Population 3,249 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Stem
Household size in Stem
| Period | Stem | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.08 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.75 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.76 | 2.56 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.61 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.46 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
At 2.61 people per household, Stem sits close to the national average of 2.65. The typical household here is bigger than in North Carolina as a whole, where it has 2.52 people. Household size has dropped from 3.08 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 Stem
| Period | Stem | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 37.3 | 37.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 43.0 | 38.9 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 39.4 | 40.2 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 38.6 | 40.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | +1.2 | +2.3 | +2.3 |
At 38.6, the median age in Stem is close to the national median of 40.1, so its age mix looks much like the country's. The population here is younger than in North Carolina as a whole, where the median age is 40.3.
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 Stem
| Period | Stem | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.7% | 12.3% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 13.2% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 11.0% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 16.8% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | +10.0 pts | −1.0 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are common in Stem: 16.8% of all households, against 11.6% nationally.
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 Stem
Renters in Stem
| Period | Stem | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.0% | 31.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 8.8% | 34.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 14.1% | 34.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 21.3% | 33.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | +10.3 pts | +1.4 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 21.3% of households in Stem rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. More than four in ten owners (43.3%) have paid off their mortgages, 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 Stem
| Period | Stem | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.2% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 16.0% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 10.2% | 12.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 6.3% | 11.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | −6.0 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Fewer homes sit empty in Stem than nationally: 6.3%, against 9.6% for the U.S.
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 Stem
| Period | Stem | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1993 | 1983 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1995 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1994 | 1986 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 2000 | 1990 | 1980 |
| Change | +7 | +7 | +6 |
Stem has newer housing than the country as a whole: the median home was built in 2000, versus 1980 nationally.
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 Stem
| Period | Stem | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $702 | $789 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $833 | $868 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $848 | $981 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,067 | $1,317 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$365 | +$528 | +$606 |
Rent in Stem runs $1,067 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 31.7% of household income on rent, just over 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 Stem
Bachelor's degrees in Stem
| Period | Stem | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.2% | 27.8% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 13.0% | 29.0% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 15.8% | 32.0% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 25.9% | 36.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +17.8 pts | +8.4 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are less common in Stem than nationally: 25.9% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 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 Stem
| Period | Stem | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 74.8% | 84.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 84.8% | 86.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 88.2% | 88.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 91.1% | 90.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +16.3 pts | +5.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in Stem is a bit above the national rate: 91.1% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%. The picture is much the same across North Carolina.
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 Stem
| Period | Stem | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.6% | 8.8% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 7.2% | 10.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 5.3% | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 2.4% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | −9.2 pts | −4.0 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Stem has been low: just 2.4% 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).
Stem 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stem | 2.61 | 38.6 | 16.8% | 21.3% | 6.3% | 2000 | $1,067 | 25.9% | 91.1% | 2.4% |
| Shoofly | 2.16 | 49.2 | 7.4% | 6.5% | 8.3% | 1990 | $1,056 | 21.4% | 96.2% | 0.5% |
| Tar River | 2.29 | 48.7 | 2.6% | 12.8% | 11.8% | 1996 | $995 | 23.7% | 97.8% | 8.2% |
| Culbreth | 2.28 | 45.6 | 1.4% | 3.4% | 4.4% | 1997 | $1,051 | 21.7% | 90.2% | 5.0% |
| Butner | 2.77 | 39.9 | 14.0% | 26.7% | 24.7% | 1988 | $1,299 | 16.7% | 71.8% | 5.4% |
| Creedmoor | 2.59 | 41.5 | 12.8% | 17.9% | 8.5% | 1993 | $1,224 | 35.6% | 93.9% | 4.2% |
| Wilton | 2.85 | 37.7 | 8.1% | 11.4% | 8.0% | 2001 | $1,141 | 24.5% | 90.9% | 4.9% |
| Moriah | 2.46 | 41.0 | 16.7% | 16.9% | 11.8% | 1997 | $948 | 18.2% | 93.7% | 2.8% |
| Berea | 2.71 | 31.8 | 19.2% | 15.1% | 11.2% | 1987 | $987 | 12.5% | 87.4% | 4.2% |
| Oxford | 2.38 | 44.5 | 15.2% | 32.7% | 10.9% | 1982 | $922 | 19.0% | 88.9% | 5.8% |
| Bahama | 2.33 | 51.5 | 6.7% | 8.4% | 4.2% | 1986 | $1,618 | 47.3% | 91.4% | 0.1% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Campton, KY · Como, MS · Edwards, IL · Falconer, NY · George West, TX · Grape Creek, TX · Hesperia, MI · Vernonia, OR · Piedmont, MO · Pierceton, IN
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 Stem. 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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