County outline
Where Pamlico County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 59.9% of Pamlico County’s measured area and water for 40.1%. Its combined area converts to 1,454.6 square kilometers or approximately 359,441 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 336.513 | 871.565 | 215,368.3 |
| Water | 225.114 | 583.043 | 144,073 |
| Total | 561.627 | 1,454.607 | 359,441.3 |
How Pamlico County compares
By original Census land area, Pamlico County ranks #77 of 100 in North Carolina and #2721 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.731 times the North Carolina county-equivalent median of 460.3 square miles. It accounts for 0.7% 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 Pamlico County
The Census Bureau estimates that 12,758 people lived in Pamlico County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,305 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #91 of 100 in North Carolina. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 12,270, the population has grown by 488 (+4%), compared with +7.2% for North Carolina as a whole.
With 336.5 square miles of land, that is 38 people per square mile (15 per km²), placing Pamlico County #1,796 nationally for density and #90 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 17 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 12,308 | 12,362 | 12,255 | 12,431 | 12,688 | 12,758 |
| Change | — | +54 | −107 | +176 | +257 | +70 |
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 Pamlico County
9 incorporated places lie at least partly in Pamlico County. Together they are home to 5,168 people (40.5%); the other 7,590 (59.5%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Bayboro town, with 1,242 residents in the county. By land, Grantsboro town is the largest at 3.854 mi².
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayboro townCounty seat | 1,242 | +1.6% | 1.858 |
| Oriental town | 909 | +3.3% | 1.432 |
| Alliance town | 764 | +3.7% | 2.086 |
| Grantsboro town | 728 | +4.9% | 3.854 |
| Minnesott Beach town | 544 | +3.4% | 3.472 |
| Arapahoe town | 432 | +3.6% | 2.171 |
| Stonewall town | 209 | +3.5% | 1.707 |
| Vandemere town | 197 | +4.2% | 1.522 |
| Mesic town | 143 | +5.1% | 1.032 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Pamlico County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Pamlico County is an outlying county of the New Bern, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area. Its 3 county equivalents have 127,358 residents on 1,514.4 square miles of land; Pamlico County accounts for 22.2% of the land and 10% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #108 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #15 by population. It belongs to the New Bern-Morehead City, NC Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Craven County | 105,025 | 706.5 |
| Pamlico County | 12,758 | 336.5 |
| Jones County | 9,575 | 471.4 |
ZIP codes
10 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Pamlico County; 9 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
28509285102851528529285372855228556285602857128587
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 Pamlico County
Pamlico County shares a land border with 2 county equivalents. Each of them has more land than Pamlico County. The largest neighbor is Beaufort County (832.7 mi²) and the smallest is Craven County (706.5 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Pamlico County forms a block of 1,875.8 mi² of land, of which it holds 17.9%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Pamlico | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaufort County | 832.7 | 2.5× larger | Compare |
| Craven County | 706.5 | 2.1× larger | Compare |
How big is Pamlico County compared with U.S. states?
Pamlico County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 3.1 times as much. North Carolina’s county land could hold about 144 areas the size of Pamlico County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 18.3 miles (29.5 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 Pamlico County?
Pamlico County has more land than 501 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 Pamlico County at #1,970 nationally by total area, 751 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 40.1%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 38.9 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 Pamlico County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2720 | Anderson County, Tennessee | 337.2 | Compare |
| #2721 | Pamlico County, North Carolina | 336.5 | This county |
| #2722 | Moultrie County, Illinois | 336 | 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 35.150398, -76.665161. 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: 871,565,234 m²; AWATER: 583,042,075 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 Pamlico County?
Pamlico County, North Carolina has 336.5 square miles (871.6 km²) of land and 225.1 square miles of water, for a total area of 561.6 square miles. It ranks #2721 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Pamlico County the largest county in North Carolina?
No. Pamlico County ranks #77 of 100 in North Carolina by land area. The largest is Robeson County, with 947.3 square miles of land.
What counties border Pamlico County?
Pamlico County shares a land border with Beaufort County and Craven County.
What is the population of Pamlico County?
The Census Bureau estimates Pamlico County had 12,758 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,305 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 38 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Pamlico County?
The county seat of Pamlico County is Bayboro.
What cities and towns are in Pamlico County?
Pamlico County has 9 incorporated places. The most populous five are Bayboro town, Oriental town, Alliance town, Grantsboro town, and Minnesott Beach town; 7,590 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Pamlico County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is an outlying county of the New Bern, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which has 3 county equivalents and 127,358 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Pamlico County?
10 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Pamlico County, and 9 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Pamlico County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 3.1 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Pamlico County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 215,368 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 359,441 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.