Alamance County
Community Profile
Alamance County Planning Department
March 2014
Population
In 2012, Alamance County’s total estimated population was 151,170. The majority of the population,
98,752 is within the county’s ten municipalities.
Thirty-five percent, or 52,418 people, live in the
county’s unincorporated areas.
Alamance County 2012 Population: 151,170
Unincorporated
Municipalities
Areas
Percent of Population by Race
County Total
White: 69.9% Black: 18.0% Other: 4.3%
Population Age Trends
Median Age: 38.5
21 years and over: 71.4%
62 years and over: 17.8%
White and non Hispanic or Latino residents make
up the largest percentage of the population, with
the unincorporated areas being less diverse than
municipalities.
Percent of Population by Ethnicity
County
Unincorporated
Municipalities
Total
Areas
Hispanic or
11.0%
12.3%
8.7%
Not Hispanic
or Latino
89.0%
87.7%
91.3%
Age
% 2012
0-14 years
19.4%
15-24 years
14.5%
25-44 years
25.0%
45-59 years
21.1%
60-74 years
12.9%
75 years and over
7.1%
Trend 2009-2012
Almost half (46.1%) of the population is between 25
and 59 years old. The young to middle-aged population has declined over the past four years, with
the exception of the 15-24 year old age bracket,
which likely represents the continued growth of
Elon University. The Baby Boomer population (4866) has seen a steady increase over the past four
years.
All data from American Community Survey 5-year datasets. Date shown is from the end of the range, e.g.”2012” is from 2008-2012 dataset.
2014 Community Profile | 1
Land Area & Density
Alamance County has a total land area of approximately 435 square miles, of which 10.8 square miles is water.
Three lakes—Lake Cammack, Lake Mackintosh, and Graham-Mebane Lake—serve as water reservoirs for
county residents. To protect these water resources, six watersheds encompassing approximately 108 square
miles limit the scale and type of development in these areas. The Haw River is the largest river, but there are
also numerous creeks, streams, and ponds throughout the county.
The municipalities cover an area of 52 square miles and their extraterritorial jurisdictions, where the municipalities’ zoning authority extends to, cover another 48 square miles. Approximately 334 square miles are located within the county’s planning jurisdiction.1
Population Density
Land Use
The population density in Alamance County as a
whole is 355 persons per square mile. Faucette
Township is the least dense at 87 persons per
square mile, and Burlington Township is the most
dense at 1,587 persons per square mile.
A large portion of land in unincorporated Alamance
County is used for agricultural purposes. Over 2,100
parcels in the unincorporated areas of the county
are classified as farms, equaling approximately 155
square miles. Another 61 square miles are classified
as vacant.2
1
Land area calculations from GIS and the 2012 U.S. Gazetteer.
2
Land use classifications from the Alamance County Tax Department
2014 Community Profile | 2
Housing
Alamance County has over
2012 Total Housing Units: 66,694
2.44 people
66,000 housing units, almost
44,917 units in Municipalities; 10.1% Vacant
half of which (47.7%) are
21,777 units in Unincorporated Areas; 8.5% Vacant
more than thirty years old.
The proportion of new homes built in the unincorporated areas has grown steadily over the past several decades, reflecting increased development in rural areas.
Over a third of the housing stock in unincorporated areas is mobile homes, and
Average Household Size
conversely 28.5% of housing in the municipalities is duplexes, apartments, and
other attached units. While the majority (60%) of residents moved in the last twelve years, one-fifth of Alamance County residents have not moved in over twenty years. Housing costs are particularly high for renters;
over half of renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs, as compared to more than a quarter of homeowners.
Housing Tenure
Housing Type
Housing Costs1,2
Housing Units Year Built
$51,700 Area Median Income
$136,000 Median House Value
$702 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
$13.50 Hourly wage necessary to afford 2-BR FMR
31% of total households are renters
$10.58 Estimated mean renter hourly wage
51% of renters pay > 30% of their income for housing
26% of owners pay > 30% of their income for housing
1
ACS 2008-12.
