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Population Review

Census ACS 2023 · 18 metrics compared

North Carolina vs South Carolina

North Carolina and South Carolina compared across 18 demographic and economic metrics. North Carolina leads in 10 of the comparable categories.

MetricNorth CarolinaSouth Carolina
Population10,584,3405,212,774
Median Age39.140.1
Median Household Income$69,904$66,818
Per Capita Income$39,616$37,993
Poverty Rate9.4%10.1%
Unemployment Rate3.0%3.0%
Median Home Value$259,400$236,700
Median Rent$1,162$1,126
Homeownership Rate66.4%71.4%
Bachelor's Degree+34.7%31.5%
High School+89.7%89.6%
Work From Home14.5%10.0%
Avg Commute (min)25.125.6
White63.3%64.1%
Hispanic2.3%1.3%
Black20.6%25.3%
Asian0.0%0.0%
Foreign Born35.7%39.7%

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Frequently Asked Questions

North Carolina has a population of 10,584,340 compared to South Carolina's 5,212,774.

Across the metrics compared, North Carolina leads in 10 categories while South Carolina leads in 2. However, "better" depends on what matters most to you — income, cost of living, education, climate, and personal preferences all play a role.

All data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 5-Year estimates by the US Census Bureau.

Comparison based on American Community Survey 2023 5-Year estimates. Green highlighting indicates the "better" value where applicable (higher income is better, lower poverty is better, etc.). Race and ethnicity metrics are not highlighted as there is no "better" value.