North Carolina · PUMA · 2024 ACS PUMS
Burke & McDowell Counties
A Census profile of the Burke & McDowell Counties Public Use Microdata Area in North Carolina, from the 2024 American Community Survey. It is home to 133,620 people, with a median household income of $56,346 and a median age of 43.4.
Cities & areas covered: Burke County, McDowell County.
How Burke & McDowell Counties compares to North Carolina
- Median household income here is $56,346, $17,767 below the North Carolina figure of $74,113.
- The bachelor's-degree rate here is 20.2%, 17.3% below the North Carolina figure of 37.5%.
- Homeownership here is 75.6%, 8.7% above the North Carolina figure of 66.9%.
- The poverty rate here is 14.8%, 2.2% above the North Carolina figure of 12.6%.
Burke & McDowell Counties vs. North Carolina vs. the U.S.
Every figure is a weighted estimate from the 2024 ACS PUMS. The NC and U.S. columns are the state and population-weighted national averages, for comparison.
| Statistic | This PUMA | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,346 | $74,113 |
| Median family income | $72,387 | $92,895 |
| Mean wage (workers) | $46,811 | $61,965 |
| Median personal income (15+) | $29,442 | $33,503 |
| Poverty rate | 14.8% | 12.6% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.9% | 4.0% |
| Labor force participation (16+) | 58.0% | 63.6% |
| Mean hours worked / week | 37.3 | 38 |
| Mean Interest, dividends, and net rental income | $2,422 | $2,513 |
| Mean Selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income | 21.0% | 22.0% |
| Mean All other income | $422 | $862 |
| Mean Public assistance income | $30 | $26 |
| Mean Total person's earnings | $28,426 | $41,326 |
| Mean Income-to-poverty ratio | 274.1 | 308.1 |
| Mean Retirement income | $3,040 | $3,530 |
| Mean Self-employment income | $1,633 | $2,336 |
| Mean Supplementary Security Income | $489 | $264 |
| Mean Social Security income | $4,404 | $3,995 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.2% | 37.5% |
| High school diploma or higher | 87.9% | 90.9% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Management | 8.8% | 11.4% |
| Business operations | 2.8% | 3.8% |
| Financial specialists | 1.6% | 1.9% |
| Computer & math | 1.8% | 3.8% |
| Architecture & engineering | 1.1% | 2.0% |
| Science | 0.3% | 1.1% |
| Community & social service | 1.9% | 1.8% |
| Legal | 0.3% | 0.9% |
| Education instruction | 5.0% | 6.1% |
| Arts, design & media | 1.3% | 1.9% |
| Healthcare practitioners | 7.0% | 6.3% |
| Healthcare support | 3.7% | 2.9% |
| Protective service | 2.5% | 1.8% |
| Food prep & serving | 4.9% | 5.6% |
| Building & grounds cleaning | 4.8% | 3.5% |
| Personal care | 1.9% | 2.7% |
| Sales | 9.5% | 9.4% |
| Office & admin support | 10.4% | 10.0% |
| Farming, fishing & forestry | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| Construction | 4.3% | 4.6% |
| Extraction | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| Installation & repair | 3.7% | 3.0% |
| Production | 11.4% | 5.6% |
| Transportation & moving | 10.0% | 7.6% |
| Military | 0.0% | 1.0% |
| Agriculture & forestry (industry) | 0.4% | 0.9% |
| Mining & oil/gas (industry) | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Utilities (industry) | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| Construction (industry) | 7.3% | 7.0% |
| Manufacturing (industry) | 17.8% | 10.2% |
| Wholesale trade (industry) | 2.1% | 1.8% |
| Retail trade (industry) | 13.6% | 11.3% |
| Transportation & warehousing (industry) | 2.9% | 4.7% |
| Information (industry) | 1.6% | 1.4% |
| Finance & insurance (industry) | 3.4% | 6.8% |
| Professional & technical (industry) | 6.1% | 12.4% |
| Educational services (industry) | 7.1% | 8.9% |
| Health care (industry) | 15.6% | 11.1% |
| Social assistance (industry) | 2.2% | 1.9% |
| Arts & entertainment (industry) | 9.7% | 9.5% |
| Other services (industry) | 3.9% | 5.1% |
| Public administration (industry) | 4.7% | 3.9% |
| Armed forces (industry) | 0.1% | 1.7% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Uninsured | 10.1% | 8.7% |
| Private insurance | 58.3% | 67.1% |
| Public insurance | 47.9% | 37.4% |
| With a disability | 19.6% | 14.3% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Mean commute time | 26 min | 26 min |
| Drove to work | 92.5% | 80.6% |
| Public transit to work | 0.0% | 0.8% |
| Worked from home | 6.0% | 15.4% |
| Mean Weeks worked | 28.9 | 30.9 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $200,000 | $308,000 |
| Median gross rent | $1,000 | $1,355 |
| Rent as % of income | 26.0% | 30.0% |
| Homeownership rate | 75.6% | 66.9% |
| Average household size | 2.3 | 2.4 |
| Median bedrooms | 3 | 3 |
| Median rooms | 6 | 6 |
| Median year built | 1980 | 1990 |
| Vehicles per household | 2 | 2 |
| No vehicle | 7.5% | 5.6% |
| Single-family detached | 68.8% | 66.0% |
| Broadband internet | 90.9% | 95.3% |
| Median Condominium and/or homeowners association fee | $0 | $0 |
| Median Electricity cost | $170 | $160 |
| Median Fuel cost | $650 | $460 |
| Median Gas cost | $70 | $70 |
| Mean Age of the householder | 55.9 | 52.1 |
| Median Mobile home costs | $470 | $380 |
| Median First mortgage payment | $900 | $1,300 |
| Mean Number of own children in household | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| Mean Number of related children in household | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Median Monthly rent | $800 | $1,200 |
| Median Selected monthly owner costs | $719 | $1,190 |
| Median Total payment on all second and junior mortgages and home equity loans | $400 | $440 |
| Median Property taxes | $1,350 | $1,950 |
| Median Water cost | $400 | $420 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 133,620 | 11,046,024 |
| Average age | 43.4 | 39.8 |
| Married (15+) | 49.2% | 49.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 8.5% | 12.0% |
| Black | 4.2% | 19.5% |
| Asian | 2.8% | 3.6% |
| Mean Fire/hazard/flood insurance | $926 | $1,413 |
| Mean Number of persons in family | 1.8 | 1.9 |
Burke & McDowell Counties — FAQ
What is the population of the Burke & McDowell Counties PUMA?+
The Burke & McDowell Counties PUMA in North Carolina has a population of 133,620, per the 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) PUMS.
What is the median household income in Burke & McDowell Counties, NC?+
Median household income in the Burke & McDowell Counties PUMA is $56,346, compared with $74,113 across North Carolina and $83,310 nationally.
What cities and counties are in the Burke & McDowell Counties PUMA?+
The Burke & McDowell Counties PUMA covers Burke County, McDowell County. PUMAs are built from whole counties or, in denser areas, groups of census tracts, so one PUMA can span several places.
What is a PUMA?+
A PUMA (Public Use Microdata Area) is a U.S. Census geography of roughly 100,000 or more people — the most detailed level at which ACS PUMS microdata is released. North Carolina contains 76 PUMAs.
Where does this Burke & McDowell Counties data come from?+
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 ACS Public Use Microdata Sample — a de-identified, weighted sample of individual records. PUMSdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with the Census Bureau.