Sanford, North Carolina Population 2024

32,189

Sanford is a city located in Lee County North Carolina. Sanford has a 2024 population of 32,189. It is also the county seat of Lee County. Sanford is currently growing at a rate of 1.52% annually and its population has increased by 6.38% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 30,259 in 2020.

The average household income in Sanford is $71,527 with a poverty rate of 21.51%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Sanford is 34.6 years, 32.6 years for males, and 36.5 years for females.

Sanford Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Sanford was:

  • White: 55.38%
  • Black or African American: 26.01%
  • Two or more races: 10.76%
  • Other race: 5.96%
  • Asian: 1.62%
  • Native American: 0.27%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0%
Land Area (mi²)
29.1 sq mi
Density (mi²)
1,107.60/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
6.38% (1,930)
The current population of Sanford, North Carolina is 32,189 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 30,259.

Sanford, North Carolina Population 2024

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White16,82155.38%
Black or African American7,90126.01%
Two or more races3,26810.76%
Other race1,8115.96%
Asian4911.62%
Native American810.27%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander00%

White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Other race

Asian

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Sanford Population by Race

Sanford Population Pyramid 2024

Sanford Median Age

34.6

Total

32.6

Male

36.5

Female

Sanford Adults

There are 22,056 adults, (4,218 of whom are seniors) in Sanford.

Sanford Age Dependency

70.3

Age Dependency Ratio

23.6

Old Age Dependency Ratio

46.6

Child Dependency Ratio

Sanford Sex Ratio

Female15,44250.84%
Male14,93149.16%

Sanford Population by Age

Sanford Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All10,8632.7251.148.9
Married4,4353.3469.930.1
Non Family3,5801.2439.660.4
Female2,2233.5928.771.3
Male6253.7664.335.7

3.28

Average Family Size

2.72

Average Household Size

51.1%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Sanford Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Sanford Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Sanford Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 92.4%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 32.02%.

Sanford Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$38,078

Average Earnings

$41,711

Average Male

$33,025

Average Female

Sanford Earnings by Educational Attainment

Sanford Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Sanford Language

71.42% of Sanford residents speak only English, while 28.58% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 26.3% of the population.

Sanford Language

Sanford Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Black7,5842,38131.4%
Hispanic8,9572,05822.98%
White11,8691,79015.08%
Other1,81159532.85%
Multiple3,25853016.27%
Native8133.7%

21.51%

Overall Poverty Rate

19.27%

Male Poverty Rate

23.62%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Sanford

The race most likely to be in poverty in Sanford is Other, with 32.85% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Sanford is Native, with 3.7% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 5.87%. Among those working part-time, it was 25.13%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 32.92%.

Sanford Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade27.15%
High School21.34%
Some College16.14%
Bachelors or Greater3.12%

Sanford Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed56.65%
Male Unemployed33.56%
Female Employed13.55%
Male Employed8.31%

Sanford Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Sanford Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Sanford Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

42.9%

Overall Marriage Rate

46.5%

Male Marriage Rate

39.6%

Female Marriage Rate

Sanford Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Sanford Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is 45-54, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.

Sanford Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Sanford Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

1,437

Number of Veterans

1,250

Male Veterans

187

Female Veterans

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Sanford Veterans by War

count

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Sanford Veterans by Age

count

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Sanford Veterans by Race

Sanford Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

5.01%

Veteran Poverty Rate

31.19%

Veteran Disability Rate

Sanford Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

63.2%

Labor Force Participation

59.4%

Employment Rate

5.7%

Unemployment Rate

Sanford Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Sanford Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Sanford Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

59.89%

Born in Sanford

85.73%

Native Born

14.27%

Foreign Born

11.66%

Non Citizen

2.61%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

85.73% of Sanford residents were born in the United States, with 59.89% having been born in North Carolina. 11.66% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Sanford Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change

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Year
Population
Growth
Growth Rate
202934,6014821.41%
202834,1194831.44%
202733,6364821.45%
202633,1544831.48%
202532,6714821.5%
202432,1894831.52%
202331,7064821.54%
202231,2246051.98%
202130,6193601.19%
202030,2591850.62%
201930,0742380.8%
201829,8364271.45%
201729,4093171.09%
201629,0921550.54%
201528,937-42-0.14%
201428,979-197-0.68%
201329,1762410.83%
201228,9353241.13%
201128,6113781.34%
201028,23300%
200023,2208,74560.41%
199014,475-298-2.02%
198014,7733,05726.09%
197011,716-537-4.38%
196012,2532,24022.37%
195010,0135,053101.87%
19404,96070716.62%
19304,2531,27642.86%
19202,9772,577644.25%
1900400-34,201-98.84%
showing: 30 rows

Sanford Population by Year