Elon is a medium-sized town located in the state of North Carolina. With a population of 11,520 people and two associated neighborhoods, Elon is the 85th largest community in North Carolina.Unlike some towns, Elon isn’t mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Elon are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Elon is a town of service providers, managers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Elon who work in management occupations (16.23%), food service (14.19%), and office and administrative support (12.53%). Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 14.90% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes. Elon is a small town where college students really create the town feel and character. So many small towns have lost population over the last 20-30 years that having the local college presence in the Elon area, with all of the energy of the students filling area dorms and apartments each fall, really helps Elon maintain a good economy. As is often the case in a small town, Elon doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.If knowledge is power, Elon is a pretty powerful place. 52.10% of the adults in Elon have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns. The per capita income in Elon in 2022 was $28,817, which is middle income relative to North Carolina, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $115,268 for a family of four. However, Elon contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Elon is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Elon home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Elon residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Elon include German, English, Irish, Italian, and Scots-Irish. The most common language spoken in Elon is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.
