Census place 3759280

Sanford

A Census profile of the people, homes, and daily patterns that shape this place.

Official Census name: Sanford city

Relocation snapshot

What stands out in Sanford.

According to the 2025 estimate, Sanford has a population of 34,138 and 1,029 residents per square mile. Of the six relocation measures evaluated, the three largest relative differences from the median among 93 covered North Carolina places are: population density is 1,029/sq mi, below the comparison median of 1,644/sq mi; median home value is $245,400, below the comparison median of $309,100; and median gross rent is $1,052, below the comparison median of $1,246. These unweighted medians compare covered Census places and are not statewide estimates.

population density: 1,029/sq mi
median home value: $245,400
median gross rent: $1,052

National context

Follow the metrics.

Compare Sanford's values with other covered Census places. Rankings are descriptive, not recommendations.

At a glance

A city in numbers.

Population: 34,138
Annual change: +3.1%
Density: 1,029/sq mi
Median age: 34.7 years

Living here

The everyday equation.

Households, homes, education, and the time it takes to get around.

Median household income: $57,586
Median home value: $245,400
Median gross rent: $1,052
Bachelor’s degree or higher: 21.6%
Typical commute: 23.3 min
Drive-alone commute: 77.4%
Public transit commute: 0%
Walked to work: 1%

Housing

Who rents, and what it takes.

Renter share and rent burden help describe the housing choices visible in this place.

Renter-occupied homes: 46.7%
Renters paying 30%+ of income: 49.4%

Work

How the workday lands.

Employment status and working-from-home share add context to income and commuting patterns.

Employed residents 16+: 58.4%
Unemployed residents 16+: 2.7%
Working from home: 8.1%

Community

The everyday infrastructure.

Access, mobility, housing growth, and household composition add another layer to a place's day-to-day picture.

Households with broadband: 73.5%
Homes built 2020+: 2.9%
Households without a vehicle: 5.7%
Households with children: 38.6%
Residents with a disability: 14.6%
Residents without insurance: 15.6%

Environmental context

A record of declared events.

FEMA declarations for Lee County provide historical context, not a forecast or a property-level risk assessment.

Environmental declarations since 2000: 14
Hurricane declarations: 8
Tropical Storm declarations: 3
Severe Storm declarations: 2

Climate normals

The long view of weather.

Thirty-year averages, not a forecast. Temperature and precipitation describe the typical conditions recorded from 1991 through 2020.

Representative station: CHAPEL HILL WILLIAMS AP (30 mi from place center)

Average high: 71.2°F
Average low: 49.9°F
Annual rainfall: 43.6"
Annual snowfall: 0"

Month by month

A year in Sanford.

Typical high and low °F

JFMAMJJASOND

Typical precipitation inches

JFMAMJJASOND

Data vintage

Population is from the 2025 Population Estimates Program. Household, housing, education, and commute data are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year release. Disaster declarations are from FEMA's OpenFEMA dataset and are refreshed with this edition.

Population estimates ACS profile TIGERweb boundary NOAA climate normals FEMA declarations

Similar places

More places to consider.

Selected by the closest mix of population, density, median home value, and average annual high.

Statesville, NC

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 32,181
Median home: $248,000

New Bern, NC

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 34,724
Median home: $240,100

Conway, SC

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 30,627
Median home: $260,900

Keep exploring

Compare Sanford with Statesville →