North Carolina · Census place 14700
Cornelius, NC population, income and ZIP codes
Quick answer
The population of the city of Cornelius, North Carolina (Cornelius, NC — Census place “Cornelius town”) is 32,009 residents, ranking #32 of 777 places in North Carolina. Median household income is $114,688, the median home is worth $512,400 and median gross rent runs $1,571 a month. Looking for the Cornelius North Carolina ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Cornelius, NC: 28031.
- Population
- 32,009Cornelius town residents
- Median household income
- $114,688Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
- Median home value
- $512,400Owner-occupied units
- Median gross rent
- $1,571Rent plus utilities, monthly
- Median age
- 44.8 yrsAll residents
- Homeownership rate
- 69.7%Owner-occupied households
Cornelius ZIP codes (North Carolina)
Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Cornelius.
The Cornelius NC ZIP code list below covers 1 ZIP code. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.
What the numbers mean in Cornelius town
Housing cost measured against local earnings.
A household earning the Cornelius town median would spend about 16.4% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 4.5× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 4.4% of residents and 69.7% of households own their home.
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year
Cornelius town, NC in context
How this area compares with national benchmarks.
Cornelius town is a small city in North Carolina, with 32,009 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #32 of 777 ranked by population — larger than 96% of them. The median age here is 44.8 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly older profile than the country as a whole. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.
Households in Cornelius town earn a median of $114,688 a year, 46% above the national figure of $78,538 and 87% above the $61,228 median for the 459 North Carolina cities we cover. This figure covers the household, not the worker: two people on ordinary wages at one address outrank a single professional in the same table. Poverty reaches 4.4% of residents here, less than half the 12.4% national rate.
The typical owner-occupied home in Cornelius town is valued at $512,400, 68.9% above the national figure and 133% above the $219,800 peer median, while median gross rent runs $1,571 a month, 11.7% above the national figure, or roughly $18,852 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 16.4% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is cheap relative to what people here earn. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 4.5×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is harder here than in the average US market. 69.7% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans toward owners. Rent is reported gross — contract rent plus tenant-paid utilities — which is why it runs above the advertised price on a listing for the same unit.
No figure on this page is estimated by us; each one comes straight from the published ACS tables for this area. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.
Compare with nearby places
Places of similar size in North Carolina.
- New Bern city 31,563
- Garner town 32,543
- Sanford city 30,833
- Goldsboro city 33,448
- Morrisville town 30,471
- Monroe city 35,596
- Matthews town 29,959
- Salisbury city 35,730
Keep going
More North Carolina coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- What is the population of Cornelius town?
- Cornelius town has 32,009 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #32 of 777 in North Carolina.
- What is the median household income in Cornelius town?
- Median household income in Cornelius town is $114,688 a year, 46% above the national figure of $78,538.
- How much does it cost to rent or buy in Cornelius town?
- Median gross rent is $1,571 a month and the median home value is $512,400, so rent absorbs about 16.4% of median household income.
- Is Cornelius town affordable compared with the rest of the US?
- Homes cost about 4.5× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Cornelius town is less affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 16.4% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
- How current is this Cornelius town data?
- All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.