2
National Low Income Housing Coalition Out of Reach 2013
2014 Community Profile | 3
Housing Trends
Housing Costs & Income1,2
The Median House Value has
dropped by 7% between 2007
and 2012, from roughly $148,000
to $138,000. With the exception
of a spike to $59,000 in 2009, the
Area Median Income has remained relatively steady at
around $57,000. Median Gross
Rent has fallen by 8% from $769
to $709 per month.
A housing wage is the full-time
hourly wage necessary to afford
the rent and utilities of a 2bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent, without spending more
than 30% of income on housing.
In Alamance County this wage is
consistently $3-4 dollars higher
than the Mean Renter Hourly
Wage. The Mean Renter Hourly
Wage has fallen 13% since 2005,
from $12.12 to $10.58 per hour.
Hourly Wage Comparison1
Housing is considered affordable
when a household pays no more
than 30% of their annual income
towards housing costs.3 The proportion of cost-burdened homeowners has risen from a fifth to a
quarter of all homeowners.
Renting is increasingly unaffordable; in 2012 one in two renters
were cost-burdened, a 7% increase since 2007.
Affordability2
1
National Low Income Housing Coalition Out of Reach
2
ACS 3-Year datasets
3
U.S. HUD *All values adjusted for inflation to 2013 dollars
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Employment
2012 Total Population 16 years and over: 119,754
9.4% unemployed
Alamance County’s accessible location
on the I-40 and I-85 corridor in between 77,700 (64.9%) in civilian labor force
42,004 (35.1%) not in labor force
the Raleigh-Durham area to the east
and the Greensboro/Winston-Salem area to Industry Breakdown of
Top 25 Employers:
the west results in a lot of employment
7 Education & Health Services
across county lines. In 2011, of the residents
6 Manufacturing
who live in Alamance County, 52.6% work
4 Trade, Transportation & Utilities
outside of the county, and 47.4% both live
3 Professional & Business Services
2 Construction
and work within the county. An additional
2 Public Administration
24,109 employees, 46.1% of the employees
1 Leisure & Hospitality
in Alamance County, commute from areas outside of the county.1 The maps be2012 Average Annual Pay,
low show the spatial distribution of jobs and residences. The mean commute
All Industries4*
time is 23 minutes. Eighty-two percent of workers drive a car, truck, or van to
$35,137 Alamance County
work alone; another 12% of workers carpool.2 Half of the top 25 employers are $36,108 Comparable Counties
in Education & Health Services and Manufacturing industries, which employ ap- $36,832 Surrounding Counties
proximately 18,936 people, or 37% of workers.4 The average annual pay in Alamance County is lower than both its surrounding counties and counties of a similar population size. A location
quotient (or industry concentration) analysis reveals that textile mills and apparel manufacturing industries are
5 and 7 times more concentrated in Alamance
Where Alamance County Residents Work
County than in the state. Conversely, crop and animal production industries are one-fifth as concentrated in the county as compared to the state as a
whole.4
Top 10 Employers, 2013 2nd Quarter3
Rank Company
Where Alamance County Employees Live
Employees
1
Labcorp
2
Alamance-Burlington School System 1000+
3
Alamance Regional Medical Center
1000+
4
Elon University
1000+
5
Alamance County Government
500-999
6
City of Burlington
500-999
7
Wal-Mart Associates Inc.
500-999
8
Honda Power Equipment Mfg Inc.
500-999
9
Gate City of Burlington Inc.
