• county
  • FIPS 37187
  • Largest town: Plymouth

Washington County, North Carolina

Washington County had 10,654 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 346.5 square miles of land. It ranks 95th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 75th by land area.

Population
10,654
#95 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,369 in US
Area
346.5 sq mi
#75 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,687 in US
Density
31 / sq mi
#93 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,900 in US
Median household income
$47,239
#93 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,881 in US

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

Washington County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Washington County

Washington County population, land area and income

Washington County had 10,654 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 346.5 square miles of land. It ranks 95th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 75th by land area. That works out to 30.7 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents, so Washington County has 20% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $47,239 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

10,654

3144th1st

2369th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

347 sq mi

3144th1st

2687th of 3,144 (US)

Density

30.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

1900th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$47,239

3143rd1st

2881st of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

10,654

100th1st

95th of 100 (NC)

Land area

347 sq mi

100th1st

75th of 100 (NC)

Density

30.7 / sq mi

100th1st

93rd of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$47,239

100th1st

93rd of 100 (NC)

How Washington County's population changed since 2020

Washington County lost 327 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 3.0%. That ranks 97th 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, Washington County recorded 459 births and 821 deaths, a natural change of -362. Net international migration added +5 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +7. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 362 people.

11.0k202010.9k202110.8k202210.7k202310.7k2024
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
459
Deaths
821
Net international migration
+5
Net domestic migration
+7
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-85

Where Washington County is

The Census internal point of Washington County is at 35.844700, -76.572300. 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 Washington 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: Washington County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.844700, -76.572300
DMS
35°50'40.92"N 76°34'20.28"W
UTM
18N 358009.4E 3967864.7N
Geohash
dq3ect3f8
Plus code
8775RCVH+V3

Towns in Washington County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Washington County, 3,190 people together, or 30% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Washington County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Plymouth with 3,190.

  1. 01Plymouth3,190
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Washington County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Washington County. The most populous is Beaufort County, NC, with 44,576 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 115.9 miles W of Washington County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Suffolk, VA (population 103,105), 59.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Elizabeth City, NC (population 19,028), 36.2 miles away.

Washington County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Washington County is 37187: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 187. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $47,239.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Washington County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 10,654. That is down 327 people (3.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 10,981.

What is the FIPS code of Washington County?

37187. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (187) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Washington County?

Plymouth, with 3,190 residents inside Washington County in 2024.

Which counties border Washington County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Beaufort County, NC; Martin County, NC; Bertie County, NC; Chowan County, NC; Perquimans County, NC; Hyde County, NC; Tyrrell 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.