When originally established in 1881, the population of Vance County was approximately 9,000. From 1930 through 1970, the rural county population declined and growth slowed markedly as many blacks migrated to the North for better jobs and other opportunities in the
Great Migration. Combined with other economic changes, this resulted in the county losing what had been its large African-American majority by the late 20th century. In the early 21st century, the white and black populations are nearly equal.
2020 census As of the
2020 census, the county had a population of 42,578 and a median age of 42.3 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.5 males age 18 and over. The racial makeup of the county was 39.2%
White, 49.9%
Black or African American, 0.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
Asian, <0.1%
Native Hawaiian and
Pacific Islander, 5.9% from some other race, and 4.0% from
two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 8.7% of the population. 46.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 53.3% lived in rural areas. There were 17,038 households in the county, of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.6% were married-couple households, 19.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 37.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. there were 42,954 people, 16,199 households, and 11,647 families residing in the county. The
population density was . There were 18,196 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 48.21%
White, 48.31%
Black or
African American, 0.20%
Native American, 0.39%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 2.03% from
other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 4.56% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. There were 16,199 households, out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.00% were
married couples living together, 20.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 24.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.06. The county had the highest teen pregnancy rate in the state for the year 2005 as researched by the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina. The rate was 110.4 per 1000 teens, significantly above the state average of 61.7 per 1000 teens. In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.10% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $31,301, and the median income for a family was $36,389. Males had a median income of $28,284 versus $21,433 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $15,897. About 16.30% of families and 20.50% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 27.70% of those under age 18 and 19.30% of those age 65 or over. ==Government and politics==