Population 417 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Wards
Household size in Wards
| Period | Wards | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.66 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.29 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.58 | 2.56 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.35 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.31 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in Wards are small: just 2.35 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 has dropped from 2.66 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 Wards
| Period | Wards | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 40.5 | 37.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 47.3 | 38.9 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 40.3 | 40.2 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 39.6 | 40.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | −0.9 | +2.3 | +2.3 |
At 39.6, the median age in Wards is close to the national median of 40.1, so its age mix looks much like the country's.
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 Wards
| Period | Wards | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.4% | 12.3% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 12.5% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 19.1% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 16.2% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | +6.8 pts | −1.0 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are common in Wards: 16.2% 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 Wards
Renters in Wards
| Period | Wards | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 22.9% | 31.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 26.5% | 34.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 22.0% | 34.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 29.0% | 33.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | +6.1 pts | +1.4 pts | +1.5 pts |
Most households in Wards own their homes; 29.0% rent, a little below the national share of 34.8%. Among homeowners, 62.9% have no mortgage at all, 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 Wards
| Period | Wards | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 20.3% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 19.5% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 20.1% | 12.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 11.3% | 11.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | −9.0 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
A few more homes sit empty in Wards than nationally: 11.3%, against 9.6%. The count includes vacation homes and homes between owners or tenants, not just abandoned ones. The picture is much the same across North Carolina.
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 Wards
| Period | Wards | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1979 | 1983 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1980 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1977 | 1986 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1981 | 1990 | 1980 |
| Change | +2 | +7 | +6 |
The typical home in Wards was built around 1981, about the same vintage as the country's housing overall (1980). Homes here are older than in North Carolina overall, 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 Wards
| Period | Wards | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $488 | $789 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $644 | $868 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $629 | $981 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $783 | $1,317 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$296 | +$528 | +$606 |
A typical rental in Wards costs $783 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent takes 34.2% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
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 Wards
Bachelor's degrees in Wards
| Period | Wards | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.5% | 27.8% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 8.0% | 29.0% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 13.8% | 32.0% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 10.2% | 36.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +1.7 pts | +8.4 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are relatively uncommon in Wards: 10.2% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's or higher, well 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 Wards
| Period | Wards | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 77.5% | 84.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 75.9% | 86.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 84.9% | 88.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 82.2% | 90.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +4.7 pts | +5.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
Just over one in six adults in Wards never finished high school, well above the national share: only 82.2% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally.
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 Wards
| Period | Wards | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.9% | 8.8% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 20.4% | 10.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.8% | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.9% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | −6.0 pts | −4.0 pts | −2.7 pts |
At 4.9%, unemployment in Wards is close to 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).
Wards 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wards | 2.35 | 39.6 | 16.2% | 29.0% | 11.3% | 1981 | $783 | 10.2% | 82.2% | 4.9% |
| Chadbourn | 2.29 | 42.6 | 12.1% | 32.2% | 13.8% | 1981 | $823 | 13.9% | 86.7% | 3.3% |
| Williamson Crossroads | 2.18 | 40.1 | 15.9% | 16.3% | 16.9% | 1984 | $738 | 18.4% | 86.9% | 3.8% |
| Grist | 2.06 | 41.8 | 19.6% | 42.9% | 25.9% | 1974 | $735 | 9.1% | 85.0% | 6.0% |
| Emerson | 2.84 | 36.0 | 3.7% | 22.2% | 15.8% | 1965 | $737 | 8.8% | 81.6% | 0.9% |
| Clarendon | 2.44 | 43.5 | 10.6% | 25.3% | 12.0% | 1983 | $822 | 16.4% | 84.3% | 1.1% |
| Cerro Gordo | 2.07 | 44.4 | 15.3% | 40.2% | 10.4% | 1983 | $696 | 12.7% | 86.1% | 2.7% |
| Brunswick | 2.26 | 42.8 | 13.5% | 31.8% | 17.7% | 1976 | $814 | 6.1% | 86.7% | 19.1% |
| Cherry Grove | 2.24 | 43.6 | 15.1% | 43.1% | 9.3% | 1980 | $662 | 17.6% | 86.6% | 4.2% |
| Whiteville | 2.45 | 41.2 | 13.1% | 30.6% | 13.1% | 1980 | $835 | 17.2% | 88.2% | 5.2% |
| Ironhill | 2.32 | 49.8 | 13.9% | 15.4% | 17.6% | 1988 | $753 | 16.6% | 97.7% | 0.0% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Lewistown, MD · Louise, GA · Lorane, OR · Wilcox, NE · Long Bridge, LA · Lone Star, SC · Lone Pine, PA · Log Lick, KY · Little Hope, PA · Lithia, VA
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 Wards. 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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