Wilkes County Demographics

A map of Wilkes County's Population by Race

Wilkes County, North Carolina had a population of 65,969 in 2020. It was 85.4% White, 3.9% Black, 0.5% Asian, 7.1% Hispanic, 0.3% Native American/Other, and 2.8% Multiracial. This map presents the population of Wilkes County, with one dot drawn for each person counted in the 2020 Census, color-coded by race.

Wilkes County is the 40th most populous county of the 100 counties in North Carolina.

Wilkes County's White Population

56,316 residents of Wilkes County identify as White, or 85.4%. This makes the White share of the population of Wilkes County considerably larger than the White share of the population of North Carolina (60.5% White). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Wilkes County is ranked #14 in terms of White residents as a share of the population.

Wilkes County is more White than neighboring Alexander County (84.8% White), Alleghany County (84.4% White), and Caldwell County (84.1% White). Wilkes County is less White than neighboring Ashe County (90.4% White), and Grayson County (87.4% White).

Wilkes County's Black Population

2,580 residents of Wilkes County identify as Black, or 3.9%. This makes the Black share of the population of Wilkes County less than the Black share of the population of North Carolina (20.2% Black). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Wilkes County is ranked #78 in terms of Black residents as a share of the population.

Wilkes County is more Black than neighboring Alleghany County (0.9% Black), and Ashe County (0.5% Black). Wilkes County is less Black than neighboring Alexander County (5.3% Black), Grayson County (5.8% Black), and Caldwell County (4.8% Black).

Wilkes County's Asian Population

324 residents of Wilkes County identify as Asian, or 0.5%. This makes the Asian share of the population of Wilkes County roughly similar to the Asian share of the population of North Carolina (3.3% Asian). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Wilkes County is ranked #68 in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population.

Wilkes County is more Asian than neighboring Alleghany County (0.1% Asian), Ashe County (0.4% Asian), and Grayson County (0.2% Asian). Wilkes County is less Asian than neighboring Alexander County (1.1% Asian), and Caldwell County (0.7% Asian).

Wilkes County's Hispanic Population

4,654 residents of Wilkes County identify as Hispanic, or 7.1%. This makes the Hispanic share of the population of Wilkes County roughly similar to the Hispanic share of the population of North Carolina (10.7% Hispanic). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Wilkes County is ranked #56 in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population.

Wilkes County is more Hispanic than neighboring Alexander County (5% Hispanic), Ashe County (5.7% Hispanic), Grayson County (3.9% Hispanic), and Caldwell County (6.1% Hispanic). Wilkes County is less Hispanic than neighboring Alleghany County (11.8% Hispanic).

Wilkes County's Native American/Other Population

222 residents of Wilkes County identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other, or 0.3%. This makes the Native American/Other share of the population of Wilkes 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, Wilkes County is ranked #100 in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population.

Wilkes County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Alexander County (0.5% Native American/Other), Alleghany County (0.4% Native American/Other), Ashe County (0.4% Native American/Other), Grayson County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Caldwell County (0.6% Native American/Other).

Wilkes County's Multiracial Population

1,873 residents of Wilkes County identify as Multiracial, or 2.8%. This makes the Multiracial share of the population of Wilkes County roughly similar to the Multiracial share of the population of North Carolina (3.9% Multiracial). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Wilkes County is ranked #83 in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population.

Wilkes County is more Multiracial than neighboring Alleghany County (2.3% Multiracial), Ashe County (2.6% Multiracial), and Grayson County (2.4% Multiracial). Wilkes County is less Multiracial than neighboring Alexander County (3.3% Multiracial), and Caldwell County (3.8% Multiracial).

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