• county
  • FIPS 37035
  • Largest town: Hickory

Catawba County, North Carolina

Catawba County had 167,054 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 401.4 square miles of land. It ranks 19th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 61st by land area.

Population
167,054
#19 of 100 in North Carolina · #420 in US
Area
401.4 sq mi
#61 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,521 in US
Density
416 / sq mi
#13 of 100 in North Carolina · #336 in US
Median household income
$65,898
#27 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,306 in US

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

Catawba County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

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Catawba County population, land area and income

Catawba County had 167,054 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 401.4 square miles of land. It ranks 19th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 61st by land area. That works out to 416.2 people per square mile, 4.3 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 Catawba County is 3.2 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $65,898 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

167,054

3144th1st

420th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

401 sq mi

3144th1st

2521st of 3,144 (US)

Density

416.2 / sq mi

3144th1st

336th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$65,898

3143rd1st

1306th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

167,054

100th1st

19th of 100 (NC)

Land area

401 sq mi

100th1st

61st of 100 (NC)

Density

416.2 / sq mi

100th1st

13th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$65,898

100th1st

27th of 100 (NC)

How Catawba County's population changed since 2020

Catawba County gained 6,165 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 3.8%. That ranks 38th 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, Catawba County recorded 7,012 births and 8,949 deaths, a natural change of -1,937. Net international migration added +1,233 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +7,019. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 7,019 people.

160.9k2020161.7k2021163.3k2022165.0k2023167.1k2024
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
7,012
Deaths
8,949
Net international migration
+1,233
Net domestic migration
+7,019
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+2,099

Where Catawba County is

The Census internal point of Catawba County is at 35.661900, -81.214900. 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 Catawba 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: Catawba County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.661900, -81.214900
DMS
35°39'42.84"N 81°12'53.64"W
UTM
17N 480549.2E 3946470.5N
Geohash
dnq4zuj1e
Plus code
867WMQ6P+Q2

Towns in Catawba County

6 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Catawba County, 77,423 people together, or 46% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Catawba County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Hickory with 44,962.

  1. 01Hickory (part)44,962
  2. 02Newton13,571
  3. 03Conover8,760
  4. 04Long View (part)4,525
  5. 05Maiden (part)3,852
  6. 06Claremont1,753
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Catawba County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Catawba County. The most populous is Iredell County, NC, with 206,361 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 144.7 miles E of Catawba County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Concord, NC (population 112,395), 37.5 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Newton, NC (population 13,571), 1.0 miles away.

Catawba County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Catawba County is 37035: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 035. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $65,898.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Catawba County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 167,054. That is up 6,165 people (3.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 160,889.

What is the FIPS code of Catawba County?

37035. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (035) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Catawba County?

Hickory, with 44,962 residents inside Catawba County in 2024 (45,081 across all 3 counties it spans).

Which counties border Catawba County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Iredell County, NC; Lincoln County, NC; Burke County, NC; Caldwell County, NC; Alexander 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.