• county
  • FIPS 37113
  • Largest town: Franklin

Macon County, North Carolina

Macon County had 38,717 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 515.6 square miles of land. It ranks 64th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 39th by land area.

Population
38,717
#64 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,214 in US
Area
515.6 sq mi
#39 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,024 in US
Density
75 / sq mi
#68 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,128 in US
Median household income
$58,765
#56 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,964 in US

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

Macon County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Macon County

Macon County population, land area and income

Macon County had 38,717 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 515.6 square miles of land. It ranks 64th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 39th by land area. That works out to 75.1 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

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

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $58,765 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

38,717

3144th1st

1214th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

516 sq mi

3144th1st

2024th of 3,144 (US)

Density

75.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

1128th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$58,765

3143rd1st

1964th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

38,717

100th1st

64th of 100 (NC)

Land area

516 sq mi

100th1st

39th of 100 (NC)

Density

75.1 / sq mi

100th1st

68th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$58,765

100th1st

56th of 100 (NC)

How Macon County's population changed since 2020

Macon County gained 1,622 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 4.4%. That ranks 34th 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, Macon County recorded 1,405 births and 2,564 deaths, a natural change of -1,159. Net international migration added +148 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +2,691. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 2,691 people.

37.1k202037.5k202138.0k202238.4k202338.7k2024
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
1,405
Deaths
2,564
Net international migration
+148
Net domestic migration
+2,691
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+287

Where Macon County is

The Census internal point of Macon County is at 35.153000, -83.421900. 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 Macon 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: Macon County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.153000, -83.421900
DMS
35°09'10.80"N 83°25'18.84"W
UTM
17N 279387.5E 3892695.9N
Geohash
dnhxvxqj0
Plus code
867R5H3H+56

Towns in Macon County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Macon County, 5,472 people together, or 14% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Macon County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Franklin with 4,362.

  1. 01Franklin4,362
  2. 02Highlands (part)1,110
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Macon County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Macon County, including 2 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 272.6 miles E of Macon County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Knoxville, TN (population 198,722), 63.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Waynesville, NC (population 10,709), 33.1 miles away.

Macon County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Macon County is 37113: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 113. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $58,765.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Macon County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 38,717. That is up 1,622 people (4.4%) from the July 2020 estimate of 37,095.

What is the FIPS code of Macon County?

37113. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (113) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Macon County?

Franklin, with 4,362 residents inside Macon County in 2024.

Which counties border Macon County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Oconee County, SC; Jackson County, NC; Cherokee County, NC; Rabun County, GA; Swain County, NC; Clay County, NC; Graham 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.