• county
  • FIPS 37013
  • Largest town: Washington

Beaufort County, North Carolina

Beaufort County had 44,576 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 832.7 square miles of land. It ranks 59th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 8th by land area.

Population
44,576
#59 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,103 in US
Area
832.7 sq mi
#8 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,010 in US
Density
54 / sq mi
#81 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,406 in US
Median household income
$55,960
#63 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,236 in US

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

Beaufort County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Beaufort County

Beaufort County population, land area and income

Beaufort County had 44,576 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 832.7 square miles of land. It ranks 59th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 8th by land area. That works out to 53.5 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

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

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $55,960 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

44,576

3144th1st

1103rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

833 sq mi

3144th1st

1010th of 3,144 (US)

Density

53.5 / sq mi

3144th1st

1406th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$55,960

3143rd1st

2236th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

44,576

100th1st

59th of 100 (NC)

Land area

833 sq mi

100th1st

8th of 100 (NC)

Density

53.5 / sq mi

100th1st

81st of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$55,960

100th1st

63rd of 100 (NC)

How Beaufort County's population changed since 2020

Beaufort County lost 114 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.3%. That ranks 88th 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, Beaufort County recorded 1,852 births and 2,931 deaths, a natural change of -1,079. Net international migration added +30 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +975. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 1,079 people.

44.7k202044.5k202144.4k202244.4k202344.6k2024
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
1,852
Deaths
2,931
Net international migration
+30
Net domestic migration
+975
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+166

Where Beaufort County is

The Census internal point of Beaufort County is at 35.482300, -76.842000. It sits in UTM zone 18N. The map shades North Carolina's 100 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Beaufort 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: Beaufort County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.482300, -76.842000
DMS
35°28'56.28"N 76°50'31.20"W
UTM
18N 332897.2E 3928089.9N
Geohash
dq33g7m77
Plus code
8775F5J5+W6

Towns in Beaufort County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Beaufort County, 11,144 people together, or 25% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Beaufort County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Washington with 9,738.

  1. 01Washington9,738
  2. 02Belhaven1,406
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Beaufort County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Beaufort County. The most populous is Pitt County, NC, with 180,783 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 103.0 miles WNW of Beaufort County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Suffolk, VA (population 103,105), 84.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is New Bern, NC (population 34,218), 29.6 miles away.

Beaufort County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Beaufort County is 37013: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 013. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $55,960.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Beaufort County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 44,576. That is down 114 people (0.3%) from the July 2020 estimate of 44,690.

What is the FIPS code of Beaufort County?

37013. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (013) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Beaufort County?

Washington, with 9,738 residents inside Beaufort County in 2024.

Which counties border Beaufort County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Pitt County, NC; Craven County, NC; Martin County, NC; Pamlico County, NC; Washington County, NC; Hyde 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.