Wilson County Demographics

A map of Wilson County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	35,145	36,106	44.3%	45.8%
Black	30,627	29,842	38.6%	37.9%
Hispanic	9,830	9,024	12.4%	11.5%
Multiracial	2,188	2,406	2.8%	3.1%
Asian	910	900	1.1%	1.1%
Native American/Other	590	506	0.7%	0.6%

Wilson County, North Carolina has an estimated population of 79,290, a less than 1% change from the 78,784 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 44.3% White, 38.6% Black, 12.4% Hispanic, 2.8% Multiracial, 1.1% Asian, and 0.7% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Wilson County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Wilson has become slightly more racially diverse since 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 Wilson County, that probability was 63.2% in 2020 and 63.8% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Wilson County is ranked the 36th most populous county in North Carolina, out of 100 counties. Wilson County was ranked the 35th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Wilson County's White Population

35,145 residents of Wilson County, or 44.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Wilson County is significantly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 60% of the population is White. Wilson County ranks 86th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilson County's White population has declined by an estimated 2.7%. White residents' share of Wilson County's population has decreased from 45.8% to 44.3%.

Wilson County is more White than neighboring Edgecombe County (34.9% White). Wilson County is less White than neighboring Nash County (46.3% White), Greene County (45.5% White), Wayne County (50.2% White), and Johnston County (61.4% White).

Wilson County's Black Population

30,627 residents of Wilson County, or 38.6% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Wilson County is significantly higher than in North Carolina overall, where 20% of the population is Black. Wilson County ranks 14th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilson County's Black population has grown by an estimated 2.6%. Black residents' share of Wilson County's population has increased from 37.9% to 38.6%.

Wilson County is more Black than neighboring Greene County (31.5% Black), Wayne County (29.6% Black), and Johnston County (16.7% Black). Wilson County is less Black than neighboring Nash County (40.1% Black), and Edgecombe County (55.5% Black).

Wilson County's Asian Population

910 residents of Wilson County, or 1.1% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Wilson County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 3.3% of the population is Asian. Wilson County ranks 31st statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilson County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 1.1%. Asian residents' share of Wilson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.1%.

Wilson County is more Asian than neighboring Nash County (1% Asian), Greene County (0% Asian), Edgecombe County (0.2% Asian), and Johnston County (0.8% Asian). Wilson County is less Asian than neighboring Wayne County (1.2% Asian).

Wilson County's Hispanic Population

9,830 residents of Wilson County, or 12.4% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Wilson County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 11.3% of the population is Hispanic. Wilson County ranks 24th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilson County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 8.9%. Hispanic residents' share of Wilson County's population has increased from 11.5% to 12.4%.

Wilson County is more Hispanic than neighboring Nash County (8.2% Hispanic), and Edgecombe County (6.2% Hispanic). Wilson County is less Hispanic than neighboring Greene County (15.5% Hispanic), Wayne County (13.7% Hispanic), and Johnston County (16.8% Hispanic).

Wilson County's Native American/Other Population

590 residents of Wilson 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 Wilson County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 1.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Wilson County ranks 63rd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilson County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 16.6%. Native American/Other residents' share of Wilson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Wilson County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Wayne County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Edgecombe County (0.6% Native American/Other). Wilson County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Nash County (1.1% Native American/Other), and Greene County (1% Native American/Other).

Wilson County's Multiracial Population

2,188 residents of Wilson County, or 2.8% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Wilson County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 4.1% of the population is Multiracial. Wilson County ranks 73rd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilson County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 9.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Wilson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.8%.

Wilson County is more Multiracial than neighboring Edgecombe County (2.5% Multiracial). Wilson County is less Multiracial than neighboring Nash County (3.4% Multiracial), Greene County (6.5% 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.