• county
  • FIPS 37081
  • Largest town: Greensboro

Guilford County, North Carolina

Guilford County had 558,816 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 646.0 square miles of land. It ranks 3rd of 100 in North Carolina by population and 22nd by land area.

Population
558,816
#3 of 100 in North Carolina · #129 in US
Area
646.0 sq mi
#22 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,467 in US
Density
865 / sq mi
#6 of 100 in North Carolina · #177 in US
Median household income
$65,890
#28 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,308 in US

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

Guilford County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Guilford County

Guilford County population, land area and income

Guilford County had 558,816 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 646.0 square miles of land. It ranks 3rd of 100 in North Carolina by population and 22nd by land area. That works out to 865.1 people per square mile, 9.0 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 Guilford County is 10.6 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $65,890 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

558,816

3144th1st

129th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

646 sq mi

3144th1st

1467th of 3,144 (US)

Density

865.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

177th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$65,890

3143rd1st

1308th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

558,816

100th1st

3rd of 100 (NC)

Land area

646 sq mi

100th1st

22nd of 100 (NC)

Density

865.1 / sq mi

100th1st

6th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$65,890

100th1st

28th of 100 (NC)

How Guilford County's population changed since 2020

Guilford County gained 20,055 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 3.7%. That ranks 41st 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, Guilford County recorded 24,962 births and 22,904 deaths, a natural change of +2,058. Net international migration added +12,912 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +3,038. The largest single component was international migration, which added 12,912 people.

538.8k2020542.1k2021547.2k2022552.9k2023558.8k2024
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
24,962
Deaths
22,904
Net international migration
+12,912
Net domestic migration
+3,038
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+5,936

Where Guilford County is

The Census internal point of Guilford County is at 36.079100, -79.788700. 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 Guilford 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: Guilford County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
36.079100, -79.788700
DMS
36°04'44.76"N 79°47'19.32"W
UTM
17N 609065.0E 3993400.8N
Geohash
dnrm0rgxu
Plus code
878236H6+JG

Towns in Guilford County

11 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Guilford County, 461,439 people together, or 83% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Guilford County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Greensboro with 307,381.

  1. 01Greensboro307,381
  2. 02High Point (part)111,038
  3. 03Summerfield11,333
  4. 04Oak Ridge7,900
  5. 05Stokesdale6,111
  6. 06Gibsonville (part)5,153
  7. 07Pleasant Garden5,151
  8. 08Jamestown3,773
  9. 09Burlington (part)2,617
  10. 10Kernersville (part)587
  11. 11Archdale (part)395
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Guilford County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Guilford County. The most populous is Forsyth County, NC, with 398,143 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 67.6 miles ESE of Guilford County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Greensboro, NC (population 307,381), 2.2 miles away.

Guilford County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Guilford County is 37081: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 081. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $65,890.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Guilford County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 558,816. That is up 20,055 people (3.7%) from the July 2020 estimate of 538,761.

What is the FIPS code of Guilford County?

37081. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (081) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Guilford County?

Greensboro, with 307,381 residents inside Guilford County in 2024.

Which counties border Guilford County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Forsyth County, NC; Alamance County, NC; Davidson County, NC; Randolph County, NC; Rockingham County, NC; Stokes 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.