The State:

• Profile: Click here for political history and analysis.
• Size: 53,819 square miles
• Population in 2000: 8,049,313; 60.2% urban; 39.8% rural
• Population in 1990: 6,628,637
• Population Change: Up 21.4% 1990-2000; Up 12.7% 1980-1990
• Population Rank: 11th of 50; 2.9% of total U.S. population
• Most Populous Cities: Charlotte (584,658); Raleigh (316,802); Greensboro (229,110); Durham (198,376); Winston-Salem (190,299)
• Registered Voters: 2,582,462 D (46.8%); 1,903,119 R (34.5%); 1,034,411 unaffiliated and minor parties (18.7%)
• Presidential Votes: Click here for analysis and past returns.
• Congressional Redistricting: Click here for additional details. An expanded map of the current lines is also available.
• State Senate: 29 D 21 R
• State House: 63 D 57 R
• State Legislative Term Limits: No

The People:
For definitions and additional details regarding the data below, please see the Almanac 2006 Guide to Usage.

• Race/Ethnic Origin: 5,647,155 (70.2%) white; 1,723,301 (21.4%) black; 112,416 (1.4%) Asian; 95,333 (1.2%) American Indian; 3,165 (0.0%) Pacific islander/Hawaiian; 79,965 (1.0%) two-plus races; 9,015 (0.1%) other; 378,963 (4.7%) Hispanic origin
• Ancestry: 11.7% USA, 8.1% English, 8.0% German, 6.3% Irish, 2.7% Scotch-Irish
• State Natives: 63.0% of residents were born in-state.
• Non-Citizens: 3.9% of residents are foreign-born and not U.S. citizens
• Language Spoken, by Household: 90.7% English; 5.4% Spanish; 2.4% Other Eur.
• Education: 78.1% high school graduates; 22.5% college graduates
• Military Veterans: 792,646 (13.0%); WWII: (17.3%); Korea: (12.5%); Vietnam: (32.3%); First Gulf War: (13.3%)

The Economy:
For definitions and additional details regarding the data below, please see the Almanac 2006 Guide to Usage.

• Industry: 1.6% agriculture; 8.2% construction; 6.0% finance; 2.3% information; 24.4% manufacturing; 26.9% professional; 4.1% public administration; 14.9% trade; 11.6% other
• Work Force: 29.7% blue collar; 56.0% white collar; 14.3% gray collar
• Work Sector: 78.8% private; 14.5% government; 6.4% self-employed; 0.3% unpaid family workers
• Unemployment: 0.3% unemployed
• Median Household Income: $39,184
  • 12.3% are below the poverty line
  • 16.9% less than $15,000
  • 27.7% $15-35,000
  • 17.7% $35-50,000
  • 28.3% $50-100,000
  • 6.0% $100-150,000
  • 3.4% more than $150,000
• Median Home Value: $95,800
  • 18.0% less than $50,000
  • 35.1% $50-100,000
  • 33.7% $100-200,000
  • 8.2% $200-300,000
  • 3.6% $300-500,000
  • 1.5% more than $500,000