• county
  • FIPS 37099
  • Largest town: Sylva

Jackson County, North Carolina

Jackson County had 45,281 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 491.1 square miles of land. It ranks 57th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 46th by land area.

Population
45,281
#57 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,088 in US
Area
491.1 sq mi
#46 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,121 in US
Density
92 / sq mi
#60 of 100 in North Carolina · #972 in US
Median household income
$55,462
#66 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,282 in US

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

Jackson County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Jackson County

Jackson County population, land area and income

Jackson County had 45,281 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 491.1 square miles of land. It ranks 57th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 46th by land area. That works out to 92.2 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents; Jackson County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $55,462 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

45,281

3144th1st

1088th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

491 sq mi

3144th1st

2121st of 3,144 (US)

Density

92.2 / sq mi

3144th1st

972nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$55,462

3143rd1st

2282nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

45,281

100th1st

57th of 100 (NC)

Land area

491 sq mi

100th1st

46th of 100 (NC)

Density

92.2 / sq mi

100th1st

60th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$55,462

100th1st

66th of 100 (NC)

How Jackson County's population changed since 2020

Jackson County gained 3,135 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 7.4%. That ranks 20th 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, Jackson County recorded 1,488 births and 1,838 deaths, a natural change of -350. Net international migration added +382 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +2,183. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 2,183 people.

42.1k202042.5k202143.9k202245.1k202345.3k2024
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
1,488
Deaths
1,838
Net international migration
+382
Net domestic migration
+2,183
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+231

Where Jackson County is

The Census internal point of Jackson County is at 35.285500, -83.124000. 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 Jackson 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: Jackson County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.285500, -83.124000
DMS
35°17'7.80"N 83°07'26.40"W
UTM
17N 306842.3E 3906773.4N
Geohash
dnkbsrwby
Plus code
867R7VPG+69

Towns in Jackson County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Jackson County, 2,703 people together, or 6% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Jackson County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Sylva with 2,694.

  1. 01Sylva2,694
  2. 02Highlands (part)9
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Jackson County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Jackson County, including 1 across a state line. The most populous is Oconee County, SC, with 82,475 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 254.5 miles E of Jackson County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Knoxville, TN (population 198,722), 66.2 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Waynesville, NC (population 10,709), 15.5 miles away.

Jackson County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Jackson County is 37099: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 099. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $55,462.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Jackson County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 45,281. That is up 3,135 people (7.4%) from the July 2020 estimate of 42,146.

What is the FIPS code of Jackson County?

37099. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (099) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Jackson County?

Sylva, with 2,694 residents inside Jackson County in 2024.

Which counties border Jackson County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Oconee County, SC; Haywood County, NC; Macon County, NC; Transylvania County, NC; Swain 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.