• county
  • FIPS 37109
  • Largest town: Lincolnton

Lincoln County, North Carolina

Lincoln County had 97,611 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 295.9 square miles of land. It ranks 31st of 100 in North Carolina by population and 82nd by land area.

Population
97,611
#31 of 100 in North Carolina · #636 in US
Area
295.9 sq mi
#82 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,815 in US
Density
330 / sq mi
#16 of 100 in North Carolina · #401 in US
Median household income
$79,109
#13 of 100 in North Carolina · #505 in US

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

Lincoln County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Lincoln County

Lincoln County population, land area and income

Lincoln County had 97,611 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 295.9 square miles of land. It ranks 31st of 100 in North Carolina by population and 82nd by land area. That works out to 329.9 people per square mile, 3.4 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

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

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $79,109 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

97,611

3144th1st

636th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

296 sq mi

3144th1st

2815th of 3,144 (US)

Density

329.9 / sq mi

3144th1st

401st of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$79,109

3143rd1st

505th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

97,611

100th1st

31st of 100 (NC)

Land area

296 sq mi

100th1st

82nd of 100 (NC)

Density

329.9 / sq mi

100th1st

16th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$79,109

100th1st

13th of 100 (NC)

How Lincoln County's population changed since 2020

Lincoln County gained 10,442 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 12.0%. That ranks 6th 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, Lincoln County recorded 3,927 births and 4,392 deaths, a natural change of -465. Net international migration added +759 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +10,447. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 10,447 people.

87.2k202089.9k202193.1k202295.8k202397.6k2024
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
3,927
Deaths
4,392
Net international migration
+759
Net domestic migration
+10,447
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+1,825

Where Lincoln County is

The Census internal point of Lincoln County is at 35.488500, -81.226900. 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 Lincoln 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: Lincoln County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.488500, -81.226900
DMS
35°29'18.60"N 81°13'36.84"W
UTM
17N 479418.8E 3927241.7N
Geohash
dnq1zskrk
Plus code
867WFQQF+C6

Towns in Lincoln County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Lincoln County, 12,355 people together, or 13% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Lincoln County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Lincolnton with 12,353.

  1. 01Lincolnton12,353
  2. 02Maiden (part)2
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Lincoln County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Lincoln County. The most populous is Mecklenburg County, NC, with 1,206,285 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 146.7 miles E of Lincoln County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Charlotte, NC (population 943,476), 29.5 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Lincolnton, NC (population 12,353), 1.1 miles away.

Lincoln County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Lincoln County is 37109: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 109. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $79,109.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Lincoln County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 97,611. That is up 10,442 people (12.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 87,169.

What is the FIPS code of Lincoln County?

37109. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (109) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Lincoln County?

Lincolnton, with 12,353 residents inside Lincoln County in 2024.

Which counties border Lincoln County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Mecklenburg County, NC; Gaston County, NC; Iredell County, NC; Catawba County, NC; Cleveland County, NC; Burke 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.