Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety35#600/924
Economy88#114/925
Housing14#792/925
Health75#232/925
Healthcare67#309/923
Environment78#198/917
Education90#96/925
Infrastructure86#131/925
Community75#233/925
Leisure & amenities93#62/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Wilmington, NC metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

New homes permitted · high16.9 /1k
99/100North Carolina 8.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Voter turnout · high79.6%
98/100North Carolina 72.9%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionAggregated from counties
Flu vaccinations · high53.6%
95/100North Carolina 48.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Job growth · high2.6%
94/100North Carolina 0.8%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Distance to an airport · low13 mi
94/100North Carolina 30 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Mammography screening · high57.0%
93/100North Carolina 50.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
6/100North Carolina 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Distance to an emergency room · high14.9 mi
8/100North Carolina 7.9 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
Rent as share of income · high32.6%
12/100North Carolina 29.5%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Cost of buying a home today · high41.1%
14/100North Carolina 33.1%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research
Home price to income ratio · high4.7×
15/100North Carolina 4.0×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Rent-burdened households · high54.0%
15/100North Carolina 48.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
425,198 (2020) → 492,772 (2025)
+16%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureWorsening
23% (2021) → 73% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+50 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
29.4% (Dec 2021) → 41.1% (Aug 2026)
+12 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
39.0 /100k (2021) → 21.1 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−46%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
84.3% (2015-2019) → 92.7% (2020-2024)
+8.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New business applicationsImproving
12.0 /1k (2020) → 16.7 /1k (2025)
+39%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Wilmington, NC metro area improved on 14 of 29 measures with a comparison and declined on 6. 5 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved14

Poverty−4.7 points15.6% → 10.9%
Inequality−0.0250.486 → 0.462
Household income+38%$55,265 → $76,471
Gyms+37%1.2 /10k → 1.7 /10k
Child poverty−6.1 points19.8% → 13.7%

Declined6

Libraries−16%0.3 /10k → 0.2 /10k
Commute+1.4 min22.2 min → 23.5 min
Firearm deaths+12%15.3 /100k → 17.1 /100k
Grocery stores−6.3%1.9 /10k → 1.8 /10k
Price / income+0.5×4.2× → 4.7×

All 29 measures

Change of every measure of Wilmington, NC metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	5.9 /10k2020	6.6 /10k2025	+13%	Improved	60%
Average commute time	22.2 min2015-2019	23.5 min2020-2024	+1.4 min	Declined	23%
Bachelor's degree or higher	37.9%2015-2019	39.4%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Improved	23%
Broadband subscriptions	84.3%2015-2019	92.7%2020-2024	+8.4 points	Improved	45%
Child poverty rate	19.8%2015-2019	13.7%2020-2024	−6.1 points	Improved	84%
Distance to an airport	13 mi2020	13 mi2025	+1 mi	Little change	4%
Drug overdose deaths	35.1 /100k2020	21.1 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−40%	Improved	70%
Effective property tax rate	0.74%2015-2019	0.54%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	74%
Firearm deaths	15.3 /100k2020	17.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+12%	Declined	33%
Grocery stores	1.9 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	−6.3%	Declined	31%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.2 /10k2020	1.7 /10k2025	+37%	Improved	84%
High school diploma or higher	92.1%2015-2019	93.4%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Home price to income ratio	4.2×2015-2019	4.7×2020-2024	+0.5×	Declined	42%
Income adjusted for local prices	$52,3882019	$68,3242024	+30%	Improved	39%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4862015-2019	0.4622020-2024	−0.025	Improved	92%
Median household income	$55,2652015-2019	$76,4712020-2024	+38%	Improved	93%
New business applications	12.0 /1k2020	16.7 /1k2025	+39%	Improved	40%
Pharmacies	1.9 /10k2020	1.7 /10k2025	−11%	Declined	45%
Poverty rate	15.6%2015-2019	10.9%2020-2024	−4.7 points	Improved	96%
Property crime rate	1,713 /100k2020	1,515 /100k2025	−12%	Improved	13%
Public libraries	0.3 /10k2019	0.2 /10k2024	−16%	Declined	6%
Public transit commuters	0.5%2015-2019	0.3%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	31.6%2015-2019	32.6%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Rent-burdened households	53.0%2015-2019	54.0%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Restaurants and bars	13.2 /10k2020	12.6 /10k2025	−4.5%	Little change	28%
Suicide rate	16.7 /100k2020	16.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+0.7%	Little change	59%
Traffic deaths	14.7 /100k2015-2019	12.3 /100k2020-2024	−16%	Improved	85%
Unemployment rate	7.5%2020	3.8%2025	−3.7 points	Improved	72%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.9%2015-2019	11.5%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	56%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 675 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Wilmington, NC metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Wilmington, NC metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Wilmington, NC metro area itself moved +4.7 points in standing on average over the same 28 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

453,347 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

199,271 households (±1,527)

Wilmington, NC metro area
United States share

Under $25k14%28,104
$25k–50k17%34,425
$50k–75k18%35,427

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

199,271 households (±1,527)

Wilmington, NC metro area
United States share

Own72%143,771
Rent28%55,500

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+9.8 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

212,901 workers (±2,397)

