View a printable fact sheet on the City of Wilmington.

Introduction

• Incorporated in 1739
• Council-Manager form of government
• 7 Councilmembers
• Mayor serves a two-year term of office
• Councilmembers serve staggered four-year terms
• At-large election format, every two years

Population (July 2008 estimates)

• City of Wilmington: 101,526
• New Hanover County: 192,235
• North Carolina: 9,227,016

Population characteristics (July 2008)

• White: 72.7%
• Black: 21.8%
• Hispanic/Latino: 3.7%
• Other: 1.8%
• Male: 47.5%
• Female: 52.5%
• Median age: 34.9
• Land area: 49.29 sq. mi.
• Municipal density: 3.22 pop/acre
• Average household size: 2.12 persons
• Mean travel to work time: 18 minutes
• Median housing value: $231,000
• Housing stock: 50,729 units
• Housing tenure
  • 50.6% owner-occupied
  • 49.4% renter-occupied
  • 11.6% vacant

Property tax rates (per $100 of assessed value)

• City (2009): 33.25¢
• New Hanover County (2009): 45.25¢

Educational attainment (July 2008)

• Less than 9th grade: 3.6%
• 9th - 12th grade, no diploma: 10.1%
• High school graduate (includes GED): 22.2%
• Some college, no degree: 21.0%
• Associate's degree: 7.5%
• Bachelor's degree: 24.5%
• Graduate or professional degree: 11.0%
• New Hanover County '07-'08 drop out rate: 5.4%
• North Carolina '07-'08 drop out rate: 4.97%

Economic data (July 2008)

• Median household income: $39,354
• Unemployment rate: 4.2%

Vital statistics (2008)

• New Hanover County births: 2,494
• New Hanover County deaths: 1,561
• New Hanover County divorce and annulment rate: 4.5%

Occupational data (2008)

• Management, professional and related: 35.5%
• Service: 21.5%
• Sales and office: 25.2%
• Farming, fishing and forestry: <1%
• Construction, extraction, maintenance and repair: 8.4%
• Production, transportation and material moving: 9.3%