• county
  • FIPS 37027
  • Largest town: Lenoir

Caldwell County, North Carolina

Caldwell County had 80,739 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 471.9 square miles of land. It ranks 35th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 48th by land area.

Population
80,739
#35 of 100 in North Carolina · #723 in US
Area
471.9 sq mi
#48 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,184 in US
Density
171 / sq mi
#35 of 100 in North Carolina · #623 in US
Median household income
$56,239
#62 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,208 in US

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

Caldwell County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Caldwell County

Caldwell County population, land area and income

Caldwell County had 80,739 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 471.9 square miles of land. It ranks 35th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 48th by land area. That works out to 171.1 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; Caldwell County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $56,239 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

80,739

3144th1st

723rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

472 sq mi

3144th1st

2184th of 3,144 (US)

Density

171.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

623rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$56,239

3143rd1st

2208th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

80,739

100th1st

35th of 100 (NC)

Land area

472 sq mi

100th1st

48th of 100 (NC)

Density

171.1 / sq mi

100th1st

35th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$56,239

100th1st

62nd of 100 (NC)

How Caldwell County's population changed since 2020

Caldwell County gained 155 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 0.2%. That ranks 86th 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, Caldwell County recorded 3,221 births and 5,401 deaths, a natural change of -2,180. Net international migration added +200 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +2,009. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 2,180 people.

80.6k202080.5k202180.3k202280.6k202380.7k2024
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
3,221
Deaths
5,401
Net international migration
+200
Net domestic migration
+2,009
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+160

Where Caldwell County is

The Census internal point of Caldwell County is at 35.966400, -81.512500. 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 Caldwell 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: Caldwell County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.966400, -81.512500
DMS
35°57'59.04"N 81°30'45.00"W
UTM
17N 453789.8E 3980343.1N
Geohash
dnqh95krm
Plus code
867WXF8Q+H2

Towns in Caldwell County

8 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Caldwell County, 38,581 people together, or 48% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Caldwell County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Lenoir with 18,280.

  1. 01Lenoir18,280
  2. 02Sawmills5,059
  3. 03Granite Falls4,942
  4. 04Hudson3,771
  5. 05Gamewell3,699
  6. 06Cajah's Mountain2,699
  7. 07Blowing Rock (part)97
  8. 08Hickory (part)34
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Caldwell County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Caldwell 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 161.4 miles E of Caldwell County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Concord, NC (population 112,395), 63.2 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Lenoir, NC (population 18,280), 4.1 miles away.

Caldwell County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Caldwell County is 37027: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 027. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $56,239.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Caldwell County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 80,739. That is up 155 people (0.2%) from the July 2020 estimate of 80,584.

What is the FIPS code of Caldwell County?

37027. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (027) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Caldwell County?

Lenoir, with 18,280 residents inside Caldwell County in 2024.

Which counties border Caldwell County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Catawba County, NC; Burke County, NC; Wilkes County, NC; Watauga County, NC; Alexander 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.