Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Wayne County, NC

Welcome to Wayne County.

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Wayne County has a population of 117.5 thousand and a total area (land and water combined) of 557.7 square miles.

Total GDP for the county increased 24%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $6 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Wayne County voted for Republican candidates six out of six times and never voted for a Democratic candidate.

Wayne County comprises Goldsboro, NC metropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is Goldsboro.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: Duplin County, Greene County, Johnston County, Lenoir County, Sampson County, and Wilson County.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
38.38%61.26%++
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
37.65%62.14%++
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
45.45%54.03%+
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
45.4%53.83%+
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
42.95%54.33%+
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
43.6%55.3%+
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

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Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%24%
Government
Enterprises
23%13%
Private Industries77%27%
Agriculture3%44%
Mining<1%28%
Utilities7%34%
Construction3%47%
Manufacturing15%18%
– Durable4%21%
– Nondurable10%16%
Trade13%33%
– Wholesale6%20%
– Retail7%45%
Transportation2%80%
Information<1%-34%
Finance & Insurance4%25%
Real Estate11%21%
Professional &
Business Services
4%46%
Educational Services1%3%
Healthcare &
Social Services
7%6%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
<1%13%
Accommodation &
Food Services
2%33%
Other Services22%23%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total.
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

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Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers2880
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
2371
📺 Electronics & Appliance1063
🛒 Grocery Stores5485
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores540
⚕️ Health & Personal Care3075
⛽ Gasoline Stations5483
👕 Clothing Stores2569
👠 Shoe Stores1162
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry644
🏸 Sporting Goods959
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers441
🏬 Department Stores4187
💐 Florists329
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops541
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies
🍺 Bars & Taverns955
🍽️ Full-service restaurants7580
🍔 Limited-service restaurants9981
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers1758
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation1769
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

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Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%124%$366,500 N/A
Top 20%53%$201,500 $211,900
Next highest 20%23%$87,800 $111,700
Middle 20%14%$51,100 $66,800
Second lowest 20%8%$28,700 $39,600
Bottom 20%2%Below $10,000$18,500
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries73%$68,600
Self-Employment14%$29,600
Investment Income123%$23,300
Social Security31%$23,600
Supplemental Security2%$11,500
Public Assistance1%Below $10,000
Retirement22%$29,300
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
1%5%6%8%
$25K
– $49K
2%8%8%8%
$50K
– $99K
2%11%11%8%
$100K
– $199K
<1%6%7%4%
$200K
& more
<1%1%2%1%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$24,800 $17,600
African-American$20,500
Hispanic$22,600
Asian$17,800
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$26,000 $21,000
Highschool & GED$29,200 $24,500
Some College to
Associate’s
$40,600 $28,400
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$52,100 $37,900
Graduate Degree$82,300 $49,900
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$62,300 $41,400
STEM2$55,300 $38,800
Gray-Collar3$52,600 Below $10,000
Pink-Collar4Below $10,000$13,600
Sales5$21,800 $14,500
Blue-Collar6$20,800 $15,900
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

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Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding
Cold Waves
Drought+++$
Earthquake+$
Hail++$
Heat Waves+++$
Hurricane+++$$
Ice Storm+$
Landslide+
Lightning++$
Riverine Flooding+++$$
Strong Wind+++$
Tornado++$
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires+
Winter Weather++$
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

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ZIP Codes in Wayne County