• county
  • FIPS 37141
  • Largest town: Surf City

Pender County, North Carolina

Pender County had 70,077 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 871.3 square miles of land. It ranks 40th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 5th by land area.

Population
70,077
#40 of 100 in North Carolina · #788 in US
Area
871.3 sq mi
#5 of 100 in North Carolina · #935 in US
Density
80 / sq mi
#66 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,071 in US
Median household income
$72,161
#20 of 100 in North Carolina · #843 in US

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

Pender County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Pender County

Pender County population, land area and income

Pender County had 70,077 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 871.3 square miles of land. It ranks 40th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 5th by land area. That works out to 80.4 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; Pender County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $72,161 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

70,077

3144th1st

788th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

871 sq mi

3144th1st

935th of 3,144 (US)

Density

80.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

1071st of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$72,161

3143rd1st

843rd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

70,077

100th1st

40th of 100 (NC)

Land area

871 sq mi

100th1st

5th of 100 (NC)

Density

80.4 / sq mi

100th1st

66th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$72,161

100th1st

20th of 100 (NC)

How Pender County's population changed since 2020

Pender County gained 9,452 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 15.6%. That ranks 2nd 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, Pender County recorded 2,769 births and 3,163 deaths, a natural change of -394. Net international migration added +503 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +9,729. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 9,729 people.

60.6k202063.0k202165.7k202268.4k202370.1k2024
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
2,769
Deaths
3,163
Net international migration
+503
Net domestic migration
+9,729
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+1,721

Where Pender County is

The Census internal point of Pender County is at 34.512600, -77.888100. 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 Pender 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: Pender County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
34.512600, -77.888100
DMS
34°30'45.36"N 77°53'17.16"W
UTM
18N 234862.4E 3822782.5N
Geohash
dq0s7dgd7
Plus code
8764G476+2Q

Towns in Pender County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Pender County, 8,369 people together, or 12% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Pender County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Surf City with 4,544.

  1. 01Surf City (part)4,544
  2. 02Burgaw3,825
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Pender County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Pender County. The most populous is New Hanover County, NC, with 243,333 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 97.3 miles NNW of Pender County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Wilmington, NC (population 125,284), 20.9 miles away.

Pender County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Pender County is 37141: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 141. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $72,161.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Pender County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 70,077. That is up 9,452 people (15.6%) from the July 2020 estimate of 60,625.

What is the FIPS code of Pender County?

37141. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (141) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Pender County?

Surf City, with 4,544 residents inside Pender County in 2024 (4,961 across all 2 counties it spans).

Which counties border Pender County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: New Hanover County, NC; Onslow County, NC; Brunswick County, NC; Sampson County, NC; Duplin County, NC; Columbus County, NC; Bladen 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.