County outline
Where Wilson County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98.5% of Wilson County’s measured area and water for 1.5%. Its combined area converts to 966.3 square kilometers or approximately 238,789 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 367.574 | 952.012 | 235,247.4 |
| Water | 5.534 | 14.333 | 3,541.8 |
| Total | 373.108 | 966.345 | 238,789.1 |
How Wilson County compares
By original Census land area, Wilson County ranks #71 of 100 in North Carolina and #2637 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.798 times the North Carolina county-equivalent median of 460.3 square miles. It accounts for 0.8% 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 Wilson County
The Census Bureau estimates that 81,150 people lived in Wilson County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #729 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #36 of 100 in North Carolina. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 79,268, the population has grown by 1,882 (+2.4%), compared with +7.2% for North Carolina as a whole.
With 367.6 square miles of land, that is 221 people per square mile (85 per km²), placing Wilson County #609 nationally for density and #26 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 2.9 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 79,816 | 79,263 | 79,357 | 80,246 | 80,885 | 81,150 |
| Change | — | −553 | +94 | +889 | +639 | +265 |
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 Wilson County
9 incorporated places lie at least partly in Wilson County. Together they are home to 54,709 people (67.4%); the other 26,441 (32.6%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Wilson city, with 49,572 residents in the county. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Lucama town grew fastest since then (+2.5%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson cityCounty seat | 49,572 | +2.3% | 32.4 |
| Elm City townAlso in 1 other county | 1,250 | +1.5% | 2.161 |
| Lucama town | 1,052 | +2.5% | 0.646 |
| Stantonsburg town | 778 | +1.7% | 0.664 |
| Black Creek town | 708 | +2.5% | 0.712 |
| Sharpsburg townAlso in 2 other counties | 438 | +3.3% | 1.016 |
| Saratoga town | 363 | +2% | 0.632 |
| Sims town | 346 | +1.8% | 0.256 |
| Kenly townAlso in 1 other county | 202 | +2.5% | 1.905 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Wilson County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Wilson County is a central county of the Wilson, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area. Wilson County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 367.6 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #506 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #70 by population. It belongs to the Rocky Mount-Wilson-Roanoke Rapids, NC Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
17 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Wilson County; 7 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
2754227557278032780727813278222782927830278512785227873278782788027883278882789327896
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 Wilson County
Wilson County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Johnston County (792 mi²) and the smallest is Greene County (266.7 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Wilson County forms a block of 3,678.5 mi² of land, of which it holds 10%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Wilson | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnston County | 792 | 2.2× larger | Compare |
| Pitt County | 652.4 | 1.8× larger | Compare |
| Wayne County | 553.9 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
| Nash County | 540.4 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
| Edgecombe County | 505.4 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Greene County | 266.7 | 1.4× smaller | Compare |
How big is Wilson County compared with U.S. states?
Wilson County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.8 times as much. North Carolina’s county land could hold about 132 areas the size of Wilson County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 19.2 miles (30.9 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 Wilson County?
Wilson County has more land than 585 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 Wilson County at #2,682 nationally by total area, 45 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 1.5%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.3 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 Wilson County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2636 | Wells County, Indiana | 368.1 | Compare |
| #2637 | Wilson County, North Carolina | 367.6 | This county |
| #2638 | Strafford County, New Hampshire | 367.5 | 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 35.700379, -77.921578. 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: 952,012,855 m²; AWATER: 14,332,562 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 Wilson County?
Wilson County, North Carolina has 367.6 square miles (952 km²) of land and 5.534 square miles of water, for a total area of 373.1 square miles. It ranks #2637 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Wilson County the largest county in North Carolina?
No. Wilson County ranks #71 of 100 in North Carolina by land area. The largest is Robeson County, with 947.3 square miles of land.
What counties border Wilson County?
Wilson County shares a land border with Nash County, Edgecombe County, Wayne County, Johnston County, Greene County, and Pitt County.
What is the population of Wilson County?
The Census Bureau estimates Wilson County had 81,150 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #729 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 221 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Wilson County?
The county seat of Wilson County is Wilson.
What cities and towns are in Wilson County?
Wilson County has 9 incorporated places. The most populous five are Wilson city, Elm City town, Lucama town, Stantonsburg town, and Black Creek town; 26,441 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Wilson County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Wilson, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Wilson County?
17 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Wilson County, and 7 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Wilson County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.8 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Wilson County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 235,247 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 238,789 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.