• county
  • FIPS 37159
  • Largest town: Salisbury

Rowan County, North Carolina

Rowan County had 153,384 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 511.6 square miles of land. It ranks 20th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 40th by land area.

Population
153,384
#20 of 100 in North Carolina · #456 in US
Area
511.6 sq mi
#40 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,035 in US
Density
300 / sq mi
#20 of 100 in North Carolina · #435 in US
Median household income
$65,139
#32 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,361 in US

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

Rowan County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Rowan County

Rowan County population, land area and income

Rowan County had 153,384 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 511.6 square miles of land. It ranks 20th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 40th by land area. That works out to 299.8 people per square mile, 3.1 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents, so Rowan County is 2.9 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $65,139 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

153,384

3144th1st

456th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

512 sq mi

3144th1st

2035th of 3,144 (US)

Density

299.8 / sq mi

3144th1st

435th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$65,139

3143rd1st

1361st of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

153,384

100th1st

20th of 100 (NC)

Land area

512 sq mi

100th1st

40th of 100 (NC)

Density

299.8 / sq mi

100th1st

20th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$65,139

100th1st

32nd of 100 (NC)

How Rowan County's population changed since 2020

Rowan County gained 6,475 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 4.4%. That ranks 33rd 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, Rowan County recorded 6,823 births and 8,541 deaths, a natural change of -1,718. Net international migration added +1,280 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +6,782. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 6,782 people.

146.9k2020147.7k2021149.5k2022151.9k2023153.4k2024
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
6,823
Deaths
8,541
Net international migration
+1,280
Net domestic migration
+6,782
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+1,501

Where Rowan County is

The Census internal point of Rowan County is at 35.641400, -80.521700. 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 Rowan 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: Rowan County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.641400, -80.521700
DMS
35°38'29.04"N 80°31'18.12"W
UTM
17N 543302.5E 3944281.0N
Geohash
dnqdz8mfh
Plus code
867XJFRH+H8

Towns in Rowan County

8 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Rowan County, 66,825 people together, or 44% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Rowan County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Salisbury with 36,579.

  1. 01Salisbury36,579
  2. 02Kannapolis (part)11,270
  3. 03China Grove4,610
  4. 04Landis3,838
  5. 05Spencer3,406
  6. 06Granite Quarry3,107
  7. 07Rockwell2,390
  8. 08East Spencer1,625
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Rowan County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Rowan County. The most populous is Cabarrus County, NC, with 244,925 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 106.1 miles E of Rowan County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Concord, NC (population 112,395), 18.4 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Salisbury, NC (population 36,579), 2.4 miles away.

Rowan County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Rowan County is 37159: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 159. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $65,139.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Rowan County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 153,384. That is up 6,475 people (4.4%) from the July 2020 estimate of 146,909.

What is the FIPS code of Rowan County?

37159. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (159) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Rowan County?

Salisbury, with 36,579 residents inside Rowan County in 2024.

Which counties border Rowan County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Cabarrus County, NC; Iredell County, NC; Davidson County, NC; Stanly County, NC; Davie 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.