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Demographics of Goldsboro, NC
Affluence Level in Goldsboro, NC
A below-average socioeconomic profile. Incomes, home values, and educational attainment trail the U.S., with higher poverty and unemployment.
People of Goldsboro, NC
The people of Goldsboro, North Carolina today form a predominantly Black (53.1%) and White (34.3%) community of 33,448 residents, anchored by a strong military and healthcare workforce tied to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and UNC Health Wayne. The city is notably less diverse than the national average, with a foreign-born population of just 2.3% and a small but growing Hispanic share of 5.5%. Goldsboro’s identity is shaped by its deep agricultural roots, a history of racial division and consolidation, and a population that is older and less college-educated (21.4%) than the state median. For a conservative-leaning newcomer, the city offers a stable, family-oriented environment with a strong sense of local tradition, though economic mobility remains a concern.
How the city was settled and grew
Goldsboro was founded in 1847 as a railroad depot town, named after Major Matthew Goldsborough, a civil engineer for the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. The original white settlers were largely English and Scottish-Irish farmers drawn by the fertile coastal plain soil for cotton and tobacco cultivation. The arrival of the railroad in the 1840s spurred rapid growth, and by the Civil War, Goldsboro was a key Confederate supply hub. The post-Reconstruction era saw the emergence of a significant Black population, many of whom were formerly enslaved people who remained in the area as sharecroppers and tenant farmers. These families concentrated in the Dillard Park and South John Street neighborhoods, which became the historic heart of Goldsboro’s Black community, home to Black-owned businesses, churches, and the city’s first Black high school. The early 20th century brought a wave of white migration from rural Wayne County into the Forest Hills and Berkeley Manor neighborhoods, as the city’s tobacco warehouses and textile mills expanded. By 1950, Goldsboro’s population had reached roughly 21,000, with a clear racial geography: whites in the northern and western neighborhoods, Blacks in the southern and eastern sections.
Modern era (post-1965)
The post-1965 era brought two major demographic shifts. First, the desegregation of schools and the Civil Rights movement led to a slow but steady white flight to the suburbs, particularly to the Grantham and Patetown areas outside the city limits. Second, the expansion of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base during the Vietnam War attracted a small but steady stream of military families, including a modest number of East/Southeast Asian (1.2%) and Indian (0.6%) personnel, who settled near the base in the Stoney Creek and Oak Forest neighborhoods. The Hispanic population, now 5.5%, began arriving in the 1990s, drawn by agricultural and construction jobs, and concentrated in the West Grantham corridor. The Black population, which had been a majority since the 1980s, continued to consolidate in the historic Dillard Park and South John Street areas, while also expanding into the Rosewood and Eastern Wayne subdivisions. The city’s overall population has remained flat since 2000, as suburbanization and a weak local economy have limited in-migration.
The future
Goldsboro’s population is likely to continue its slow decline or stagnation, with the Black share remaining dominant and the white share gradually shrinking due to out-migration of younger families. The Hispanic population is expected to grow modestly, potentially reaching 8-10% by 2040, but will remain a small minority. The East/Southeast Asian and Indian communities are likely to plateau, as they are tied to the military base and are not attracting significant secondary migration. The city is not homogenizing into a single identity; rather, it is tribalizing into distinct enclaves: the Black-majority historic core, the white-majority suburban fringe, and the small Hispanic corridor along West Grantham. The biggest wildcard is the potential for economic revitalization through the proposed Goldsboro Municipal Airport industrial park or a new megasite for manufacturing, which could attract a more diverse, younger workforce. Without such investment, the population will continue to age and shrink.
For a conservative-leaning individual or family considering a move, Goldsboro is becoming a more racially defined and economically stratified city, where the historic Black community remains the demographic anchor and the white population is increasingly suburban. The city offers affordable housing, a low cost of living, and a strong military presence, but newcomers should expect a community where social and commercial life is largely organized along racial and neighborhood lines. The next decade will likely see a continuation of these trends, with little dramatic change unless a major employer arrives.
* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area. Last updated: 2026-05-03T20:26:42.000Z
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