LabCorp, one of the largest clinical laboratory companies in the world, has its headquarters and several testing facilities in Burlington. LabCorp is Alamance County's largest employer, employing over 3,000 people in the county.
Honda Aero, a subsidiary of Honda, recently announced that it will move its corporate headquarters to Burlington and build a $27 million plant at the Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport where it will build its HF120 jet engines for use in very light jets.
Biscuitville, a regional fast food chain, is based in Burlington. Burlington is also the operations headquarters for Gold Toe Brands, a manufacturer of socks.
The Times-News (Burlington, North Carolina), Burlington's only daily newspaper, and the area's dominant media outlet.
As of the census of 2000, there were 44,917 people, 18,280 households, and 11,754 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,111.0 people per square mile (815.0/km²). There were 19,567 housing units at an average density of 919.6/sq mi (355.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.27% White, 25.05% African American, 0.34% Native American, 1.71% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.16% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.07% of the population.
There were 18,280 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,301, and the median income for a family was $45,441. Males had a median income of $31,697 versus $22,466 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,640. About 9.7% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.
Amtrak's Carolinian and Piedmont train connects Burlington with the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Raleigh and Charlotte. The Amtrak station is situated at 101 North Main Street.