County outline
Where Brunswick County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 80.9% of Brunswick County’s measured area and water for 19.1%. Its combined area converts to 2,718.3 square kilometers or approximately 671,697 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 849.492 | 2,200.174 | 543,674.9 |
| Water | 200.034 | 518.086 | 128,021.8 |
| Total | 1,049.526 | 2,718.26 | 671,696.6 |
How Brunswick County compares
By original Census land area, Brunswick County ranks #6 of 100 in North Carolina and #983 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.845 times the North Carolina county-equivalent median of 460.3 square miles. It accounts for 1.7% 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 Brunswick County
The Census Bureau estimates that 174,702 people lived in Brunswick County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #404 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #18 of 100 in North Carolina. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 136,695, the population has grown by 38,007 (+27.8%), compared with +7.2% for North Carolina as a whole.
With 849.5 square miles of land, that is 206 people per square mile (79 per km²), placing Brunswick County #633 nationally for density and #28 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 3.1 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 138,135 | 144,719 | 152,519 | 159,425 | 166,889 | 174,702 |
| Change | — | +6,584 | +7,800 | +6,906 | +7,464 | +7,813 |
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 Brunswick County
19 incorporated places lie at least partly in Brunswick County. Together they are home to 92,057 people (52.7%); the other 82,645 (47.3%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Leland town, with 35,731 residents in the county. The county seat, Bolivia town, has 271 residents. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Calabash town grew fastest since then (+54.4%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leland town | 35,731 | +52.9% | 30.3 |
| Oak Island town | 9,337 | +11.2% | 18.7 |
| St. James town | 7,318 | +12% | 9.11 |
| Boiling Spring Lakes city | 6,875 | +15.8% | 23.7 |
| Carolina Shores town | 5,540 | +20.9% | 2.901 |
| Shallotte town | 5,335 | +27.1% | 10.7 |
| Sunset Beach town | 4,642 | +11.4% | 7.083 |
| Southport city | 4,434 | +10.8% | 4.006 |
| Belville town | 3,199 | +33.5% | 1.692 |
| Calabash town | 3,069 | +54.4% | 6.088 |
| Navassa town | 1,889 | +37.8% | 13.3 |
| Northwest city | 1,096 | +57% | 6.805 |
| Ocean Isle Beach town | 940 | +11.8% | 3.387 |
| Holden Beach town | 916 | −0.2% | 2.94 |
| Varnamtown town | 525 | −1.5% | 0.879 |
Show the other 4 places
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caswell Beach town | 381 | −2.8% | 3.067 |
| Sandy Creek town | 280 | +15.2% | 1.459 |
| Bald Head Island village | 279 | +6.1% | 3.876 |
| Bolivia townCounty seat | 271 | +79.5% | 0.626 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Brunswick County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Brunswick County is a central county of the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 3 county equivalents have 492,772 residents on 1,913.1 square miles of land; Brunswick County accounts for 44.4% of the land and 35.5% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #165 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #113 by population.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| New Hanover County | 245,959 | 192.3 |
| Brunswick County | 174,702 | 849.5 |
| Pender County | 72,111 | 871.3 |
ZIP codes
14 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Brunswick County; 12 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
2842028422284362845128452284562846128462284652846728468284692847028479
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 Brunswick County
Brunswick County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents, including 1 in South Carolina. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Horry County (1,133.1 mi²) and the smallest is New Hanover County (192.3 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Brunswick County forms a block of 3,984.3 mi² of land, of which it holds 21.3%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Brunswick | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horry CountySouth Carolina | 1,133.1 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Columbus County | 938.1 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Pender County | 871.3 | about the same | Compare |
| New Hanover County | 192.3 | 4.4× smaller | Compare |
How big is Brunswick County compared with U.S. states?
Brunswick County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.2 times as much. North Carolina’s county land could hold about 57 areas the size of Brunswick County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 29.1 miles (46.9 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 Brunswick County?
Brunswick County has more land than 2,239 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 Brunswick County at #722 nationally by total area, 261 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 19.1%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 17.9 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 Brunswick County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #982 | Kent County, Michigan | 849.5 | Compare |
| #983 | Brunswick County, North Carolina | 849.5 | This county |
| #984 | Nez Perce County, Idaho | 848.3 | 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 34.040940, -78.230715. 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: 2,200,173,994 m²; AWATER: 518,086,807 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 Brunswick County?
Brunswick County, North Carolina has 849.5 square miles (2,200.2 km²) of land and 200 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,049.5 square miles. It ranks #983 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Brunswick County the largest county in North Carolina?
No. Brunswick County ranks #6 of 100 in North Carolina by land area. The largest is Robeson County, with 947.3 square miles of land.
What counties border Brunswick County?
Brunswick County shares a land border with Columbus County, New Hanover County, Horry County, South Carolina, and Pender County.
What is the population of Brunswick County?
The Census Bureau estimates Brunswick County had 174,702 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #404 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 206 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Brunswick County?
The county seat of Brunswick County is Bolivia.
What cities and towns are in Brunswick County?
Brunswick County has 19 incorporated places. The most populous five are Leland town, Oak Island town, St. James town, Boiling Spring Lakes city, and Carolina Shores town; 82,645 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Brunswick County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 3 county equivalents and 492,772 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Brunswick County?
14 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Brunswick County, and 12 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Brunswick County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Brunswick County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 543,675 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 671,697 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.