• county
  • FIPS 37101
  • Largest town: Clayton

Johnston County, North Carolina

Johnston County had 249,794 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 792.0 square miles of land. It ranks 9th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 10th by land area.

Population
249,794
#9 of 100 in North Carolina · #293 in US
Area
792.0 sq mi
#10 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,085 in US
Density
315 / sq mi
#19 of 100 in North Carolina · #417 in US
Median household income
$79,666
#11 of 100 in North Carolina · #487 in US

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

Johnston County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Johnston County

Johnston County population, land area and income

Johnston County had 249,794 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 792.0 square miles of land. It ranks 9th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 10th by land area. That works out to 315.4 people per square mile, 3.3 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 Johnston County is 4.7 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $79,666 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

249,794

3144th1st

293rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

792 sq mi

3144th1st

1085th of 3,144 (US)

Density

315.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

417th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$79,666

3143rd1st

487th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

249,794

100th1st

9th of 100 (NC)

Land area

792 sq mi

100th1st

10th of 100 (NC)

Density

315.4 / sq mi

100th1st

19th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$79,666

100th1st

11th of 100 (NC)

How Johnston County's population changed since 2020

Johnston County gained 32,368 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 14.9%. That ranks 4th 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, Johnston County recorded 11,762 births and 8,316 deaths, a natural change of +3,446. Net international migration added +2,817 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +27,610. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 27,610 people.

217.4k2020227.0k2021234.8k2022242.4k2023249.8k2024
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
11,762
Deaths
8,316
Net international migration
+2,817
Net domestic migration
+27,610
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+7,436

Where Johnston County is

The Census internal point of Johnston County is at 35.513400, -78.367300. 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 Johnston 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: Johnston County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.513400, -78.367300
DMS
35°30'48.24"N 78°22'2.28"W
UTM
17N 738755.6E 3933167.3N
Geohash
dq2609n8t
Plus code
8773GJ7M+93

Towns in Johnston County

10 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Johnston County, 72,750 people together, or 29% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Johnston County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Clayton with 31,732.

  1. 01Clayton31,732
  2. 02Smithfield12,806
  3. 03Selma7,228
  4. 04Archer Lodge5,522
  5. 05Benson4,534
  6. 06Wilson's Mills2,913
  7. 07Four Oaks2,681
  8. 08Pine Level2,347
  9. 09Princeton1,507
  10. 10Kenly (part)1,480
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Johnston County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Johnston County. The most populous is Wake County, NC, with 1,232,444 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 23.9 miles NW of Johnston County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Raleigh, NC (population 499,825), 26.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Smithfield, NC (population 12,806), 1.1 miles away.

Johnston County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Johnston County is 37101: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 101. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $79,666.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Johnston County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 249,794. That is up 32,368 people (14.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 217,426.

What is the FIPS code of Johnston County?

37101. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (101) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Johnston County?

Clayton, with 31,732 residents inside Johnston County in 2024.

Which counties border Johnston County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Wake County, NC; Harnett County, NC; Wayne County, NC; Nash County, NC; Wilson County, NC; Franklin County, NC; Sampson 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.