• county
  • FIPS 37111
  • Largest town: Marion

McDowell County, North Carolina

McDowell County had 45,269 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 440.0 square miles of land. It ranks 58th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 55th by land area.

Population
45,269
#58 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,089 in US
Area
440.0 sq mi
#55 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,304 in US
Density
103 / sq mi
#55 of 100 in North Carolina · #882 in US
Median household income
$53,697
#72 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,434 in US

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

McDowell County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from McDowell County

McDowell County population, land area and income

McDowell County had 45,269 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 440.0 square miles of land. It ranks 58th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 55th by land area. That works out to 102.9 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; McDowell County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $53,697 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

45,269

3144th1st

1089th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

440 sq mi

3144th1st

2304th of 3,144 (US)

Density

102.9 / sq mi

3144th1st

882nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$53,697

3143rd1st

2434th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

45,269

100th1st

58th of 100 (NC)

Land area

440 sq mi

100th1st

55th of 100 (NC)

Density

102.9 / sq mi

100th1st

55th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$53,697

100th1st

72nd of 100 (NC)

How McDowell County's population changed since 2020

McDowell County gained 715 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.6%. That ranks 69th 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, McDowell County recorded 1,619 births and 2,823 deaths, a natural change of -1,204. Net international migration added +373 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,459. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,459 people.

44.6k202044.5k202144.8k202245.0k202345.3k2024
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
1,619
Deaths
2,823
Net international migration
+373
Net domestic migration
+1,459
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+301

Where McDowell County is

The Census internal point of McDowell County is at 35.682300, -82.048000. 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 McDowell 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: McDowell County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.682300, -82.048000
DMS
35°40'56.28"N 82°02'52.80"W
UTM
17N 405167.2E 3949217.7N
Geohash
dnmduzy2r
Plus code
867VMXJ2+WR

Towns in McDowell County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in McDowell County, 7,534 people together, or 17% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside McDowell County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Marion with 7,534.

  1. 01Marion7,534
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering McDowell County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for McDowell County. The most populous is Buncombe County, NC, with 279,210 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 191.3 miles E of McDowell County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Charlotte, NC (population 943,476), 75.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Morganton, NC (population 17,825), 19.9 miles away.

McDowell County FIPS code

The FIPS code of McDowell County is 37111: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 111. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $53,697.

Questions people ask

What is the population of McDowell County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 45,269. That is up 715 people (1.6%) from the July 2020 estimate of 44,554.

What is the FIPS code of McDowell County?

37111. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (111) identify the county.

What is the largest town in McDowell County?

Marion, with 7,534 residents inside McDowell County in 2024.

Which counties border McDowell County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Buncombe County, NC; Burke County, NC; Rutherford County, NC; Yancey County, NC; Avery County, NC; Mitchell 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.