• county
  • FIPS 37191
  • Largest town: Goldsboro

Wayne County, North Carolina

Wayne County had 120,338 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 553.9 square miles of land. It ranks 25th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 29th by land area.

Population
120,338
#25 of 100 in North Carolina · #534 in US
Area
553.9 sq mi
#29 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,877 in US
Density
217 / sq mi
#27 of 100 in North Carolina · #539 in US
Median household income
$56,313
#61 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,201 in US

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

Wayne County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Wayne County

Wayne County population, land area and income

Wayne County had 120,338 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 553.9 square miles of land. It ranks 25th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 29th by land area. That works out to 217.2 people per square mile, 2.3 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents, so Wayne County is 2.3 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $56,313 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

120,338

3144th1st

534th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

554 sq mi

3144th1st

1877th of 3,144 (US)

Density

217.2 / sq mi

3144th1st

539th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$56,313

3143rd1st

2201st of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

120,338

100th1st

25th of 100 (NC)

Land area

554 sq mi

100th1st

29th of 100 (NC)

Density

217.2 / sq mi

100th1st

27th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$56,313

100th1st

61st of 100 (NC)

How Wayne County's population changed since 2020

Wayne County gained 2,566 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.2%. That ranks 63rd 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, Wayne County recorded 6,686 births and 6,210 deaths, a natural change of +476. Net international migration added +1,461 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,142. The largest single component was international migration, which added 1,461 people.

117.8k2020117.4k2021118.2k2022119.6k2023120.3k2024
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
6,686
Deaths
6,210
Net international migration
+1,461
Net domestic migration
+1,142
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+768

Where Wayne County is

The Census internal point of Wayne County is at 35.354200, -78.008700. 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 Wayne 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: Wayne County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.354200, -78.008700
DMS
35°21'15.12"N 78°00'31.32"W
UTM
17N 771820.7E 3916431.6N
Geohash
dq290u5c1
Plus code
87739X3R+MG

Towns in Wayne County

4 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Wayne County, 41,431 people together, or 34% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Wayne County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Goldsboro with 34,629.

  1. 01Goldsboro34,629
  2. 02Mount Olive (part)4,492
  3. 03Fremont1,207
  4. 04Walnut Creek1,103
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Wayne County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Wayne County. The most populous is Johnston County, NC, with 249,794 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 46.0 miles NW of Wayne County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Raleigh, NC (population 499,825), 48.5 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Goldsboro, NC (population 34,629), 2.7 miles away.

Wayne County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Wayne County is 37191: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 191. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $56,313.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Wayne County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 120,338. That is up 2,566 people (2.2%) from the July 2020 estimate of 117,772.

What is the FIPS code of Wayne County?

37191. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (191) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Wayne County?

Goldsboro, with 34,629 residents inside Wayne County in 2024.

Which counties border Wayne County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Johnston County, NC; Wilson County, NC; Sampson County, NC; Lenoir County, NC; Duplin County, NC; Greene 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.