• county
  • FIPS 37129
  • Largest town: Wilmington

New Hanover County, North Carolina

New Hanover County had 243,333 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 192.2 square miles of land. It ranks 11th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 99th by land area.

Population
243,333
#11 of 100 in North Carolina · #298 in US
Area
192.2 sq mi
#99 of 100 in North Carolina · #3,010 in US
Density
1,266 / sq mi
#3 of 100 in North Carolina · #125 in US
Median household income
$79,106
#14 of 100 in North Carolina · #506 in US

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

New Hanover County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from New Hanover County

New Hanover County population, land area and income

New Hanover County had 243,333 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 192.2 square miles of land. It ranks 11th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 99th by land area. That works out to 1,265.8 people per square mile, 13.2 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents, so New Hanover County is 4.6 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $79,106 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

243,333

3144th1st

298th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

192 sq mi

3144th1st

3010th of 3,144 (US)

Density

1,265.8 / sq mi

3144th1st

125th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$79,106

3143rd1st

506th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

243,333

100th1st

11th of 100 (NC)

Land area

192 sq mi

100th1st

99th of 100 (NC)

Density

1,265.8 / sq mi

100th1st

3rd of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$79,106

100th1st

14th of 100 (NC)

How New Hanover County's population changed since 2020

New Hanover County gained 16,891 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 7.5%. That ranks 19th 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, New Hanover County recorded 9,362 births and 10,119 deaths, a natural change of -757. Net international migration added +2,334 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +15,702. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 15,702 people.

226.4k2020230.2k2021236.1k2022240.1k2023243.3k2024
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
9,362
Deaths
10,119
Net international migration
+2,334
Net domestic migration
+15,702
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+3,279

Where New Hanover County is

The Census internal point of New Hanover County is at 34.183400, -77.864200. It sits in UTM zone 18N. The map shades North Carolina's 100 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with New Hanover 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: New Hanover County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
34.183400, -77.864200
DMS
34°11'0.24"N 77°51'51.12"W
UTM
18N 236026.3E 3786200.2N
Geohash
dq0dknvh8
Plus code
876454MP+98

Towns in New Hanover County

4 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in New Hanover County, 136,713 people together, or 56% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside New Hanover County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Wilmington with 125,284.

  1. 01Wilmington125,284
  2. 02Carolina Beach6,864
  3. 03Wrightsville Beach2,411
  4. 04Kure Beach2,154
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering New Hanover County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 2 neighbors for New Hanover County. The most populous is Brunswick County, NC, with 167,112 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 118.7 miles NNW of New Hanover County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Wilmington, NC (population 125,284), 2.2 miles away.

New Hanover County FIPS code

The FIPS code of New Hanover County is 37129: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 129. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $79,106.

Questions people ask

What is the population of New Hanover County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 243,333. That is up 16,891 people (7.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 226,442.

What is the FIPS code of New Hanover County?

37129. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (129) identify the county.

What is the largest town in New Hanover County?

Wilmington, with 125,284 residents inside New Hanover County in 2024.

Which counties border New Hanover County?

2 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Brunswick County, NC; Pender 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.