• county
  • FIPS 37193
  • Largest town: North Wilkesboro

Wilkes County, North Carolina

Wilkes County had 66,186 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 753.7 square miles of land. It ranks 43rd of 100 in North Carolina by population and 13th by land area.

Population
66,186
#43 of 100 in North Carolina · #827 in US
Area
753.7 sq mi
#13 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,168 in US
Density
88 / sq mi
#63 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,006 in US
Median household income
$50,848
#81 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,659 in US

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

Wilkes County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Wilkes County

Wilkes County population, land area and income

Wilkes County had 66,186 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 753.7 square miles of land. It ranks 43rd of 100 in North Carolina by population and 13th by land area. That works out to 87.8 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

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

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $50,848 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

66,186

3144th1st

827th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

754 sq mi

3144th1st

1168th of 3,144 (US)

Density

87.8 / sq mi

3144th1st

1006th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$50,848

3143rd1st

2659th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

66,186

100th1st

43rd of 100 (NC)

Land area

754 sq mi

100th1st

13th of 100 (NC)

Density

87.8 / sq mi

100th1st

63rd of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$50,848

100th1st

81st of 100 (NC)

How Wilkes County's population changed since 2020

Wilkes County gained 314 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 0.5%. That ranks 83rd 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, Wilkes County recorded 2,885 births and 4,254 deaths, a natural change of -1,369. Net international migration added +313 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,253. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 1,369 people.

65.9k202065.8k202165.8k202266.0k202366.2k2024
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
2,885
Deaths
4,254
Net international migration
+313
Net domestic migration
+1,253
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+169

Where Wilkes County is

The Census internal point of Wilkes County is at 36.208900, -81.166100. 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 Wilkes 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: Wilkes County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
36.208900, -81.166100
DMS
36°12'32.04"N 81°09'57.96"W
UTM
17N 485069.4E 4007131.7N
Geohash
dnqmcp8sh
Plus code
868W6R5M+HH

Towns in Wilkes County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Wilkes County, 8,105 people together, or 12% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Wilkes County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is North Wilkesboro with 4,412.

  1. 01North Wilkesboro4,412
  2. 02Wilkesboro3,620
  3. 03Elkin (part)73
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Wilkes County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 8 neighbors for Wilkes County. The most populous is Iredell County, NC, with 206,361 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 144.3 miles E of Wilkes County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Winston-Salem, NC (population 255,769), 51.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Boone, NC (population 20,080), 27.8 miles away.

Wilkes County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Wilkes County is 37193: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 193. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $50,848.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Wilkes County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 66,186. That is up 314 people (0.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 65,872.

What is the FIPS code of Wilkes County?

37193. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (193) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Wilkes County?

North Wilkesboro, with 4,412 residents inside Wilkes County in 2024.

Which counties border Wilkes County?

8 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Iredell County, NC; Caldwell County, NC; Surry County, NC; Watauga County, NC; Yadkin County, NC; Alexander County, NC; Ashe County, NC; Alleghany 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.