (74% White), Onslow County (64% White), Duplin County (50.2% White), and Columbus County (58.6% White). New Hanover County is less White than neighboring Brunswick County (80.8% White).

New Hanover County's Black Population

25,279 residents of New Hanover County, or 10.7% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in New Hanover County is lower than in North Carolina overall, where 20% of the population is Black. New Hanover County ranks 57th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, New Hanover County's Black population has declined by an estimated 6.3%. Black residents' share of New Hanover County's population has decreased from 12.0% to 10.7%.

New Hanover County is more Black than neighboring Brunswick County (8.3% Black). New Hanover County is less Black than neighboring Pender County (12.1% Black), Onslow County (11.5% Black), Duplin County (22.1% Black), and Columbus County (28% Black).

New Hanover County's Asian Population

3,194 residents of New Hanover County, or 1.4% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in New Hanover County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 3.3% of the population is Asian. New Hanover County ranks 21st statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, New Hanover County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 7.9%. Asian residents' share of New Hanover County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.4%.

New Hanover County is more Asian than neighboring Pender County (0.7% Asian), Brunswick County (0.7% Asian), Duplin County (0.6% Asian), and Columbus County (0.5% Asian). New Hanover County is less Asian than neighboring Onslow County (1.8% Asian).

New Hanover County's Hispanic Population

18,547 residents of New Hanover County, or 7.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in New Hanover County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 11.3% of the population is Hispanic. New Hanover County ranks 47th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, New Hanover County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 7.2%. Hispanic residents' share of New Hanover County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 7.9%.

New Hanover County is more Hispanic than neighboring Brunswick County (5.6% Hispanic), and Columbus County (5.6% Hispanic). New Hanover County is less Hispanic than neighboring Pender County (8.8% Hispanic), Onslow County (14% Hispanic), and Duplin County (23.3% Hispanic).

New Hanover County's Native American/Other Population

1,649 residents of New Hanover County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in New Hanover County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 1.4% of the population is Native American/Other. New Hanover County ranks 41st statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, New Hanover County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 9.3%. Native American/Other residents' share of New Hanover County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

New Hanover County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Brunswick County (0.6% Native American/Other), and Duplin County (0.3% Native American/Other). New Hanover County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Onslow County (1.2% Native American/Other), and Columbus County (3.4% Native American/Other).

New Hanover County's Multiracial Population

10,742 residents of New Hanover County, or 4.6% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in New Hanover County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 4.1% of the population is Multiracial. New Hanover County ranks 25th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, New Hanover County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 19.5%. Multiracial residents' share of New Hanover County's population has increased from 4.0% to 4.6%.

New Hanover County is more Multiracial than neighboring Pender County (3.7% Multiracial), Brunswick County (4% Multiracial), Duplin County (3.6% Multiracial), and Columbus County (3.9% Multiracial). New Hanover County is less Multiracial than neighboring Onslow County (7.4% 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.