• county
  • FIPS 37023
  • Largest town: Morganton

Burke County, North Carolina

Burke County had 88,545 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 506.2 square miles of land. It ranks 33rd of 100 in North Carolina by population and 42nd by land area.

Population
88,545
#33 of 100 in North Carolina · #675 in US
Area
506.2 sq mi
#42 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,051 in US
Density
175 / sq mi
#33 of 100 in North Carolina · #614 in US
Median household income
$55,616
#65 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,268 in US

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

Burke County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Burke County

Burke County population, land area and income

Burke County had 88,545 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 506.2 square miles of land. It ranks 33rd of 100 in North Carolina by population and 42nd by land area. That works out to 174.9 people per square mile, 1.8 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

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

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $55,616 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

88,545

3144th1st

675th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

506 sq mi

3144th1st

2051st of 3,144 (US)

Density

174.9 / sq mi

3144th1st

614th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$55,616

3143rd1st

2268th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

88,545

100th1st

33rd of 100 (NC)

Land area

506 sq mi

100th1st

42nd of 100 (NC)

Density

174.9 / sq mi

100th1st

33rd of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$55,616

100th1st

65th of 100 (NC)

How Burke County's population changed since 2020

Burke County gained 1,297 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.5%. That ranks 71st 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, Burke County recorded 3,601 births and 5,442 deaths, a natural change of -1,841. Net international migration added +333 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +2,476. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 2,476 people.

87.2k202087.3k202187.7k202288.1k202388.5k2024
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
3,601
Deaths
5,442
Net international migration
+333
Net domestic migration
+2,476
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+398

Where Burke County is

The Census internal point of Burke County is at 35.746200, -81.706200. 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 Burke 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: Burke County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.746200, -81.706200
DMS
35°44'46.32"N 81°42'22.32"W
UTM
17N 436148.0E 3956028.8N
Geohash
dnmgkerke
Plus code
867WP7WV+FG

Towns in Burke County

9 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Burke County, 31,149 people together, or 35% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Burke County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Morganton with 17,825.

  1. 01Morganton17,825
  2. 02Valdese4,713
  3. 03Drexel1,777
  4. 04Hildebran1,680
  5. 05Connelly Springs1,545
  6. 06Glen Alpine1,532
  7. 07Rutherford College1,228
  8. 08Long View (part)764
  9. 09Hickory (part)85
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Burke County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Burke County. The most populous is Catawba County, NC, with 167,054 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 172.0 miles E of Burke County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Charlotte, NC (population 943,476), 61.6 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Morganton, NC (population 17,825), 0.5 miles away.

Burke County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Burke County is 37023: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 023. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $55,616.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Burke County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 88,545. That is up 1,297 people (1.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 87,248.

What is the FIPS code of Burke County?

37023. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (023) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Burke County?

Morganton, with 17,825 residents inside Burke County in 2024.

Which counties border Burke County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Catawba County, NC; Cleveland County, NC; Lincoln County, NC; Caldwell County, NC; Rutherford County, NC; McDowell County, NC; Avery 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.