Before the Civil War, the community was called "The Springs," but it was a hotbed of activity in the mid-19th century. People from miles around flocked to the city to try the natural hot spring water. During this time, the city was incorporated as a town in 1887. Its first store was mentioned in a letter written by a native of the area.
The population of Red Springs is currently 3,451 people. The median age is 24.3 years old. More than half of the city's citizens are high school graduates. Twenty-seven percent of the population has a bachelor's degree. One percent has a master's degree or higher. About 8.6% of the population is Hispanic. The city's poverty rate is high. Nearly one-third of the population lives below the poverty line, while the percentage of children who live in poverty is 70 percent higher. Forty-one percent of families in Red Springs are headed by single parents. The city's unemployment rate is high, with 42.4% of the population aged 65 or older.
One way to estimate the area's affordability is by analyzing its rent burden. The rent burden measures how much of a household's income is spent on rental housing. This metric is particularly useful in determining the level of housing affordability in the city. In Red Springs, the rent burden is higher than the state's average of 30.3%, but lower than the cities of Linden and Rockingham. Another indicator of affordability is the percentage of renters - 61.6% of Red Springs' housing units are occupied by renters.