• county
  • FIPS 37003
  • Largest town: Taylorsville

Alexander County, North Carolina

Alexander County had 36,693 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 260.0 square miles of land. It ranks 67th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 88th by land area.

Population
36,693
#67 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,276 in US
Area
260.0 sq mi
#88 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,888 in US
Density
141 / sq mi
#43 of 100 in North Carolina · #726 in US
Median household income
$62,976
#38 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,562 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Alexander County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Alexander County

Alexander County population, land area and income

Alexander County had 36,693 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 260.0 square miles of land. It ranks 67th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 88th by land area. That works out to 141.1 people per square mile, 1.5 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents; Alexander County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $62,976 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

36,693

3144th1st

1276th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

260 sq mi

3144th1st

2888th of 3,144 (US)

Density

141.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

726th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$62,976

3143rd1st

1562nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

36,693

100th1st

67th of 100 (NC)

Land area

260 sq mi

100th1st

88th of 100 (NC)

Density

141.1 / sq mi

100th1st

43rd of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$62,976

100th1st

38th of 100 (NC)

How Alexander County's population changed since 2020

Alexander County gained 283 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 0.8%. That ranks 79th of 100 in North Carolina for growth. The median North Carolina county changed by +2.7%, and the state as a whole by +5.7%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Alexander County recorded 1,444 births and 2,198 deaths, a natural change of -754. Net international migration added +24 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +959. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 959 people.

36.4k202036.3k202136.2k202236.4k202336.7k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
1,444
Deaths
2,198
Net international migration
+24
Net domestic migration
+959
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+266

Where Alexander County is

The Census internal point of Alexander County is at 35.921000, -81.177500. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades North Carolina's 100 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Alexander County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Scotland County: +1.4%Rockingham County: +2.5%Franklin County: +15.6%Caswell County: -0.5%Stokes County: +2.9%Granville County: +2.3%Edgecombe County: +0.7%Randolph County: +2.8%Alexander County: +0.8%Person County: +2.4%Cherokee County: +5.2%Ashe County: +2.5%Davidson County: +5.2%Cabarrus County: +7.8%Mecklenburg County: +8.1%Burke County: +1.5%Cumberland County: +0.4%Northampton County: -4.9%Buncombe County: +3.5%Wilson County: +0.8%Bladen County: +0.5%Pitt County: +4.1%Yancey County: +2.7%Stanly County: +7.4%Harnett County: +9.3%Wilkes County: +0.5%Tyrrell County: +8.8%Pamlico County: +1.9%Hoke County: +6.0%Transylvania County: +2.5%Carteret County: +3.8%Durham County: +6.5%Anson County: +1.8%Pender County: +15.6%Alamance County: +6.7%Polk County: +4.9%Lenoir County: +0.5%Washington County: -3.0%Avery County: -0.0%Hyde County: +1.5%Gates County: -1.4%Davie County: +5.8%Jackson County: +7.4%Montgomery County: +2.5%Martin County: -2.0%Pasquotank County: +2.9%Perquimans County: +3.4%Cleveland County: +2.3%Sampson County: +2.3%Catawba County: +3.8%Alleghany County: +4.5%Robeson County: +2.3%Macon County: +4.4%Clay County: +8.0%Haywood County: +1.3%Duplin County: +3.8%Henderson County: +3.6%Craven County: +2.6%Warren County: +2.6%Graham County: +1.7%Union County: +9.9%Wayne County: +2.2%Gaston County: +5.9%Guilford County: +3.7%Yadkin County: +2.0%Watauga County: +1.0%Rowan County: +4.4%Swain County: -1.1%Chatham County: +9.4%Bertie County: -4.4%Halifax County: -2.9%Forsyth County: +4.1%Onslow County: +3.8%Dare County: +3.1%Chowan County: +1.3%Brunswick County: +20.9%Johnston County: +14.9%Orange County: +6.4%Currituck County: +13.6%New Hanover County: +7.5%Richmond County: -1.7%Vance County: -0.5%Iredell County: +9.9%Lincoln County: +12.0%Caldwell County: +0.2%McDowell County: +1.6%Rutherford County: +1.9%Mitchell County: +0.9%Moore County: +8.1%Columbus County: -0.8%Lee County: +8.1%Greene County: +1.1%Madison County: +5.0%Camden County: +7.5%Hertford County: -12.0%Beaufort County: -0.3%Jones County: +3.5%Wake County: +9.0%Nash County: +3.0%Surry County: +0.2%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.5%
  2. < +2.3%
  3. < +3.7%
  4. < +7.4%
  5. ≥ +7.4%
no data

Orange pin: Alexander County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.921000, -81.177500
DMS
35°55'15.60"N 81°10'39.00"W
UTM
17N 483986.4E 3975200.8N
Geohash
dnqk2g0qg
Plus code
867WWRCC+9X

Towns in Alexander County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Alexander County, 2,294 people together, or 6% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Alexander County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Taylorsville with 2,294.

  1. 01Taylorsville2,294
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Alexander County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Alexander County. The most populous is Iredell County, NC, with 206,361 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 142.5 miles E of Alexander County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Concord, NC (population 112,395), 47.5 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Hickory, NC (population 45,081), 14.9 miles away.

Alexander County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Alexander County is 37003: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 003. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $62,976.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Alexander County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 36,693. That is up 283 people (0.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 36,410.

What is the FIPS code of Alexander County?

37003. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (003) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Alexander County?

Taylorsville, with 2,294 residents inside Alexander County in 2024.

Which counties border Alexander County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Iredell County, NC; Catawba County, NC; Caldwell County, NC; Wilkes County, NC.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.