North Carolina County Typology Breakdown
Rural Church Mixed Rural Mixed Urban Rural Urban
Income Overall , the economic context of rural churches differs from that of their urban counterparts . The average rural county in North Carolina has a median household income that is considerably lower than in urban counties , $ 46,360 compared to $ 65,541 . 16
Population While North Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the U . S ., this isn ’ t true in all counties . Twenty of the 54 counties in the sample ( 37 %) are losing population , despite the fact that North Carolina is growing about 1 % a year . However , 13 counties in the sample are outpacing the state ’ s overall population growth .
The churches included in this study are located in communities ranging from small hamlets to large towns . The smallest community , Grimesland , has a population of 454 . The median population in towns for which we have data is 2,331 .
16 U . S . Census Bureau ( 2019 ). 2015-2019 American Community Survey
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