Who's struggling to get by in Winston-Salem?

The share of residents in Winston-Salem, NC living below the federal poverty line, how it has changed since 2015 and how it compares with the county, the state and the country.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, tables B17001 and B19013.

This story was assembled using AI and public data sources.

How many people in Winston-Salem live below the poverty line?

Residents below the federal poverty line: 17.9% — About 43,179 people · U.S.: 12.4%

Poverty rate

• Winston-Salem: 17.9
• Forsyth County: 14.7
• NC: 13.2
• U.S.: 12.4

Median household income: $57,673 — U.S.: $78,538

Poverty rate, 2015 to 2023

• 2015: 24.8
• 2023: 17.9

What it means

Winston-Salem's poverty rate is far higher than the national figure — 17.9% here versus 12.4% nationally.

Since 2015 the rate has fallen by about 6.9 percentage points.

The federal poverty threshold is the same nationwide and is not adjusted for local housing costs, so a high-cost city can look better on this measure than it feels to residents.