The Town Files

Wayne County, North Carolina

118,652 people. The median home is worth $178,700 (typical North Carolina town: $228,900) and the median household earns $59,733.

Towns in Wayne County

Towns in Wayne County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Goldsboro33,657$200,400$48,54036.8
Mount Olive4,198$153,500$48,70042.9
Elroy3,755$133,100$63,23845.0
Mar-Mac3,184$149,200$53,81939.0
Brogden2,510$96,400$42,07430.5

People and housing

Wayne CountyTypical North Carolina town
Median home value$178,700$228,900
Median rent$965$969
Median household income$59,733$60,458
Median age37.341.1
Bachelor's degree or higher21.7%24.5%
Below the poverty line17.3%14.3%

Jobs and pay

41,880 jobs in 2024, average pay $49,087 a year.

Largest industries in Wayne CountyRetail6,269 jobs · $33,072Manufacturing5,722 jobs · $59,512Health care & social assistan…5,499 jobs · $51,369Hotels & restaurants4,335 jobs · $19,539Construction2,234 jobs · $69,631Administrative & support1,320 jobs · $37,520
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Wayne County0%2%4%6%8%10%2000200420082012201620202023 3.7%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 492 storm events in Wayne County from 1996 to 2026, with 12 deaths.

Storm events in Wayne County by type since 1996Hail96Tornado12High Wind9Lightning11Heavy Rain11Flash Flood53Strong Wind8Winter Storm24Excessive Heat5Winter Weather14
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Wayne County has been included in 28 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
January 24, 2026Winter StormEM-3637: Severe Winter Storm
September 26, 2024Tropical StormEM-3617: Hurricane Helene
August 6, 2024Tropical StormEM-3608: Tropical Storm Debby
October 1, 2022HurricaneEM-3586: Hurricane Ian
August 2, 2020HurricaneEM-3534: Hurricane Isaias
May 8, 2020Severe StormDR-4543: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).