County outline
Where Alamance County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 97.5% of Alamance County’s measured area and water for 2.5%. Its combined area converts to 1,124.7 square kilometers or approximately 277,914 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 423.467 | 1,096.774 | 271,018.9 |
| Water | 10.773 | 27.902 | 6,894.7 |
| Total | 434.24 | 1,124.676 | 277,913.6 |
How Alamance County compares
By original Census land area, Alamance County ranks #59 of 100 in North Carolina and #2392 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.92 times the North Carolina county-equivalent median of 460.3 square miles. It accounts for 0.9% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete North Carolina ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Alamance County
The Census Bureau estimates that 186,177 people lived in Alamance County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #379 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #15 of 100 in North Carolina. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 171,475, the population has grown by 14,702 (+8.6%), compared with +7.2% for North Carolina as a whole.
With 423.5 square miles of land, that is 440 people per square mile (170 per km²), placing Alamance County #381 nationally for density and #10 in North Carolina. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the North Carolina median is 116. Put another way, there are about 1.5 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 171,624 | 173,666 | 176,470 | 179,369 | 183,361 | 186,177 |
| Change | — | +2,042 | +2,804 | +2,899 | +3,992 | +2,816 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Alamance County
10 incorporated places lie at least partly in Alamance County. Together they are home to 122,324 people (65.7%); the other 63,853 (34.3%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Burlington city, with 58,863 residents in the county (the city extends into 1 other county). The county seat, Graham city, has 20,131 residents. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Mebane city grew fastest since then (+18.1%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington cityAlso in 1 other county | 58,863 | +6% | 31.3 |
| Graham cityCounty seat | 20,131 | +17.3% | 11.2 |
| Mebane cityAlso in 1 other county | 17,209 | +18.1% | 13.1 |
| Elon town | 11,366 | +0.2% | 4.429 |
| Gibsonville townAlso in 1 other county | 4,651 | +8.1% | 4.531 |
| Green Level town | 3,409 | +8.1% | 1.521 |
| Swepsonville town | 2,632 | +7.2% | 1.432 |
| Haw River town | 2,425 | +7.4% | 3.072 |
| Alamance village | 1,061 | +7% | 0.795 |
| Ossipee town | 577 | +8.1% | 0.607 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Alamance County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Alamance County is a central county of the Burlington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Alamance County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the metro area has the same 423.5 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #372 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #247 by population. It belongs to the Greensboro--Winston-Salem--High Point, NC Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
13 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Alamance County; 8 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
27201272022721527217272442724927253272582729827302273122734027349
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Alamance County
Alamance County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Randolph County (782.4 mi²) and the smallest is Orange County (397.6 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Alamance County forms a block of 3,922.1 mi² of land, of which it holds 10.8%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Alamance | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Randolph County | 782.4 | 1.8× larger | Compare |
| Chatham County | 681.5 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
| Guilford County | 646 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
| Rockingham County | 565.7 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Caswell County | 425.5 | about the same | Compare |
| Orange County | 397.6 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
How big is Alamance County compared with U.S. states?
Alamance County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.4 times as much. North Carolina’s county land could hold about 115 areas the size of Alamance County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 20.6 miles (33.1 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Alamance County?
Alamance County has more land than 830 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Alamance County at #2,424 nationally by total area, 32 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 2.5%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 1.3 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Alamance County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2391 | Chesterfield County, Virginia | 423.5 | Compare |
| #2392 | Alamance County, North Carolina | 423.5 | This county |
| #2393 | Adams County, Iowa | 423.4 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 36.043074, -79.400513. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,096,773,671 m²; AWATER: 27,902,888 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Alamance County?
Alamance County, North Carolina has 423.5 square miles (1,096.8 km²) of land and 10.8 square miles of water, for a total area of 434.2 square miles. It ranks #2392 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Alamance County the largest county in North Carolina?
No. Alamance County ranks #59 of 100 in North Carolina by land area. The largest is Robeson County, with 947.3 square miles of land.
What counties border Alamance County?
Alamance County shares a land border with Orange County, Guilford County, Chatham County, Caswell County, Randolph County, and Rockingham County.
What is the population of Alamance County?
The Census Bureau estimates Alamance County had 186,177 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #379 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 440 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Alamance County?
The county seat of Alamance County is Graham.
What cities and towns are in Alamance County?
Alamance County has 10 incorporated places. The most populous five are Burlington city, Graham city, Mebane city, Elon town, and Gibsonville town; 63,853 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Alamance County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Burlington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Alamance County?
13 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Alamance County, and 8 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Alamance County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.4 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Alamance County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 271,019 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 277,914 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.