Census Data for Lumberton

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Lumberton a population of 20,506 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Lumberton a population of 21,542 people.

The city of Lumberton is located in Robeson County. The 2010 Census gave Robeson County; a population of 134,168 people. This means that Lumberton had 16.06% of the county's total population, making it Robeson's most populous community.

At the same time, North Carolina had a population of 9,535,483 people, meaning that Lumberton had 0.23% of the total population of North Carolina - making it the state's 42nd most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Lumberton has a total area of 17.97 square miles [46.5 km²]. Of this total, a small amount of the area is covered by water (0.08 square miles [0.2 km²]).

Robeson County has a land area of 949 square miles [2,458.5 km²]. At 17.89 square miles [46.3 km²], Lumberton has 1.89% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Lumberton, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Lumberton reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Lumberton might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   34° 37' 50"   (or 34.63°)
  • Lon:   -79° 1' 3"   (or -79.02°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Lumberton had 8,877 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 21,542 people, this averages 2.43 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Lumberton had a land area of 17.89 square miles [46.3 km²]. This translates to 493.9 Housing Units per square mile [190.7 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Lumberton had 8,800 Housing Units, a population of 20,795 people and a land area of 15.72 square miles [40.7 km²]. This gives a density of 2.36 people per Housing Unit and 556 Housing Units per square mile [215.1 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Lumberton and you need to be careful when comparing between the censuses. More information about the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Robeson County ...

Lumberton is located in Robeson County<4> and is the County Seat for Robeson County.

The county had a population of 134,168 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 21,542 people, Lumberton represented 16.06% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Lumberton has a population density of 1,198 people per square mile [462.8 people/km²], Robeson County averages 141.3 people per square mile [54.6 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Robeson County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Lumberton, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Lumberton. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Lumberton or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Lumberton, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Lumberton.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   34.630725°   (or 34°37'50" N)
  • Lon:   -79.017563°   (or -79°1'3" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   34.627239°   (or 34°37'38" N)
  • Lon:   -79.011947°   (or -79°0'43" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 2,110 feet to the northwest<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2404974) to Lumberton. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Lumberton. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   34.630579°   (or 34°37'50" N)
  • Lon:   -79.017821°   (or -79°1'4" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 93.9 feet to the northeast<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Lumberton. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Lumberton.

Miscellaneous Information for Lumberton ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Robeson County or the city of Lumberton:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Lumberton:
  • GNIS ID for Lumberton: 2404974
  • GNIS ID for Robeson County: 1026130
  • GNIS ID for State of North Carolina: 1027616

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 37 (North Carolina)
  • County Code: 155 (Robeson County)
  • Place Code: 39700 (Lumberton)
  • State & County Code: 37/155 (North Carolina / Robeson County)
  • State & Place Code: 37/39700 (North Carolina / Lumberton)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Lumberton is located in Census Region #3 (the South Region) and Division #5 (the South Atlantic Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used a ZIP code to identify a community, the purpose of the ZIP code was to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although the ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Lumberton, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Lumberton. It's important to remember that the boundaries of a ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • The ZIP code for Lumberton:28358<7>

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Lumberton.

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Lumberton: www.ci.lumberton.nc.us/

The official website for Robeson County: www.co.robeson.nc.us/

The official website for State of North Carolina: https://www.nc.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)