500-999
10
Alamance Community College
500-999
1
1000+
U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD OnTheMap 2ACS 2008-12. 3U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, QCEW 2012 4NC Commerce Department, 2013 2nd Quarter
*Comparable: Catawba, Davidson, Iredell, Randolph; Surrounding: Caswell, Chatham, Guilford, Orange, Randolph, Rockingham
2014 Community Profile | 5
Employment Trends
In 2002, Manufacturing made up 28.09% of employment in Alamance County; by 2012 that share dropped
to 17.51%. Two sectors, Health Care and Accomodation, saw more than 4% growth over the 10-year period. A pay comparison over the same time period reveals that pay has remained steady for most industry
supersectors, but has decreased for Education & Health
Services and Professional & Business Services. While
real pay in comparable and surrounding counties has
remained steady, it has fallen by almost $2,000 in Alamance County. A 10-year snapshot of employment
trends show that the current unemployment rate is
lower than in 2003. However, over the past year, the
number of employed remains steady while the number
of unemployed has significantly dropped; suggesting
that many have stopped looking for work and have
dropped out of the labor force.
Top Industry SuperSectors
Avg. Annual Avg. Annual
Pay, 2002* Pay, 2012*
Education & Health Services
42,477
35,327
Manufacturing
40,588
40,774
Trade, Transportation & Utilities
32,659
44,156
Professional & Business Services
42,936
28,556
Construction
37,144
40,036
Public Administration (Local Gov’t)
36,393
37,489
Leisure & Hospitality
14,874
14,193
All Industries, Alamance County
37,430
35,652
All, Comparable Counties
36,421
36,637
All, Surrounding Counties
37,586
37,372
Unemployment January-December 20131
Top 10 High-Employment Industry Sectors, 2002-2012
2002
%
Rank
%
2012
Manufacturing
28.09
1
17.51
Manufacturing
Retail trade
13.37
2
16.68
Health care and
social assistance
Health care and
social assistance
11.33
3
16.40
Retail trade
Accommodation
and food services
8.35
4
12.47
Accommodation
and food services
Administrative and
7.23
waste services
5
7.28
Administrative and
waste services
Construction
5.91
6
4.63
Construction
Management of
companies and
enterprises
5.21
7
4.31
Wholesale trade
Wholesale trade
4.02
8
4.26
Management of
companies and
enterprises
Finance and
insurance
3.46
9
3.25
Educational
services
Other services,
except public
administration
2.94
10
2.65
Finance and
insurance
Unemployment 2003-20131
1
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
2014 Community Profile | 6
2
by NAICS 2-digit code *All values adjusted
Education
Alamance County’s Educational Attainment Over Time
Alamance County has seen a
marked increase over time in
higher education attainment.
However, while Alamance
County’s educational attainment is higher than counties of comparable population
size, it lags behind that of surrounding counties, the
state, and the nation as a whole. Almost half of the
population aged 25 years and older did not finish high
school or has only a high school degree. Lower educational attainment corresponds with higher unemployment rates and lower earnings.
2010 Educational Attainment Comparison
Unemployment Median
Rate
Earnings
Educational Attainment
Alamance County, 20124
Less than high school
10.3%
$17,931
High school graduate only
7.8%
$26,386
Some college or Associate’s degree
6.1%
$31,884
Bachelor’s degree or higher
3.4%
$44,819
No Data
$57,346
Graduate or professional degree
The Alamance-Burlington School System (ABSS) has 26
elementary schools, 7 secondary schools, and 1 combined school, with approximately 22,260 students in
attendance. Almost 71% of students graduate high school, of
which 45% intend to go on to a four year institution.
ABSS Figures and
Rankings1
Figure
Statewide
Ranking
Students Enrolled
22,260
16
Per Pupil Spending
$7,658
109
Per Pupil County
Appropriations &
$1,390
Supplemental Taxes
51
Three charter schools
provide an alternative to
the public school system
and have a total enrollment of 1,039 students.1
There are two higher education institutions in the county as
well. Alamance Community College, which offers a range of
programs for degree-seeking students and continuing education, has 4,677 full-time equivalent students.2 Elon University,
a private four-year university, has 5,225 undergraduates and
691 graduate students enrolled.3
1
2007-08, NC Public Schools 2ACC Factbook 2011-12
3
Elon.edu 2011-12 4 ACS 2008-12.
2014 Community Profile | 7
ABSS High School Graduate Intentions