Population 3,679 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Red Oak
Household size in Red Oak
| Period | Red Oak | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.75 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.74 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.50 | 2.56 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.57 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.18 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in Red Oak run a little small, averaging 2.57 people against 2.65 nationally, which usually means more singles and couples and fewer children. The picture is much the same across North Carolina. Household size has dropped from 2.75 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Red Oak
| Period | Red Oak | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 44.0 | 37.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 43.4 | 38.9 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 49.8 | 40.2 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 48.6 | 40.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | +4.6 | +2.3 | +2.3 |
Red Oak skews older: half of its residents are older than 48.6, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Red Oak
| Period | Red Oak | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.9% | 12.3% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 8.9% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 7.9% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.0% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | −1.9 pts | −1.0 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 4.0% of households in Red Oak, well below the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Red Oak
Renters in Red Oak
| Period | Red Oak | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.8% | 31.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 5.9% | 34.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 14.4% | 34.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 7.0% | 33.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | −4.7 pts | +1.4 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 7.0% of households in Red Oak rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. About half of owners (51.4%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Red Oak
| Period | Red Oak | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.7% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 6.6% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 8.6% | 12.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 4.1% | 11.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | −4.6 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Empty homes are scarce in Red Oak: just 4.1% sit vacant, compared with 9.6% nationally, a sign of a tight housing market.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Red Oak
| Period | Red Oak | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1988 | 1983 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1993 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1993 | 1986 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1988 | 1990 | 1980 |
| Change | +0 | +7 | +6 |
Much of the housing in Red Oak is relatively new: half of its homes were built after 1988, compared with 1980 for the U.S. as a whole. North Carolina as a whole looks much the same.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Red Oak
| Period | Red Oak | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $859 | $789 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,024 | $868 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $818 | $981 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $809 | $1,317 | $1,571 |
| Change | −$50 | +$528 | +$606 |
Rent in Red Oak runs $809 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent takes 14.5% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Red Oak
Bachelor's degrees in Red Oak
| Period | Red Oak | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 29.1% | 27.8% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 25.4% | 29.0% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 28.4% | 32.0% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 35.5% | 36.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +6.4 pts | +8.4 pts | +7.2 pts |
Just over a third of adults 25 and older in Red Oak (35.5%) hold at least a bachelor's degree, close to the national share of 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Red Oak
| Period | Red Oak | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 81.4% | 84.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 89.1% | 86.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 92.8% | 88.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 93.3% | 90.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +11.9 pts | +5.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in Red Oak is above the national rate: 93.3% of adults have a diploma, against 89.3%.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Red Oak
| Period | Red Oak | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.2% | 8.8% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 8.7% | 10.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 2.9% | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 1.6% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | −3.6 pts | −4.0 pts | −2.7 pts |
The job market in Red Oak has been strong: just 1.6% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Red Oak compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Oak | 2.57 | 48.6 | 4.0% | 7.0% | 4.1% | 1988 | $809 | 35.5% | 93.3% | 1.6% |
| Drake | 2.51 | 46.0 | 6.1% | 27.1% | 11.7% | 1979 | $865 | 18.6% | 91.1% | 4.4% |
| Hilliardston | 2.39 | 53.1 | 7.3% | 22.5% | 32.1% | 1984 | $783 | 20.2% | 77.2% | 15.2% |
| Nashville | 2.56 | 41.2 | 14.9% | 33.5% | 11.5% | 1992 | $865 | 19.4% | 87.2% | 4.7% |
| Taylors Store | 2.34 | 51.5 | 11.3% | 23.6% | 25.2% | 1987 | $754 | 17.5% | 78.2% | 13.6% |
| Salem | 2.40 | 44.0 | 3.8% | 18.7% | 18.4% | 1984 | $1,169 | 15.7% | 87.6% | 2.1% |
| Rocky Mount | 2.38 | 41.2 | 16.2% | 47.2% | 13.9% | 1977 | $954 | 22.6% | 87.0% | 6.9% |
| Dortches | 2.56 | 46.8 | 9.5% | 20.3% | 16.7% | 1989 | $1,238 | 29.8% | 93.0% | 2.3% |
| Battleboro | 2.57 | 40.3 | 20.5% | 30.3% | 14.8% | 1983 | $979 | 14.3% | 85.9% | 7.7% |
| Matthews Crossroads | 2.43 | 33.2 | 41.9% | 19.7% | 11.0% | 2004 | $587 | 5.3% | 81.9% | 2.0% |
| Whitakers | 2.61 | 43.9 | 10.4% | 23.6% | 14.9% | 1988 | $916 | 11.8% | 80.5% | 12.6% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Foxworth, MS · Newport, MN · Baltic, OH · Newark, TX · Fort Hall, ID · New London, NH · New London, MN · Basile, LA · Battle Mountain, NV · Bauxite, AR
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Red Oak. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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