Contents
Report Parameters
Economy Overview
Unemployment by Demographics
Historic & Projected Trends
Popula on Characteris cs
Inbound and Outbound Migra on Industry Characteris cs
Business Characteris cs
Workforce Characteris cs
Educa onal Pipeline
In-Demand Skills
37193Wilkes County, NC
QCEW Employees, Non-QCEW Employees, and Self-Employed
The informa on in this report pertains to the chosen geographical area.
64,96022,601$46.1K
Popula on (2023)Total Regional EmploymentMedian Household Income (2022)
Popula on decreased by 3,521 over the last 5 years and is projected to decrease by 4,326 over the next 5 years.
Jobs decreased by 2,578 over the last 5 years but are projected to grow by 386 over the next 5 years.
Median household income is $22.9K below the na onal median household income of $69.0K.
As of 2023 the region's popula on declined by 5.1% since 2018, falling by 3,521. Popula on is expected to decrease by 6.7% between 2023 and 2028, losing 4,326.
From 2018 to 2023, jobs declined by 10.2% in Wilkes County, NC from 25,179 to 22,601. This change fell short of the na onal growth rate of 3.9% by 14.1%. As the number of jobs declined, the labor force par cipa on rate decreased from 54.0% to 50.0% between 2018 and 2023
Concerning educa onal a ainment, 12.0% of Wilkes County, NC residents possess a Bachelor's Degree (9.1% below the na onal average), and 11.5% hold an Associate's Degree (2.7% above the na onal average).
The top three industries in 2023 are Animal Slaughtering and Processing, Restaurants and Other Ea ng Places, and Educa on and Hospitals (Local Government).
Popula on (2024)
Labor Force (Feb 2024) Jobs (2023) Cost of LivingGRPImportsExports
Region64,06326,07222,60194.5$2.56B$4.08B$3.19B State10,826,2675,244,1635,444,98695.2$726.93B$571.03B$675.29B
Concerning educa onal a ainment, 12.0% of Wilkes County, NC residents possess a Bachelor's Degree (9.1% below the na onal average), and 11.5% hold an Associate's Degree (2.7% above the na onal average).
As of 2023 the region's popula on declined by 5.1% since 2018, falling by 3,521. Popula on is expected to decrease by 6.7% between 2023 and 2028, losing 4,326.
From 2018 to 2023, jobs declined by 10.2% in Wilkes County, NC from 25,179 to 22,601. This change fell short of the na onal growth rate of 3.9% by 14.1%.
Wilkes County, NC had a
10,754 Millennials
Wilkes County, NC has 10,754 millennials (ages 25-39). The na onal average for an area this size is 13,376.
24,861
Re ring Soon
Re rement risk is high in Wilkes County, NC. The na onal average for an area this size is 19,714 people 55 or older, while there are 24,861 here.
9,223
Racial Diversity
Racial diversity is low in Wilkes County, NC. The na onal average for an area this size is 27,053 racially diverse people, while there are 9,223 here.
Wilkes County, NC has 3,983 veterans. The na onal average for an area this size is 3,441.
Wilkes County, NC has 2.46 violent crimes per 1,000 people. The na onal rate is 3.6 per 1,000 people.
Wilkes County, NC has 13.33 property crimes per 1,000 people. The na onal rate is 18.22 per 1,000 people.
Understanding where talent in Wilkes County, NC currently works compared to where talent lives can help you op mize site decisions. 28659 North Wilkesboro, NC (in Wilkes county)10,142 28697 Wilkesboro, NC (in Wilkes county) … 8,046 28651 Millers Creek, NC (in Wilkes county) 942
North Wilkesboro, NC (in Wilkes county)8,915
Millers Creek, NC (in Wilkes county) 2,598
28669 Roaring River, NC (in Wilkes county) … 622 28670 Ronda, NC (in Wilkes county) … 589
Hays, NC (in Wilkes county) … 1,574
Roaring River, NC (in Wilkes county) … 1,301
The table below analyzes past and current residents of Wilkes County, NC. The le column shows residents of other coun es migra ng to Wilkes County, NC. The right column shows residents migra ng from Wilkes County, NC to other coun es.
