Sampson County Demographics

A map of Sampson County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	29,244	29,729	49.2%	50.4%
Black	14,293	13,944	24.0%	23.6%
Hispanic	13,098	12,249	22.0%	20.7%
Multiracial	1,357	1,722	2.3%	2.9%
Native American/Other	1,223	1,176	2.1%	2.0%
Asian	255	216	0.4%	0.4%

Sampson County, North Carolina has an estimated population of 59,470, a less than 1% change from the 59,036 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 49.2% White, 24.0% Black, 22.0% Hispanic, 2.3% Multiracial, 2.1% Native American/Other, and 0.4% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Sampson County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Sampson is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is considerably 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 Sampson County, that probability was 64.6% in 2020 and 65.1% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Sampson County is ranked the 47th most populous county in North Carolina, out of 100 counties. Sampson County was ranked the 47th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Sampson County's White Population

29,244 residents of Sampson County, or 49.2% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Sampson County is considerably lower than in North Carolina overall, where 60% of the population is White. Sampson County ranks 80th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sampson County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.6%. White residents' share of Sampson County's population has decreased from 50.4% to 49.2%.

Sampson County is more White than neighboring Cumberland County (39.8% White). Sampson County is less White than neighboring Bladen County (53.4% White), Duplin County (50.2% White), Wayne County (50.2% White), and Johnston County (61.4% White).

Sampson County's Black Population

14,293 residents of Sampson County, or 24.0% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Sampson County is slightly higher than in North Carolina overall, where 20% of the population is Black. Sampson County ranks 36th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sampson County's Black population has grown by an estimated 2.5%. Black residents' share of Sampson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 24.0%.

Sampson County is more Black than neighboring Duplin County (22.1% Black), and Johnston County (16.7% Black). Sampson County is less Black than neighboring Bladen County (32.1% Black), Cumberland County (36.7% Black), and Wayne County (29.6% Black).

Sampson County's Asian Population

255 residents of Sampson County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Sampson County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 3.3% of the population is Asian. Sampson County ranks 76th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sampson County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 18.1%. Asian residents' share of Sampson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Sampson County is more Asian than neighboring Bladen County (0.2% Asian). Sampson County is less Asian than neighboring Duplin County (0.6% Asian), Cumberland County (2.6% Asian), Wayne County (1.2% Asian), and Johnston County (0.8% Asian).

Sampson County's Hispanic Population

13,098 residents of Sampson County, or 22.0% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Sampson County is considerably higher than in North Carolina overall, where 11.3% of the population is Hispanic. Sampson County ranks 2nd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sampson County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 6.9%. Hispanic residents' share of Sampson County's population has increased from 20.7% to 22.0%.

Sampson County is more Hispanic than neighboring Bladen County (9.3% Hispanic), Cumberland County (12.7% Hispanic), Wayne County (13.7% Hispanic), and Johnston County (16.8% Hispanic). Sampson County is less Hispanic than neighboring Duplin County (23.3% Hispanic).

Sampson County's Native American/Other Population

1,223 residents of Sampson County, or 2.1% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Sampson County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 1.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Sampson County ranks 13th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sampson County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 4.0%. Native American/Other residents' share of Sampson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.1%.

Sampson County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Duplin County (0.3% Native American/Other), Wayne County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Johnston County (0.7% Native American/Other). Sampson County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Bladen County (2.6% Native American/Other), and Cumberland County (2.2% Native American/Other).

Sampson County's Multiracial Population

1,357 residents of Sampson County, or 2.3% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Sampson County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 4.1% of the population is Multiracial. Sampson County ranks 80th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sampson County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 21.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Sampson County's population has decreased from 2.9% to 2.3%.

Sampson County is less Multiracial than neighboring Bladen County (2.4% Multiracial), Duplin County (3.6% Multiracial), Cumberland County (5.9% Multiracial), Wayne County (4.9% Multiracial), and Johnston County (3.5% 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.