| | Rutherfordton, NC | Melbourne, FL | United States |
| Population | 3,668 | 83,500 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 55.1% | 51.8% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 44.9% | 48.2% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 43.2 | 42.4 | 38.4 |
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| Population - 2010 | 4,178 | 76,371 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 4,131 | 71,382 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 3,617 | 59,646 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | -1.0% | 16.8% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 13.1% | 39.8% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 890.3 | 1,896.0 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 4.1 | 44.0 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.0 | 5.8 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Rutherfordton, NC | Melbourne, FL | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 6.1% | 4.7% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 10.1% | 4.6% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 3.5% | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 1.7% | 3.2% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 1.0% | 4.0% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 2.3% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 15.0% | 14.7% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 13.1% | 10.4% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 4.3% | 11.8% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 7.2% | 7.4% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 7.6% | 6.9% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 15.5% | 11.9% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 10.0% | 5.8% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 2.8% | 3.9% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Rutherfordton, NC | Melbourne, FL | United States |
| White | 84.0% | 69.2% | 59.4% |
| Black | 4.9% | 9.6% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 0.2% | 4.0% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.1% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 6.6% | 4.1% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 4.0% | 12.4% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Rutherfordton, NC | Melbourne, FL | United States |
| Married Population | 47.5% | 43.7% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 41.4% | 41.9% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 6.1% | 1.7% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 52.5% | 56.3% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 27.0% | 33.3% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 16.9% | 15.0% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 8.6% | 8.0% | 5.6% |
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| Household Size | 2.21 | 2.35 | 2.60 |
| Households | 1,533 | 34,473 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 802 | 18,851 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 23.1% | 24.4% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 46.0% | 46.0% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 731 | 15,622 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 23.7% | 16.5% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 7.2% | 13.1% | 10.8% |