Wilkes County Demographics

A map of Wilkes County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	56,518	56,316	85.7%	85.4%
Hispanic	4,915	4,654	7.5%	7.1%
Black	2,403	2,580	3.6%	3.9%
Multiracial	1,574	1,873	2.4%	2.8%
Asian	396	324	0.6%	0.5%
Native American/Other	129	222	0.2%	0.3%

Wilkes County, North Carolina has an estimated population of 65,935, a less than 1% change from the 65,969 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 85.7% White, 7.5% Hispanic, 3.6% Black, 2.4% Multiracial, 0.6% Asian, and 0.2% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Wilkes County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Wilkes 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 Wilkes County, that probability was 26.4% in 2020 and 25.8% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Wilkes County is ranked the 40th most populous county in North Carolina, out of 100 counties. Wilkes County was ranked the 40th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Wilkes County's White Population

56,518 residents of Wilkes County, or 85.7% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Wilkes County is significantly higher than in North Carolina overall, where 60% of the population is White. Wilkes County ranks 14th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilkes County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Wilkes County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 85.7%.

Wilkes County is more White than neighboring Alexander County (85.5% White), Alleghany County (83.9% White), and Caldwell County (85.3% White). Wilkes County is less White than neighboring Ashe County (90.8% White), and Grayson County (87.2% White).

Wilkes County's Black Population

2,403 residents of Wilkes County, or 3.6% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Wilkes County is significantly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 20% of the population is Black. Wilkes County ranks 78th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilkes County's Black population has declined by an estimated 6.9%. Black residents' share of Wilkes County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.6%.

Wilkes County is more Black than neighboring Alleghany County (1.6% Black), and Ashe County (0.9% Black). Wilkes County is less Black than neighboring Alexander County (5% Black), Grayson County (5.5% Black), and Caldwell County (4.1% Black).

Wilkes County's Asian Population

396 residents of Wilkes County, or 0.6% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Wilkes County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 3.3% of the population is Asian. Wilkes County ranks 68th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilkes County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 22.2%. Asian residents' share of Wilkes County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.6%.

Wilkes County is more Asian than neighboring Alleghany County (0.5% Asian), Ashe County (0.4% Asian), and Caldwell County (0.5% Asian). Wilkes County is less Asian than neighboring Alexander County (1% Asian), and Grayson County (1% Asian).

Wilkes County's Hispanic Population

4,915 residents of Wilkes County, or 7.5% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Wilkes County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 11.3% of the population is Hispanic. Wilkes County ranks 56th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilkes County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 5.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Wilkes County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 7.5%.

Wilkes County is more Hispanic than neighboring Alexander County (5.6% Hispanic), Ashe County (6% Hispanic), Grayson County (4.2% Hispanic), and Caldwell County (6.7% Hispanic). Wilkes County is less Hispanic than neighboring Alleghany County (11.4% Hispanic).

Wilkes County's Native American/Other Population

129 residents of Wilkes 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 Wilkes County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 1.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Wilkes County ranks 100th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilkes County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 41.9%. Native American/Other residents' share of Wilkes County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Wilkes County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Alexander County (0.1% Native American/Other), and Alleghany County (0.1% Native American/Other). Wilkes County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Ashe County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Grayson County (0.4% Native American/Other).

Wilkes County's Multiracial Population

1,574 residents of Wilkes County, or 2.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Wilkes County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 4.1% of the population is Multiracial. Wilkes County ranks 83rd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilkes County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 16.0%. Multiracial residents' share of Wilkes County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.4%.

Wilkes County is more Multiracial than neighboring Ashe County (1.4% Multiracial), and Grayson County (1.7% Multiracial). Wilkes County is less Multiracial than neighboring Alexander County (2.8% Multiracial), Alleghany County (2.6% Multiracial), and Caldwell County (3.2% 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.