City of Lenoir

Creative energy thrives in Lenoir, the county seat of Caldwell County. A stroll through downtown is to experience the arts — the Smithsonian recognizes its permanent public outdoor sculpture collection as the largest per capita in the nation. This community spirit further fuels Lenoir to be a place where people forge partnerships to build a better future. From the entrepreneurs who made Lenoir the furniture manufacturing center of the South to the local biotech and cyberspace industries, Lenoir is continually growing.

Population

Population	2000	2010	2026	2031
City of Lenoir	18,432	18,330	18,429	18,363

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Population by Age

Population	2026
0-4	974
5-9	992
10-14	1,117
15-19	1,006
20-24	1,099
25-29	1,041
30-34	1,162
35-39	1,071
40-44	1,163
45-49	1,125
50-54	1,132
55-59	1,164
60-64	1,148
65-69	1,161
70-74	1,092
75-79	876
80-84	599
85+	507
18+	14,726
Median Age	43

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Population by Race

City of Lenoir	2026
Total	18,429.00
White Alone	71.87%
Black Alone	12.04%
American Indian Alone	0.52%
Asian Alone	1.04%
Pacific Islander Alone	0.05%
Some Other Race	6.92%
Two or More Races	7.56%
Hispanic Origin	12.36%
Diversity Index	57.60

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Housing

Households

Population	2000	2010	2026	2031
Households	7,564	7,640	7,779	7,875
Housing Units	8,150	8,622	8,694	8,808
Owner Occupied Units			4,685	4,842
Renter Occupied Units			3,094	3,033
Vacant Units			915	933

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Home Value

City of Lenoir	2026	2031
Median Home Value	$209,362	$295,323
Average Home Value	$232,835	$325,878
<$50,000	243	251
$50,000 - $99,999	634	407
$100,000 - $149,999	807	429
$150,000 - $199,999	528	315
$200,000 - $249,999	697	486
$250,000 - $299,999	626	588
$300,000 - $399,999	476	691
$400,000 - $499,999	504	1,099
$500,000 - $749,999	124	402
$1,000,000 +	28	63

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Housing Year Built

Year Range	Houses Built
2010 or Later	481
2000-2009	448
1990-1999	1,138
1980-1989	1,184
1970-1979	1,504
1960-1969	1,010
1950-1959	1,448
1940-1949	744
1939 or Before	1,060

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Income

City of Lenoir	2026	2031
Median Household	$53,283	$58,452
Average Household	$66,812	$75,881
Per Capita	$28,450	$32,797

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Household Income

City of Lenoir	2026
<$15,000	1,376
$15,000 - $24,999	731
$25,000 - $34,999	759
$35,000 - $49,999	721
$50,000 - $74,999	1,931
$75,000 - $99,999	595
$100,000 - $149,999	828
$150,000 - $199,999	630
$200,000+	208

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Employees

Commute

Category	Commuters
Workers 16+	7,399
In-County Residents	5,069
Out-of-County Residents	2,258
Drive Alone	5,714
Carpooled	776
Public Transport	0
Work at Home	821
Motorcycle	22
Bicycle	0
Walked	20
Other	46
Less than 5 minutes	287
5-9 minutes	966
10-14 minutes	1,544
15-19 minutes	494
20-24 minutes	502
25-29 minutes	385
30-34 minutes	1,441
35-39 minutes	194
40-44 minutes	181
45-59 minutes	164
60-89 minutes	114
90+ minutes	306
Average Travel Time	25

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Employees by NAICS

Category	Number
Total Employees	13,056
Agr/Forestry/Fish/Hunt	11
Mining	0
Utilities	222
Construction	329
Manufacturing	1,453
Wholesale Trade	143

Retail Trade	1,697
Motor Veh/Parts Dealers	303
Furn & Home Furnish Str	158
Electronics & Appl Store	17
Bldg Matl/Garden Equip	209
Food & Beverage Stores	243
Health/Pers Care Stores	91
Gasoline Stations	77
Clothing/Accessory Store	52
Sports/Hobby/Book/Music	140
General Merchandise Str	407

Transportation/Warehouse	141
Information	364

Finance & Insurance	372
Cntrl Bank/Crdt Intrmdtn	215
Sec/Cmdty Cntrct/Oth Inv	67
Insur/Funds/Trusts/Other	90

Real Estate/Rent/Leasing	461
Prof/Scientific/Tech Srv	459
Legal Services	60
Mgmt of Comp/Enterprises	4
Admin/Support/Waste Mgmt	133
Educational Services	697
HealthCare/Social Assist	3,034
Arts/Entertainment/Rec	176

Accommodation/Food Srvcs	1,300
Accommodation	47
Food Srv/Drinking Places	1,253

Other Srv excl Pub Admin	680
Auto Repair/Maintenance	139
Public Administration Emp	1,371

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Educational Attainment (25+)

City of Lenoir	2026
<9th Grade	520
Some High School	1,328
GED	1,035
Graduated High School	3,378
Some College/No Degree	2,746
Associates Degree	1,403
Bachelor's Degree	2,106
Graduate Degree	725

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Businesses

Businesses by NAICS

Category	Number
Total Businesses	1,116
Agr/Forestry/Fish/Hunt Bus	3
Mining Bus	0
Utilities Bus	5
Construction Bus	43
Manufacturing Bus	46
Wholesale Trade Bus	20

Retail Trade Bus	176
Motor Veh/Parts Dealers Bus	31
Furn & Home Furnish Str Bus	15
Electronics & Appl Store Bus	4
Bldg Matl/Garden Equip Bus	14
Food & Beverage Stores Bus	27
Health/Pers Care Stores Bus	17
Gasoline Stations Bus	11
Clothing/Accessory Store Bus	12
Sports/Hobby/Book/Music Bus	32
General Merchandise Str Bus	13

Transportation/Warehouse Bus	20
Information Bus	22

Finance & Insurance Bus	70
Cntrl Bank/Crdt Intrmdtn Bus	31
Sec/Cmdty Cntrct/Oth Inv Bus	16
Insur/Funds/Trusts/Other Bus	23

Real Estate/Rent/Leasing Bus	71
Prof/Scientific/Tech Srv Bus	58
Legal Services Bus	14
Mgmt of Comp/Enterprises Bus	1
Admin/Support/Waste Mgmt Bus	26
Educational Services Bus	21
HealthCare/Social Assist Bus	139
Arts/Entertainment/Rec Bus	20

Accommodation/Food Srvcs Bus	88
Accommodation Bus	7
Food Srv/Drinking Places Bus	81

Other Srv excl Pub Admin Bus	169
Auto Repair/Maintenance Bus	33
Public Administration Bus	73