• county
  • FIPS 37163
  • Largest town: Clinton

Sampson County, North Carolina

Sampson County had 60,404 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 945.9 square miles of land. It ranks 47th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 2nd by land area.

Population
60,404
#47 of 100 in North Carolina · #887 in US
Area
945.9 sq mi
#2 of 100 in North Carolina · #748 in US
Density
64 / sq mi
#74 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,255 in US
Median household income
$53,637
#73 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,438 in US

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

Sampson County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Sampson County

Sampson County population, land area and income

Sampson County had 60,404 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 945.9 square miles of land. It ranks 47th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 2nd by land area. That works out to 63.9 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

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

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $53,637 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

60,404

3144th1st

887th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

946 sq mi

3144th1st

748th of 3,144 (US)

Density

63.9 / sq mi

3144th1st

1255th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$53,637

3143rd1st

2438th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

60,404

100th1st

47th of 100 (NC)

Land area

946 sq mi

100th1st

2nd of 100 (NC)

Density

63.9 / sq mi

100th1st

74th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$53,637

100th1st

73rd of 100 (NC)

How Sampson County's population changed since 2020

Sampson County gained 1,334 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.3%. That ranks 61st 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, Sampson County recorded 3,399 births and 3,531 deaths, a natural change of -132. Net international migration added +852 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +622. The largest single component was international migration, which added 852 people.

59.1k202059.0k202159.1k202259.7k202360.4k2024
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
3,399
Deaths
3,531
Net international migration
+852
Net domestic migration
+622
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+662

Where Sampson County is

The Census internal point of Sampson County is at 34.989300, -78.371300. 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 Sampson 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: Sampson County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
34.989300, -78.371300
DMS
34°59'21.48"N 78°22'16.68"W
UTM
17N 739933.5E 3875013.9N
Geohash
dq0r09eg2
Plus code
8763XJQH+PF

Towns in Sampson County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Sampson County, 9,487 people together, or 16% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Sampson County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Clinton with 8,317.

  1. 01Clinton8,317
  2. 02Roseboro1,170
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Sampson County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Sampson County. The most populous is Cumberland County, NC, with 338,430 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 56.7 miles NNW of Sampson County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fayetteville, NC (population 209,496), 34.7 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Hope Mills, NC (population 18,102), 33.4 miles away.

Sampson County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Sampson County is 37163: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 163. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $53,637.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Sampson County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 60,404. That is up 1,334 people (2.3%) from the July 2020 estimate of 59,070.

What is the FIPS code of Sampson County?

37163. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (163) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Sampson County?

Clinton, with 8,317 residents inside Sampson County in 2024.

Which counties border Sampson County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Cumberland County, NC; Johnston County, NC; Harnett County, NC; Wayne County, NC; Pender County, NC; Duplin 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.