Census Data for Rockingham

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Rockingham a population of 8,682 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Rockingham a population of 9,558 people.

The city of Rockingham is located in Richmond County. The 2010 Census gave Richmond County; a population of 46,635 people. This means that Rockingham had 20.5% of the county's total population, making it Richmond's most populous community.

At the same time, North Carolina had a population of 9,535,483 people, meaning that Rockingham had 0.1% of the total population of North Carolina - making it the state's 87th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Rockingham has a total area of 7.69 square miles [19.9 km²]. Of this total, a small amount of the area is covered by water (0.03 square miles [0.1 km²]).

Richmond County has a land area of 473.8 square miles [1,227.2 km²]. At 7.66 square miles [19.8 km²], Rockingham has 1.62% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Rockingham, 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 Rockingham reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Rockingham 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° 56' 18"   (or 34.94°)
  • Lon:   -79° 45' 37"   (or -79.76°)
  • 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, Rockingham had 4,544 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 9,558 people, this averages 2.1 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Rockingham had a land area of 7.66 square miles [19.8 km²]. This translates to 590 Housing Units per square mile [228.1 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Rockingham had 4,375 Housing Units, a population of 9,672 people and a land area of 7.29 square miles [18.9 km²]. This gives a density of 2.21 people per Housing Unit and 597 Housing Units per square mile [230.8 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 Census and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Rockingham and you need to be careful when comparing values between the censuses. More information about the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Richmond County ...

The city of Rockingham is located in Richmond County<4> and is the County Seat for Richmond County.

The county had a population of 46,635 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 9,558 people, Rockingham represented 20.5% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Rockingham has a population density of 1,242 people per square mile [479.8 people/km²], Richmond County averages 98.4 people per square mile [38 people/km²].

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

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Rockingham, 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 Rockingham. 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 Rockingham 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 Rockingham, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Rockingham.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   34.938562°   (or 34°56'18" N)
  • Lon:   -79.760317°   (or -79°45'37" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   34.939528°   (or 34°56'22" N)
  • Lon:   -79.761236°   (or -79°45'40" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 446.6 feet to the southeast<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 (#2404637) to Rockingham. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Rockingham. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   34.938944°   (or 34°56'20" N)
  • Lon:   -79.760621°   (or -79°45'38" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 166.3 feet to the southeast<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Rockingham. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Rockingham.

Miscellaneous Information for Rockingham ...

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 Richmond County or the city of Rockingham:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Rockingham:
  • GNIS ID for Rockingham: 2404637
  • GNIS ID for Richmond County: 1008581
  • 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: 153 (Richmond County)
  • Place Code: 57260 (Rockingham)
  • State & County Code: 37/153 (North Carolina / Richmond County)
  • State & Place Code: 37/57260 (North Carolina / Rockingham)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Rockingham 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 Rockingham, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Rockingham. 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 Rockingham:28379-28380<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 Rockingham.