The Town Files

Lincoln County, North Carolina

92,716 people. The median home is worth $321,000 (typical North Carolina town: $228,900) and the median household earns $80,016.

Towns in Lincoln County

Towns in Lincoln County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Lincolnton11,091$248,700$46,32037.1
Westport5,705$580,000$131,90844.0
Lowesville3,281$406,500$113,51043.2
Denver2,697$296,300$65,72138.9

People and housing

Lincoln CountyTypical North Carolina town
Median home value$321,000$228,900
Median rent$1,015$969
Median household income$80,016$60,458
Median age44.441.1
Bachelor's degree or higher28.3%24.5%
Below the poverty line11.2%14.3%

Jobs and pay

28,110 jobs in 2024, average pay $55,677 a year.

Largest industries in Lincoln CountyManufacturing4,995 jobs · $65,257Retail3,650 jobs · $31,880Hotels & restaurants2,667 jobs · $21,484Construction2,199 jobs · $68,644Health care & social assistan…1,639 jobs · $54,490Administrative & support1,612 jobs · $52,964
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Lincoln County0%4%8%12%16%2000200420082012201620202023 3%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 475 storm events in Lincoln County from 1996 to 2026, with 2 deaths.

Storm events in Lincoln County by type since 1996Hail105Flood10Drought37Tornado18High Wind10Ice Storm8Lightning12Heavy Snow17Flash Flood21Winter Storm10
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Lincoln County has been included in 21 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
January 24, 2026Winter StormEM-3637: Severe Winter Storm
September 28, 2024Tropical StormDR-4827: Tropical Storm Helene
September 26, 2024Tropical StormEM-3617: Hurricane Helene
October 1, 2022HurricaneEM-3586: Hurricane Ian
August 2, 2020HurricaneEM-3534: Hurricane Isaias
March 25, 2020BiologicalDR-4487: Covid-19 Pandemic
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).