Wilmington, NC metro area
United States share

Drive alone72%154,064
Carpool7.4%15,673
Public transit0.3%†683

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Wilmington, NC employ 43,140 people. 10 pay a median below the US median.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Wilmington, NC by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Retail Salespersons6,310 jobs	6,310	$30,790US $35,410	−13%	1.32×
Fast Food and Counter Workers5,100 jobs	5,100	$27,460US $31,200	−12%	1.08×
Registered Nurses5,040 jobs	5,040	$80,970US $97,550	−17%	1.21×
Waiters and Waitresses4,920 jobs	4,920	$30,610US $35,230	−13%	1.76×
Cashiers4,860 jobs	4,860	$28,520US $32,880	−13%	1.28×
Cooks, Fast Food3,880 jobs	3,880	$27,500US $30,890	−11%	4.92×
Cooks, Restaurant3,440 jobs	3,440	$34,940US $37,390	−7%	1.98×
Stockers and Order Fillers3,430 jobs	3,430	$35,300US $37,330	−5%	0.98×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand3,310 jobs	3,310	$37,160US $40,240	−8%	0.91×
Customer Service Representatives2,850 jobs	2,850	$38,100US $44,770	−15%	0.89×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Wilmington, NC.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Wilmington, NC has 13,302 employer establishments, 284 for every 10,000 residents (1.15× the US rate of 248), with 166,626 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,494. The Census Bureau also counts 48,161 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 13,302; 48,161 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 284; US 248
Paid employees: 166,626
Average annual pay: $54,494; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Wilmington, NC by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	1,114	23.8	1.30×More than typical	22,406	$22,614	161
Ambulatory health care services	1,025	21.9	1.05×About typical	12,263	$74,528	2,141
Specialty trade contractors	985	21.1	1.36×More than typical	7,591	$57,192	3,540
Lessors of real estate	967	20.7	1.68×More than typical	3,374	$52,565	6,747
Construction of buildings	640	13.7	1.81×More than typical	3,165	$71,588	1,734
Full-service restaurants	521	11.1	1.45×More than typical	12,364	$25,647	62
Real estate agents and brokers	519	11.1	2.28×More than typical	1,080	$50,516	2,277
Services to buildings and dwellings	486	10.4	1.54×More than typical	3,729	$40,528	3,623
Building equipment contractors	463	9.9	1.65×More than typical	3,965	$55,445	564
Limited-service restaurants	407	8.7	1.09×About typical	7,921	$19,061	58
Management, scientific and technical consulting	374	8	1.19×About typical	1,867	$64,315	2,034
Offices of other health practitioners	374	8	1.32×More than typical	1,867	$47,803	1,207

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 467,617 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $129.5M on contracts performed in Wilmington, NC metro area: $263 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $129.5M; −61% vs FY2025
Per resident: $263; US $1,994
Sole-source: 14%; US 30%
Single offer: 18%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

National Institutes of Health$59M46%
Department of the Navy$17.4M13%
Department of the Army$15M12%
Defense Logistics Agency$13.8M11%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources$8.2M6.3%
Department of Veterans Affairs$6.1M4.7%
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention$4.7M3.6%
Federal Aviation Administration$2.6M2.0%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

150.8MFY2017
213.3MFY2018
187.6MFY2019
314.2MFY2020
552.7MFY2021
488.1MFY2022
246.2MFY2023
346.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Scientific research and development services · 5417$50.5M39%
Deep sea, coastal, and Great Lakes water transportation · 4831$14.5M11%
Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$9.9M7.7%
Other information services · 5191$9.4M7.3%
Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers · 5111$8.5M6.6%
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing · 3241

Largest awards

ADVANCED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES FOR NOVEL IMMUNOGENICITY ASSAYS AND SAMPLE COLLECTION TECHNOLOGIES AS PART OF BARDA?S CONTINUING SUPPORT FOR COVID-19 VACCINE DEVELOPMENT, ASSESSING IMPACT OF VARIANTS ON VACCINE IMMUNOGENICITY, AND ANALYZ$126.5M
PPD DEVELOPMENT LP· New Hanover County, NC· Research & development· Sep 29, 2023 – Aug 18, 2026· 75A50123C00045
BARDA WILL IMPLEMENT A RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED, MULTICENTER PHASE 2 TRIAL IN THE US TO EVALUATE THE SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF NOVEL HOST-DIRECTED THERAPEUTIC CANDIDATES IN HOSPITALIZED ADULTS WITH ARDS.$117.4M
PPD DEVELOPMENT LP· New Hanover County, NC· Research & development· Dec 15, 2023 – Nov 12, 2025· 75A50124C00001
NIAID CLINICAL SITE MONITORING (NCSM)$73.2M
PPD DEVELOPMENT LP· New Hanover County, NC· Research & development· Jan 24, 2024 – Jan 28, 2026

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $4.3B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Wilmington, NC metro area: $8,710 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $4.3B; +0% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8,710; US $12,955
Loan face value: $423.5M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$2.9B67%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$499.5M12%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$248.5M5.8%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$175.3M4.1%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$57.5M1.3%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$53.9M1.3%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$48M1.1%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$46.2M1.1%

Top recipients (organizations)

TRANSPORTATION NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT$67.6M1.6%
RALEIGH, NC
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT WILMINGTON$32.5M0.8%
WILMINGTON, NC
GLOBAL LASER ENRICHMENT LLC$28.4M0.7%
WILMINGTON, NC
WILMINGTON HOUSING AUTHORITY$26.1M0.6%
WILMINGTON, NC
CAPE FEAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$3.4B79%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$567.2M13%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$90.8M2.1%
Department of Health and Human Services
Federal Highway Administration$67.6M1.6%
Department of Transportation
Department of Education

Assistance by fiscal year

3.1BFY2021
3.2BFY2022
3.5BFY2023
3.8BFY2024
4.3BFY2025
4.3BFY2026

County aggregates

94%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Wilmington, NC

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

WilmingtonPrincipal city120,805

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in North Carolina

Areas based in North Carolina, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M48900

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved14

Declined6

Metro and micro areas like Wilmington, NC metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Wilmington, NC

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in North Carolina

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved14

Declined6

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought