• county
  • FIPS 37105
  • Largest town: Sanford

Lee County, North Carolina

Lee County had 68,537 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 255.1 square miles of land. It ranks 41st of 100 in North Carolina by population and 89th by land area.

Population
68,537
#41 of 100 in North Carolina · #802 in US
Area
255.1 sq mi
#89 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,896 in US
Density
269 / sq mi
#23 of 100 in North Carolina · #476 in US
Median household income
$62,680
#39 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,584 in US

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

Lee County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Lee County

Lee County population, land area and income

Lee County had 68,537 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 255.1 square miles of land. It ranks 41st of 100 in North Carolina by population and 89th by land area. That works out to 268.7 people per square mile, 2.8 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

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

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $62,680 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

68,537

3144th1st

802nd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

255 sq mi

3144th1st

2896th of 3,144 (US)

Density

268.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

476th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$62,680

3143rd1st

1584th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

68,537

100th1st

41st of 100 (NC)

Land area

255 sq mi

100th1st

89th of 100 (NC)

Density

268.7 / sq mi

100th1st

23rd of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$62,680

100th1st

39th of 100 (NC)

How Lee County's population changed since 2020

Lee County gained 5,135 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 8.1%. That ranks 14th 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, Lee County recorded 3,367 births and 3,217 deaths, a natural change of +150. Net international migration added +1,306 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +3,648. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 3,648 people.

63.4k202064.0k202165.7k202267.4k202368.5k2024
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
3,367
Deaths
3,217
Net international migration
+1,306
Net domestic migration
+3,648
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+1,116

Where Lee County is

The Census internal point of Lee County is at 35.476300, -79.172100. 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 Lee 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: Lee County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.476300, -79.172100
DMS
35°28'34.68"N 79°10'19.56"W
UTM
17N 665835.9E 3927400.6N
Geohash
dnr9y6k8k
Plus code
8772FRGH+G5

Towns in Lee County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Lee County, 34,333 people together, or 50% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Lee County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Sanford with 32,971.

  1. 01Sanford32,971
  2. 02Broadway1,362
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Lee County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 3 neighbors for Lee County. The most populous is Harnett County, NC, with 146,096 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 36.6 miles NE of Lee County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Cary, NC (population 182,659), 28.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Sanford, NC (population 32,971), 1.2 miles away.

Lee County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Lee County is 37105: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 105. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $62,680.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Lee County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 68,537. That is up 5,135 people (8.1%) from the July 2020 estimate of 63,402.

What is the FIPS code of Lee County?

37105. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (105) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Lee County?

Sanford, with 32,971 residents inside Lee County in 2024.

Which counties border Lee County?

3 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Harnett County, NC; Moore County, NC; Chatham 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.