Orange County NC Website
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Demographic Characteristics <br /> RACE. Orange County's population is predominantly a white <br /> population. As of the 1980 Census, 81.1 percent of the population <br /> of Orange County were Whites. The largest minority group in the <br /> County were Blacks, at 17.3% of the total population. The remainder <br /> of the population is composed of other racial minorities. <br /> Recent data from the State Office of Budget and management <br /> indicates that these percentages are holding steady through 1988, <br /> with a slight increase in the White percentage due to in-migration. <br /> However, the 1990 Census will atempt to address what is perceived in <br /> some quarters to have been an undercount of minority populkations in <br /> the last Census. If this holds to be true, the racial <br /> characteristics of the County could be adjusted somewhat. <br /> TABLE 2-8 <br /> SEX. Orange County has undergone a significant change in this <br /> category since 1970. 1970 Census figures show an approximately even <br /> distribution of males and females throughout the County with 51.9% <br /> male and 48.1% female. <br /> However, by 1980, the County's female population had gained over <br /> four percentage points. The 1980 data shgows 52.3 percent of the <br /> County's population to be female, while 47.7 percent were male. <br /> This trend is expected to continue at a much slower rate. In 1988, <br /> the state estimated Orange County to be 52.5% female and 47.5% male. <br /> TABLE 2-9 <br /> AGE. The distribution of the population by age in Orange County has <br /> historically reflected the attraction of this area to young adults <br /> seeking and finding employment and higher education opportunities. <br /> However, two trends of the 1980's have altered that distribution. <br /> First, the nationwide trend of the relative aging of the population <br /> has had some effect in Orange County on the median age of the <br /> population. Across the nation and in this county, the median getisn <br /> creeping higher because of the graying of the "baby boom" generation <br /> of the post-World War II era. <br /> Secondly, the County (and particularly the Chapel Hill area) has <br /> become in recent years a popular retirement area - thus also <br /> affecting in a small, but growing way, the median age for the <br /> County. By far the largest factor at work however, is still the <br /> University of North Carolina, with its substantial impact on the age <br /> group 18-25. <br /> 4 • <br />