Population, Race and Ethnicity

Rutherford College is a town in Burke County, North Carolina, with a population of 1,253. According to the most recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, 84.80% of residents identify as white, 0.00% as Black or African American, 0.20% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 11.90% as Asian, 0.00% as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 1.40% as Hispanic or Latino, and 1.60% as some other race or combination of races.

Nationally, some 61.1% of Americans identify as white, 12.3% as Black or African American, 0.7% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 5.4% as Asian, 0.2% as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 17.8% as Hispanic or Latino, and 2.6% as some other race or combination of races.

Ancestry

Census respondents are also asked to report ancestry. Some of the most commonly reported ancestries in Rutherford College include American, German, Scotch-Irish, English, and Irish. Measured by location quotient — comparing the town share to the national share — some of the most highly concentrated ancestries in town are Scotch-Irish, Scandinavian, and British.

Native and foreign-born population

An estimated 91.20% of Rutherford College residents are native-born, meaning they were born in the United States, Puerto Rico, a U.S. Island Area, or abroad to a U.S. citizen. Of the 8.80% of the population that is foreign-born, 64.50% have become naturalized U.S. citizens. Nationwide, 86.5% of Americans are native-born. And of the 13.5% of Americans who are foreign-born, 48.5% have become naturalized U.S. citizens.

Age

The population of Rutherford College is older than the United States as a whole. The median age is 52.4 years, 14.5 years more than the national median age of 37.9 years. An estimated 35.10% of the population is 65 years and over, compared to 15.2% of the U.S. population.

Family and household composition

Family and household composition also varies heavily across the United States. In Rutherford College, 45.20% of households are occupied by married-couple families, compared to the 48.3% national figure. Some 3.30% of households are occupied by single male householders, 12.80% by single female householders, and 38.60% by non-family occupants. Nationwide, 4.9% of households are occupied by single male householders, 12.6% by single female householders, and 34.3% by non-family occupants. An estimated 69.00% of heads of household own their homes, compared to the national homeownership rate of 63.8%.

Language spoken

English is by far the most commonly spoken language in North Carolina and across the U.S. as a whole. Similarly, in Rutherford College, 95.3% of local residents aged 5 and up speak English exclusively, or, if they are multilingual, speak English very well. For context, 95.4% of the 5 and older population across North Carolina only speaks English, or speak it very well, and 91.5% of the same age group nationwide do.

Marital status

Residents of Rutherford College are less likely than the typical American to be married. Of all local residents aged 15 and older, 44.4% are currently married, compared to 48.1% of Americans nationwide in the same age group. Across North Carolina as a whole, 48.9% of residents 15 and older are married.

Divorce is more common in Rutherford College than it is across the U.S. as a whole. According to Census estimates, 12.5% of residents 15 and older are divorced — compared to 10.8% of the U.S. population in the same age group. In North Carolina, 10.8% of the 15 and older population is divorced.

An estimated 26.5% of Rutherford College residents 15 and older have never married, compared to one-third of all Americans in the same age group.

Veterans

In Rutherford College, 9% of the 18 and older civilian population are veterans — compared to 7.5% of adult civilians nationwide and 8.6% of the civilian population in all of North Carolina.

Educational attainment

In Rutherford College, adults are less likely to have a high school education than the typical American adult, and are less likely to have a four-year college education. Among Rutherford College residents 25 and older, 85.20% have a high school diploma or equivalent, and 19.10% have a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 87.7% and 31.5% of adults nationwide, respectively. Across North Carolina, 87.4% of adults have graduated high school, and 30.5 have a bachelor’s degree.

Income

The typical household in Rutherford College earns $43,226 a year, about $17,100 less than the national median of $60,293 and $9,200 less than the median household income across the state of $52,413.

Poverty

Serious financial hardship is less common in Rutherford College than it is nationwide. The local poverty rate stands at 8.90%, while the national poverty rate is 14.1%. Across the state as a whole, 15.4% of the population lives below the poverty line.

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