• county
  • FIPS 37047
  • Largest town: Whiteville

Columbus County, North Carolina

Columbus County had 50,054 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 938.2 square miles of land. It ranks 52nd of 100 in North Carolina by population and 3rd by land area.

Population
50,054
#52 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,010 in US
Area
938.2 sq mi
#3 of 100 in North Carolina · #759 in US
Density
53 / sq mi
#82 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,407 in US
Median household income
$50,837
#82 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,660 in US

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

Columbus County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Columbus County

Columbus County population, land area and income

Columbus County had 50,054 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 938.2 square miles of land. It ranks 52nd of 100 in North Carolina by population and 3rd by land area. That works out to 53.4 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents, about the same as Columbus County.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $50,837 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

50,054

3144th1st

1010th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

938 sq mi

3144th1st

759th of 3,144 (US)

Density

53.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

1407th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$50,837

3143rd1st

2660th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

50,054

100th1st

52nd of 100 (NC)

Land area

938 sq mi

100th1st

3rd of 100 (NC)

Density

53.4 / sq mi

100th1st

82nd of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$50,837

100th1st

82nd of 100 (NC)

How Columbus County's population changed since 2020

Columbus County lost 421 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.8%. That ranks 91st 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, Columbus County recorded 2,424 births and 3,634 deaths, a natural change of -1,210. Net international migration added +62 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +549. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 1,210 people.

50.5k202050.0k202150.0k202250.1k202350.1k2024
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
2,424
Deaths
3,634
Net international migration
+62
Net domestic migration
+549
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-86

Where Columbus County is

The Census internal point of Columbus County is at 34.261600, -78.639300. 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 Columbus 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: Columbus County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
34.261600, -78.639300
DMS
34°15'41.76"N 78°38'21.48"W
UTM
17N 717357.7E 3793684.0N
Geohash
dq04ft0s7
Plus code
87637966+J7

Towns in Columbus County

4 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Columbus County, 11,274 people together, or 23% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Columbus County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Whiteville with 4,688.

  1. 01Whiteville4,688
  2. 02Tabor City3,831
  3. 03Chadbourn1,528
  4. 04Lake Waccamaw1,227
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Columbus County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Columbus County, including 2 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 104.9 miles N of Columbus County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Wilmington, NC (population 125,284), 43.2 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is North Myrtle Beach, SC (population 20,798), 30.6 miles away.

Columbus County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Columbus County is 37047: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 047. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $50,837.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Columbus County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 50,054. That is down 421 people (0.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 50,475.

What is the FIPS code of Columbus County?

37047. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (047) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Columbus County?

Whiteville, with 4,688 residents inside Columbus County in 2024.

Which counties border Columbus County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Horry County, SC; Brunswick County, NC; Robeson County, NC; Pender County, NC; Bladen County, NC; Dillon County, SC.

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.