Census ACS 5-Year · 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.
10
North Carolina wins
2
South Carolina wins
| Metric | North Carolina | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 10,584,340 | 5,212,774 |
| Median Age | 39.1 | 40.1 |
| Median Household Income | $69,904 | $66,818 |
| Per Capita Income | $39,616 | $37,993 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.4% | 10.1% |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| Median Home Value | $259,400 | $236,700 |
| Median Rent | $1,162 | $1,126 |
| Homeownership Rate | 66.4% | 71.4% |
| Bachelor's Degree+ | 34.7% | 31.5% |
| High School+ | 89.7% | 89.6% |
| Work From Home | 14.5% | 10.0% |
| Avg Commute (min) | 25.1 | 25.6 |
| White | 63.3% | 64.1% |
| Hispanic | 2.3% | 1.3% |
| Black | 20.6% | 25.3% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Foreign Born | 35.7% | 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) 5-Year estimates by the US Census Bureau.
Comparison based on American Community Survey 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.
The side-by-side above pulls the the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files data for both entity A and entity B. What follows is the interpretation — which specific axes carry the most weight for entity A versus entity B, and which differences are large enough to influence a real decision.
Practical use of the comparison: read the data above, then drill into the individual entity A and entity B detail pages for the underlying breakdown. A pairwise comparison answers the relative question; the per-entity pages answer the absolute question.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2026.