McDowell County Demographics

A map of McDowell County's Population by Race

McDowell County, North Carolina had a population of 44,578 in 2020. It was 84.8% White, 3.8% Black, 0.9% Asian, 6.6% Hispanic, 0.6% Native American/Other, and 3.3% Multiracial. This map presents the population of McDowell County, with one dot drawn for each person counted in the 2020 Census, color-coded by race.

McDowell County is the 56th most populous county of the 100 counties in North Carolina.

McDowell County's White Population

37,788 residents of McDowell County identify as White, or 84.8%. This makes the White share of the population of McDowell County considerably larger than the White share of the population of North Carolina (60.5% White). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, McDowell County is ranked #18 in terms of White residents as a share of the population.

McDowell County is more White than neighboring Rutherford County (80.7% White), and Burke County (78.4% White). McDowell County is less White than neighboring Yancey County (90% White), Mitchell County (90.7% White), and Avery County (87.3% White).

McDowell County's Black Population

1,707 residents of McDowell County identify as Black, or 3.8%. This makes the Black share of the population of McDowell County less than the Black share of the population of North Carolina (20.2% Black). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, McDowell County is ranked #80 in terms of Black residents as a share of the population.

McDowell County is more Black than neighboring Yancey County (0.6% Black), Mitchell County (0.3% Black), and Avery County (3.6% Black). McDowell County is less Black than neighboring Rutherford County (9.1% Black), and Burke County (5.4% Black).

McDowell County's Asian Population

388 residents of McDowell County identify as Asian, or 0.9%. This makes the Asian share of the population of McDowell County roughly similar to the Asian share of the population of North Carolina (3.3% Asian). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, McDowell County is ranked #43 in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population.

McDowell County is more Asian than neighboring Rutherford County (0.5% Asian), Yancey County (0.2% Asian), Mitchell County (0.3% Asian), and Avery County (0.3% Asian). McDowell County is less Asian than neighboring Burke County (3.6% Asian).

McDowell County's Hispanic Population

2,947 residents of McDowell County identify as Hispanic, or 6.6%. This makes the Hispanic share of the population of McDowell County roughly similar to the Hispanic share of the population of North Carolina (10.7% Hispanic). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, McDowell County is ranked #59 in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population.

McDowell County is more Hispanic than neighboring Rutherford County (5.1% Hispanic), Yancey County (5.5% Hispanic), Mitchell County (4.7% Hispanic), and Avery County (5.5% Hispanic). McDowell County is less Hispanic than neighboring Burke County (8.2% Hispanic).

McDowell County's Native American/Other Population

265 residents of McDowell County identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other, or 0.6%. This makes the Native American/Other share of the population of McDowell County roughly similar to the Native American/Other share of the population of North Carolina (1.5% Native American/Other). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, McDowell County is ranked #71 in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population.

McDowell County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Yancey County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Mitchell County (0.4% Native American/Other).

McDowell County's Multiracial Population

1,483 residents of McDowell County identify as Multiracial, or 3.3%. This makes the Multiracial share of the population of McDowell County roughly similar to the Multiracial share of the population of North Carolina (3.9% Multiracial). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, McDowell County is ranked #66 in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population.

McDowell County is more Multiracial than neighboring Yancey County (3.2% Multiracial), and Avery County (2.6% Multiracial). McDowell County is less Multiracial than neighboring Rutherford County (4% Multiracial), Mitchell County (3.5% Multiracial), and Burke County (3.7% Multiracial).

Source: 2020 Census State Redistricting Data and Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.