• county
  • FIPS 37019
  • Largest town: Leland

Brunswick County, North Carolina

Brunswick County had 167,112 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 850.1 square miles of land. It ranks 18th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 6th by land area.

Population
167,112
#18 of 100 in North Carolina · #419 in US
Area
850.1 sq mi
#6 of 100 in North Carolina · #981 in US
Density
197 / sq mi
#28 of 100 in North Carolina · #571 in US
Median household income
$76,797
#16 of 100 in North Carolina · #586 in US

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

Brunswick County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Brunswick County

Brunswick County population, land area and income

Brunswick County had 167,112 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 850.1 square miles of land. It ranks 18th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 6th by land area. That works out to 196.6 people per square mile, 2.0 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents, so Brunswick County is 3.2 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $76,797 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

167,112

3144th1st

419th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

850 sq mi

3144th1st

981st of 3,144 (US)

Density

196.6 / sq mi

3144th1st

571st of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$76,797

3143rd1st

586th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

167,112

100th1st

18th of 100 (NC)

Land area

850 sq mi

100th1st

6th of 100 (NC)

Density

196.6 / sq mi

100th1st

28th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$76,797

100th1st

16th of 100 (NC)

How Brunswick County's population changed since 2020

Brunswick County gained 28,945 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 20.9%. That ranks 1st 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, Brunswick County recorded 4,690 births and 8,431 deaths, a natural change of -3,741. Net international migration added +180 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +33,821. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 33,821 people.

138.2k2020144.9k2021152.8k2022159.9k2023167.1k2024
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
4,690
Deaths
8,431
Net international migration
+180
Net domestic migration
+33,821
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+7,257

Where Brunswick County is

The Census internal point of Brunswick County is at 34.038800, -78.227800. 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 Brunswick 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: Brunswick County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
34.038800, -78.227800
DMS
34°02'19.68"N 78°13'40.08"W
UTM
17N 755927.8E 3769925.3N
Geohash
dq03eus62
Plus code
87632QQC+GV

Towns in Brunswick County

12 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Brunswick County, 86,355 people together, or 52% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Brunswick County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Leland with 34,451.

  1. 01Leland34,451
  2. 02Oak Island9,322
  3. 03St. James7,315
  4. 04Boiling Spring Lakes6,738
  5. 05Carolina Shores5,463
  6. 06Shallotte5,161
  7. 07Sunset Beach4,521
  8. 08Southport4,341
  9. 09Belville3,255
  10. 10Calabash2,975
  11. 11Navassa1,776
  12. 12Northwest1,037
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Brunswick County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Brunswick County, including 1 across a state line. The most populous is Horry County, SC, with 413,391 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 122.5 miles N of Brunswick County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Wilmington, NC (population 125,284), 22.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Leland, NC (population 34,451), 16.0 miles away.

Brunswick County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Brunswick County is 37019: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 019. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $76,797.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Brunswick County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 167,112. That is up 28,945 people (20.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 138,167.

What is the FIPS code of Brunswick County?

37019. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (019) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Brunswick County?

Leland, with 34,451 residents inside Brunswick County in 2024.

Which counties border Brunswick County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Horry County, SC; New Hanover County, NC; Pender 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.