• county
  • FIPS 37181
  • Largest town: Henderson

Vance County, North Carolina

Vance County had 42,337 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 252.4 square miles of land. It ranks 60th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 90th by land area.

Population
42,337
#60 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,144 in US
Area
252.4 sq mi
#90 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,904 in US
Density
168 / sq mi
#37 of 100 in North Carolina · #636 in US
Median household income
$45,408
#97 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,958 in US

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

Vance County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Vance County

Vance County population, land area and income

Vance County had 42,337 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 252.4 square miles of land. It ranks 60th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 90th by land area. That works out to 167.7 people per square mile, 1.7 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

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

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $45,408 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

42,337

3144th1st

1144th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

252 sq mi

3144th1st

2904th of 3,144 (US)

Density

167.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

636th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$45,408

3143rd1st

2958th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

42,337

100th1st

60th of 100 (NC)

Land area

252 sq mi

100th1st

90th of 100 (NC)

Density

167.7 / sq mi

100th1st

37th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$45,408

100th1st

97th of 100 (NC)

How Vance County's population changed since 2020

Vance County lost 222 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.5%. That ranks 90th 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, Vance County recorded 2,184 births and 2,757 deaths, a natural change of -573. Net international migration added +587 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -248. The largest single component was international migration, which added 587 people.

42.6k202042.1k202142.3k202242.3k202342.3k2024
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
2,184
Deaths
2,757
Net international migration
+587
Net domestic migration
-248
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+8

Where Vance County is

The Census internal point of Vance County is at 36.365500, -78.405400. 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 Vance 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: Vance County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
36.365500, -78.405400
DMS
36°21'55.80"N 78°24'19.44"W
UTM
17N 732785.1E 4027615.4N
Geohash
dq2nzu4um
Plus code
87839H8V+6R

Towns in Vance County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Vance County, 14,807 people together, or 35% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Vance County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Henderson with 14,807.

  1. 01Henderson14,807
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Vance County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Vance County, including 1 across a state line. The most populous is Franklin County, NC, with 79,771 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 42.5 miles SSW of Vance County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Durham, NC (population 301,870), 38.4 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Henderson, NC (population 14,807), 2.8 miles away.

Vance County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Vance County is 37181: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 181. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $45,408.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Vance County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 42,337. That is down 222 people (0.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 42,559.

What is the FIPS code of Vance County?

37181. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (181) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Vance County?

Henderson, with 14,807 residents inside Vance County in 2024.

Which counties border Vance County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Franklin County, NC; Granville County, NC; Mecklenburg County, VA; Warren 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.