As of 2021, 199 people have migrated from Surry County, NC to Wilkes County, NC. In the same year, 195 people le Wilkes County, NC migra ng to Surry County, NC. The total Net Migra on for Wilkes County, NC in 2021 was 338
Surry County, NC Surry County, NC
Yadkin County, NC Yadkin County, NC
Iredell County, NC Iredell County, NC
Watauga County, NC
Caldwell County, NC Caldwell County, NC
Forsyth County, NC
Ashe County, NC Ashe County, NC
Mecklenburg County, NC Mecklenburg County, NC
Alexander County, NC Alexander County, NC
Guilford County, NC
Previous CountyWilkes County, NCFollowing County Surry
Surry County, NC Surry County, NC
Yadkin County, NC Yadkin County, NC
Forsyth County, NC Forsyth County, NC
Iredell County, NC Iredell County, NC
Ashe County, NC Ashe County, NC
Caldwell County, NC Caldwell County, NC
Catawba County, NC
Alexander County, NC Alexander County, NC
Johnston County, NC Johnston County, NC
York County, SC York County, SC
Top Previous Coun es Migra ons
Manufacturing
Government
Health Care and Social Assistance
Retail Trade
Accommoda on and Food Services
Other Services (except Public Administra on)
Construc on
Administra ve and Support and Waste Management and Remedia on Services
Wholesale Trade
Professional, Scien fic, and Technical Services
Transporta on and Warehousing
Finance and Insurance
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hun ng
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
Informa on
Arts, Entertainment, and Recrea on Management of Companies and Enterprises
Educa onal Services
U li es
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extrac on
Transporta on and Warehousing
Construc on
Professional, Scien fic, and Technical Services
Accommoda on and Food Services
Finance and Insurance
Industry Employment
Concentra on
Manufacturing
Retail Trade
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hun ng
Other Services (except Public Administra on)
Government
Health Care and Social Assistance
Wholesale Trade
Accommoda on and Food Services
Construc on
Administra ve and Support and Waste Management and Remedia on Services
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
Arts, Entertainment, and Recrea on
Informa on U li es
Transporta on and Warehousing
Management of Companies and Enterprises
Finance and Insurance
Professional, Scien fic, and Technical Services
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extrac on
Educa onal Services
Gross Regional Product
Manufacturing
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
Retail Trade
Health Care and Social Assistance
Government
Wholesale Trade
Construc on
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hun ng
Finance and Insurance
Transporta on and Warehousing
Accommoda on and Food Services
Professional, Scien fic, and Technical Services
Informa on
Other Services (except Public Administra on)
Administra ve and Support and Waste Management and Remedia on Services
Management of Companies and Enterprises
U li es
Arts, Entertainment, and Recrea on
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extrac on Educa onal Services
Earnings Per Worker
U li es
Management of Companies and Enterprises
Finance and Insurance
Wholesale Trade
Informa on
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
Transporta on and Warehousing
Professional, Scien fic, and Technical Services
Health Care and Social Assistance
Manufacturing
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extrac on Government
Construc on
Retail Trade
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hun ng
Administra ve and Support and Waste Management and Remedia on Services
Other Services (except Public Administra on)
Educa onal Services
Accommoda on and Food Services
Arts, Entertainment, and Recrea on
Online profiles for your workers men on 4,173 companies as employers, with the top 10 appearing below. In the last 12 months, 439 companies in Wilkes County, NC posted job pos ngs, with the top 10 appearing below.
*Business Data by DatabaseUSA.com is third-party data provided by Lightcast to its customers as a convenience, and Lightcast does not endorse or warrant its accuracy or consistency with other published Lightcast data. In most cases, the Business Count will not match total companies with profiles on the summary tab.
Occupa on Jobs Na onal Average
Produc on
Transporta on and Material Moving
Sales and Related
Office and Administra ve Support
Food Prepara on and Serving Related
Educa onal Instruc on and Library Management
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
Healthcare Prac oners and Technical
Healthcare Support
Installa on, Maintenance, and Repair
Construc on and Extrac on
Business and Financial Opera ons
Personal Care and Service
Community and Social Service
Protec ve Service
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Computer and Mathema cal
Architecture and Engineering
Life, Physical, and Social Science
Legal
Military-only
Educa onal Instruc on and Library
Healthcare Support
Healthcare Prac oners and Technical Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Occupa on Jobs Growth
Occupa on Employment Concentra on
Produc on
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
Community and Social Service
Transporta on and Material Moving
Sales and Related
Educa onal Instruc on and Library
Installa on, Maintenance, and Repair
Food Prepara on and Serving Related
Healthcare Support
Personal Care and Service
Protec ve Service
Construc on and Extrac on
Healthcare Prac oners and Technical
Office and Administra ve Support
Management
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Life, Physical, and Social Science
Military-only
Business and Financial Opera ons
Legal
Architecture and Engineering
Computer and Mathema cal
Management
Computer and Mathema cal
Healthcare Prac oners and Technical
Architecture and Engineering
Business and Financial Opera ons
Life, Physical, and Social Science
Legal
Community and Social Service
Installa on, Maintenance, and Repair
Educa onal Instruc on and Library
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Protec ve Service
Construc on and Extrac on
Office and Administra ve Support
Transporta on and Material Moving
Produc on
Military-only
Sales and Related
Healthcare Support
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
Personal Care and Service
Food Prepara on and Serving Related
Healthcare Prac oners and Technical
Sales and Related
Healthcare Support
Transporta on and Material Moving Management
Educa onal Instruc on and Library
Office and Administra ve Support
Installa on, Maintenance, and Repair
Community and Social Service
Food Prepara on and Serving Related
Produc on
Business and Financial Opera ons
Construc on and Extrac on
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Building and Grounds
Cleaning and Maintenance
Life, Physical, and Social Science
Computer and Mathema cal
Protec ve Service
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
Architecture and Engineering
Personal Care and Service
Jobs Requiring Ed. Level Popula on at Ed. Level
No Formal Educa on Required
High School Diploma or Equivalent
Some College, Non-Degree Award
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Graduate Degree and Higher
In 2022, there were 1,085 graduates in Wilkes County, NC. This pipeline has shrunk by 10% over the last 4 years. The highest share of these graduates come from "Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies" (Associate's), "Automobile/Automo ve Mechanics Technology/Technician" (Cer ficate), and "Animal/Livestock Husbandry and Produc on" (Cer ficate).
School Total Graduates (2022)
Wilkes Community College1,085
Cer ficate Associate's Bachelor's
Graduate Trend (20192022)
Master's or Higher
Top Specialized Skills Na onal Average
Nursing
Merchandising
Home Health Care
Inventory Management
Data Collec on
Housekeeping
Cash Register
Scien fic Methods
Selling Techniques
Restaurant Opera on