
North Carolina · Census place 17340
Dobson, NC population, income and ZIP codes
Quick answer
The population of the city of Dobson, North Carolina (Dobson, NC — Census place “Dobson town”) is 1,521 residents, ranking #382 of 777 places in North Carolina. Median household income is $44,531, the median home is worth $168,300 and median gross rent runs $544 a month. Looking for the Dobson North Carolina ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Dobson, NC: 27017.
- Population
- 1,521Dobson town residents
- Median household income
- $44,531Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
- Median home value
- $168,300Owner-occupied units
- Median gross rent
- $544Rent plus utilities, monthly
- Median age
- 37.9 yrsAll residents
- Homeownership rate
- 41.3%Owner-occupied households
Dobson ZIP codes (North Carolina)
Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Dobson.
The Dobson 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 Dobson town
Housing cost measured against local earnings.
A household earning the Dobson town median would spend about 14.7% 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 3.8× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 16.1% of residents and 41.3% of households own their home.
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year
Dobson town, NC in context
How this area compares with national benchmarks.
Dobson town is a small town in North Carolina, with 1,521 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #382 of 777 ranked by population — larger than 50% of them. The median age here is 37.9 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly younger profile than the country as a whole. At this population the ACS sample is small, so the margin of error around every dollar figure below is wide — treat the numbers as a band, not a point, and expect them to move between annual releases without the place itself changing.
Households in Dobson town earn a median of $44,531 a year, 43.3% below the national figure of $78,538 and 27% below the $61,228 median for the 459 North Carolina cities we cover. Median household income counts every pre-tax dollar arriving at an address — wages, self-employment, Social Security, pensions, interest and public assistance — for everyone living there, so multi-earner households pull the figure up even where individual pay is modest. Poverty reaches 16.1% of residents here, above the 12.4% national rate.
The typical owner-occupied home in Dobson town is valued at $168,300, 44.5% below the national figure and 23% below the $219,800 peer median, while median gross rent runs $544 a month, 61.3% below the national figure, or roughly $6,528 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 14.7% 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 3.8×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is easier here than in the average US market. 41.3% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, a renter-majority market, so rent figures matter more here than the home-value line. 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.
All values below were released by the Census for this exact geography, with no gap-filling on our side. 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.
- Boonville town 1,502
- Weldon town 1,522
- Princeville town 1,502
- Clyde town 1,522
- Rose Hill town 1,501
- Bethel town 1,528
- Saxapahaw CDP 1,501
- Cove Creek CDP 1,533
Keep going
More North Carolina coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- What is the population of Dobson town?
- Dobson town has 1,521 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #382 of 777 in North Carolina.
- What is the median household income in Dobson town?
- Median household income in Dobson town is $44,531 a year, 43.3% below the national figure of $78,538.
- How much does it cost to rent or buy in Dobson town?
- Median gross rent is $544 a month and the median home value is $168,300, so rent absorbs about 14.7% of median household income.
- Is Dobson town affordable compared with the rest of the US?
- Homes cost about 3.8× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Dobson town is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 14.7% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
- How current is this Dobson town data?
- All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. At this population the ACS sample is small, so the margin of error around every dollar figure below is wide — treat the numbers as a band, not a point, and expect them to move between annual releases without the place itself changing.