• county
  • FIPS 37067
  • Largest town: Winston-Salem

Forsyth County, North Carolina

Forsyth County had 398,143 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 408.1 square miles of land. It ranks 4th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 60th by land area.

Population
398,143
#4 of 100 in North Carolina · #193 in US
Area
408.1 sq mi
#60 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,480 in US
Density
976 / sq mi
#5 of 100 in North Carolina · #164 in US
Median household income
$65,556
#30 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,337 in US

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

Forsyth County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Forsyth County

Forsyth County population, land area and income

Forsyth County had 398,143 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 408.1 square miles of land. It ranks 4th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 60th by land area. That works out to 975.7 people per square mile, 10.1 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents, so Forsyth County is 7.5 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $65,556 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

398,143

3144th1st

193rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

408 sq mi

3144th1st

2480th of 3,144 (US)

Density

975.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

164th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$65,556

3143rd1st

1337th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

398,143

100th1st

4th of 100 (NC)

Land area

408 sq mi

100th1st

60th of 100 (NC)

Density

975.7 / sq mi

100th1st

5th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$65,556

100th1st

30th of 100 (NC)

How Forsyth County's population changed since 2020

Forsyth County gained 15,509 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 4.1%. That ranks 36th 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, Forsyth County recorded 19,024 births and 17,638 deaths, a natural change of +1,386. Net international migration added +6,080 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +7,894. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 7,894 people.

382.6k2020385.8k2021389.5k2022393.8k2023398.1k2024
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
19,024
Deaths
17,638
Net international migration
+6,080
Net domestic migration
+7,894
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+4,308

Where Forsyth County is

The Census internal point of Forsyth County is at 36.132500, -80.257000. 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 Forsyth 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: Forsyth County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
36.132500, -80.257000
DMS
36°07'57.00"N 80°15'25.20"W
UTM
17N 566853.2E 3998900.4N
Geohash
dnqvt9wxh
Plus code
868X4PMV+26

Towns in Forsyth County

9 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Forsyth County, 334,047 people together, or 84% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Forsyth County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Winston-Salem with 255,769.

  1. 01Winston-Salem255,769
  2. 02Kernersville (part)28,173
  3. 03Clemmons22,471
  4. 04Lewisville14,203
  5. 05Walkertown6,027
  6. 06Rural Hall3,562
  7. 07Tobaccoville2,740
  8. 08King (part)632
  9. 09High Point (part)470
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Forsyth County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Forsyth County. The most populous is Guilford County, NC, with 558,816 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 93.7 miles ESE of Forsyth County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Winston-Salem, NC (population 255,769), 2.1 miles away.

Forsyth County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Forsyth County is 37067: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 067. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $65,556.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Forsyth County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 398,143. That is up 15,509 people (4.1%) from the July 2020 estimate of 382,634.

What is the FIPS code of Forsyth County?

37067. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (067) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Forsyth County?

Winston-Salem, with 255,769 residents inside Forsyth County in 2024.

Which counties border Forsyth County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Guilford County, NC; Davidson County, NC; Rockingham County, NC; Surry County, NC; Stokes County, NC; Davie County, NC; Yadkin 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.