Population 363 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Roaring Gap
Household size in Roaring Gap
| Period | Roaring Gap | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.13 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.49 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.43 | 2.56 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.14 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.01 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in Roaring Gap are small: just 2.14 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home.
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 Roaring Gap
| Period | Roaring Gap | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 51.3 | 37.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 49.3 | 38.9 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 51.8 | 40.2 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 55.6 | 40.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | +4.3 | +2.3 | +2.3 |
Roaring Gap skews older: half of its residents are older than 55.6, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families. The median age has climbed from 51.3 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
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 Roaring Gap
| Period | Roaring Gap | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1.9% | 12.3% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 2.9% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 13.4% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.1% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | +1.2 pts | −1.0 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 3.1% of households in Roaring Gap, 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 Roaring Gap
Renters in Roaring Gap
| Period | Roaring Gap | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.4% | 31.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 12.7% | 34.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 13.1% | 34.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 21.8% | 33.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | +10.4 pts | +1.4 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 21.8% of households in Roaring Gap rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Among homeowners, 34.0% have no mortgage at all, below 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 Roaring Gap
| Period | Roaring Gap | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 54.3% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 68.1% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 58.2% | 12.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 63.7% | 11.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | +9.4 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 63.7% of the housing in Roaring Gap, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
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 Roaring Gap
| Period | Roaring Gap | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1978 | 1983 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1985 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1984 | 1986 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1983 | 1990 | 1980 |
| Change | +5 | +7 | +6 |
Homes in Roaring Gap are about the same age as the nation's housing: the median home was built in 1983, versus 1980 nationally. Homes here are older than in North Carolina as a whole, where the median home dates to 1990.
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 Roaring Gap
| Period | Roaring Gap | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,259 | $789 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $663 | $868 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $634 | $981 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $772 | $1,317 | $1,571 |
| Change | −$487 | +$528 | +$606 |
Rent in Roaring Gap runs $772 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 26.4% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.
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 Roaring Gap
Bachelor's degrees in Roaring Gap
| Period | Roaring Gap | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 23.8% | 27.8% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 22.0% | 29.0% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 28.9% | 32.0% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 27.7% | 36.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +3.9 pts | +8.4 pts | +7.2 pts |
More than a quarter of adults 25 and older in Roaring Gap (27.7%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, below 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 Roaring Gap
| Period | Roaring Gap | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 81.1% | 84.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 85.7% | 86.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 82.0% | 88.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 90.2% | 90.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +9.1 pts | +5.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
About as many adults in Roaring Gap have finished high school as nationally: 90.2%, 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 Roaring Gap
| Period | Roaring Gap | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 4.9% | 8.8% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 9.4% | 10.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 2.5% | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 0.7% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | −4.2 pts | −4.0 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Roaring Gap has been low: just 0.7% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current 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).
Roaring Gap 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roaring Gap | 2.14 | 55.6 | 3.1% | 21.8% | 63.7% | 1983 | $772 | 27.7% | 90.2% | 0.7% |
| Glade Valley | 2.14 | 51.2 | 6.3% | 28.1% | 28.0% | 1980 | $773 | 15.9% | 85.1% | 3.5% |
| Thurmond | 2.41 | 42.6 | 7.8% | 15.0% | 16.2% | 1992 | $809 | 22.7% | 91.6% | 1.0% |
| Joynes | 2.25 | 50.0 | 4.8% | 17.7% | 34.9% | 1986 | $614 | 15.6% | 90.6% | 4.2% |
| Devotion | 2.62 | 51.8 | 6.0% | 11.1% | 22.7% | 1993 | $581 | 14.1% | 57.3% | 0.0% |
| Traphill | 2.48 | 42.4 | 17.1% | 26.6% | 13.1% | 1984 | $668 | 6.2% | 69.9% | 13.5% |
| Ennice | 2.47 | 43.8 | 2.0% | 13.5% | 36.2% | 1987 | $761 | 18.0% | 78.5% | 2.8% |
| Moxley | 2.23 | 50.4 | 1.6% | 16.8% | 39.6% | 1986 | $599 | 17.4% | 95.8% | 2.6% |
| Whitehead | 2.09 | 53.9 | 2.8% | 13.7% | 25.6% | 1976 | $730 | 22.3% | 82.2% | 10.9% |
| Sparta | 2.00 | 54.2 | 4.9% | 31.7% | 21.4% | 1977 | $690 | 22.8% | 84.3% | 4.3% |
| State Road | 2.27 | 50.2 | 9.0% | 23.2% | 11.2% | 1980 | $786 | 26.8% | 85.9% | 3.1% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Jericho, KY · Silver Lake, TN · Silvara, PA · Sigurd, UT · Shorts Creek, VA · Shingle Hollow, NC · Kranzburg, SD · Klondyke, LA · Kelly, SC · Junction, IL
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 Roaring Gap. 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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