• county
  • FIPS 37161
  • Largest town: Forest City

Rutherford County, North Carolina

Rutherford County had 65,587 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 565.4 square miles of land. It ranks 44th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 28th by land area.

Population
65,587
#44 of 100 in North Carolina · #837 in US
Area
565.4 sq mi
#28 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,814 in US
Density
116 / sq mi
#50 of 100 in North Carolina · #818 in US
Median household income
$50,714
#83 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,672 in US

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

Rutherford County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Rutherford County

Rutherford County population, land area and income

Rutherford County had 65,587 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 565.4 square miles of land. It ranks 44th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 28th by land area. That works out to 116.0 people per square mile, 1.2 times the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

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

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $50,714 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

65,587

3144th1st

837th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

565 sq mi

3144th1st

1814th of 3,144 (US)

Density

116.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

818th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$50,714

3143rd1st

2672nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

65,587

100th1st

44th of 100 (NC)

Land area

565 sq mi

100th1st

28th of 100 (NC)

Density

116.0 / sq mi

100th1st

50th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$50,714

100th1st

83rd of 100 (NC)

How Rutherford County's population changed since 2020

Rutherford County gained 1,230 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.9%. That ranks 66th 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, Rutherford County recorded 2,654 births and 4,464 deaths, a natural change of -1,810. Net international migration added +46 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +2,857. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 2,857 people.

64.4k202064.5k202164.8k202265.4k202365.6k2024
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
2,654
Deaths
4,464
Net international migration
+46
Net domestic migration
+2,857
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+218

Where Rutherford County is

The Census internal point of Rutherford County is at 35.402700, -81.919600. 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 Rutherford 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: Rutherford County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.402700, -81.919600
DMS
35°24'9.72"N 81°55'10.56"W
UTM
17N 416497.0E 3918090.7N
Geohash
dnm9ruggw
Plus code
867WC33J+35

Towns in Rutherford County

4 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Rutherford County, 16,673 people together, or 25% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Rutherford County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Forest City with 7,397.

  1. 01Forest City7,397
  2. 02Spindale4,168
  3. 03Rutherfordton3,718
  4. 04Lake Lure1,390
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Rutherford County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 8 neighbors for Rutherford County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Spartanburg County, SC, with 369,256 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 186.1 miles E of Rutherford County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Charlotte, NC (population 943,476), 62.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Shelby, NC (population 22,778), 22.4 miles away.

Rutherford County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Rutherford County is 37161: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 161. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $50,714.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Rutherford County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 65,587. That is up 1,230 people (1.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 64,357.

What is the FIPS code of Rutherford County?

37161. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (161) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Rutherford County?

Forest City, with 7,397 residents inside Rutherford County in 2024.

Which counties border Rutherford County?

8 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Spartanburg County, SC; Buncombe County, NC; Henderson County, NC; Cleveland County, NC; Burke County, NC; Cherokee County, SC; McDowell County, NC; Polk 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.