• county
  • FIPS 37017
  • Largest town: Elizabethtown

Bladen County, North Carolina

Bladen County had 29,777 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 875.0 square miles of land. It ranks 72nd of 100 in North Carolina by population and 4th by land area.

Population
29,777
#72 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,449 in US
Area
875.0 sq mi
#4 of 100 in North Carolina · #927 in US
Density
34 / sq mi
#91 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,817 in US
Median household income
$49,661
#88 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,736 in US

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

Bladen County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Bladen County

Bladen County population, land area and income

Bladen County had 29,777 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 875.0 square miles of land. It ranks 72nd of 100 in North Carolina by population and 4th by land area. That works out to 34.0 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

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

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $49,661 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

29,777

3144th1st

1449th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

875 sq mi

3144th1st

927th of 3,144 (US)

Density

34.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

1817th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$49,661

3143rd1st

2736th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

29,777

100th1st

72nd of 100 (NC)

Land area

875 sq mi

100th1st

4th of 100 (NC)

Density

34.0 / sq mi

100th1st

91st of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$49,661

100th1st

88th of 100 (NC)

How Bladen County's population changed since 2020

Bladen County gained 147 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 0.5%. That ranks 82nd 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, Bladen County recorded 1,486 births and 2,175 deaths, a natural change of -689. Net international migration added +79 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +767. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 767 people.

29.6k202029.6k202129.4k202229.5k202329.8k2024
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
1,486
Deaths
2,175
Net international migration
+79
Net domestic migration
+767
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+272

Where Bladen County is

The Census internal point of Bladen County is at 34.591900, -78.539500. 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 Bladen 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: Bladen County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
34.591900, -78.539500
DMS
34°35'30.84"N 78°32'22.20"W
UTM
17N 725658.6E 3830539.7N
Geohash
dq0huc323
Plus code
8763HFR6+Q6

Towns in Bladen County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Bladen County, 4,932 people together, or 17% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Bladen County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Elizabethtown with 3,290.

  1. 01Elizabethtown3,290
  2. 02Bladenboro1,642
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Bladen County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Bladen County. The most populous is Cumberland County, NC, with 338,430 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 82.3 miles N of Bladen County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fayetteville, NC (population 209,496), 41.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Lumberton, NC (population 18,882), 27.4 miles away.

Bladen County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Bladen County is 37017: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 017. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $49,661.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Bladen County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 29,777. That is up 147 people (0.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 29,630.

What is the FIPS code of Bladen County?

37017. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (017) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Bladen County?

Elizabethtown, with 3,290 residents inside Bladen County in 2024.

Which counties border Bladen County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Cumberland County, NC; Robeson County, NC; Pender County, NC; Sampson County, NC; Columbus 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.