• county
  • FIPS 37189
  • Largest town: Boone

Watauga County, North Carolina

Watauga County had 54,997 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 312.4 square miles of land. It ranks 50th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 81st by land area.

Population
54,997
#50 of 100 in North Carolina · #948 in US
Area
312.4 sq mi
#81 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,781 in US
Density
176 / sq mi
#32 of 100 in North Carolina · #612 in US
Median household income
$62,045
#40 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,637 in US

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

Watauga County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Watauga County

Watauga County population, land area and income

Watauga County had 54,997 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 312.4 square miles of land. It ranks 50th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 81st by land area. That works out to 176.0 people per square mile, 1.8 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents, about the same as Watauga County.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $62,045 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

54,997

3144th1st

948th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

312 sq mi

3144th1st

2781st of 3,144 (US)

Density

176.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

612th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$62,045

3143rd1st

1637th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

54,997

100th1st

50th of 100 (NC)

Land area

312 sq mi

100th1st

81st of 100 (NC)

Density

176.0 / sq mi

100th1st

32nd of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$62,045

100th1st

40th of 100 (NC)

How Watauga County's population changed since 2020

Watauga County gained 527 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.0%. That ranks 76th 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, Watauga County recorded 1,300 births and 1,890 deaths, a natural change of -590. Net international migration added +480 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,160. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,160 people.

54.5k202055.3k202155.4k202255.4k202355.0k2024
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
1,300
Deaths
1,890
Net international migration
+480
Net domestic migration
+1,160
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-423

Where Watauga County is

The Census internal point of Watauga County is at 36.235400, -81.709900. 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 Watauga 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: Watauga County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
36.235400, -81.709900
DMS
36°14'7.44"N 81°42'35.64"W
UTM
17N 436208.6E 4010291.9N
Geohash
dnmyhskwt
Plus code
868W67PR+52

Towns in Watauga County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Watauga County, 21,319 people together, or 39% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Watauga County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Boone with 20,080.

  1. 01Boone20,080
  2. 02Blowing Rock (part)1,239
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Watauga County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Watauga County, including 1 across a state line. The most populous is Caldwell County, NC, with 80,739 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 174.5 miles E of Watauga County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Winston-Salem, NC (population 255,769), 81.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Boone, NC (population 20,080), 2.9 miles away.

Watauga County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Watauga County is 37189: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 189. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $62,045.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Watauga County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 54,997. That is up 527 people (1.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 54,470.

What is the FIPS code of Watauga County?

37189. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (189) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Watauga County?

Boone, with 20,080 residents inside Watauga County in 2024.

Which counties border Watauga County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Caldwell County, NC; Wilkes County, NC; Ashe County, NC; Johnson County, TN; Avery 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.