Bladen County, North Carolina
County seat: Elizabethtown · Population 30,007 (2025) · 875 sq mi
Bladen County is the 72nd most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 30,007 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Elizabethtown. It is part of the Sandhills (South Central) Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 7 cities and towns and the 5 neighboring counties.
Bladen County facts
- County seat
- Elizabethtown
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 30,007 +1.3% since 2020
- Land area
- 875 sq mi 4th largest of 100
- Water area
- 13 sq mi
- Population density
- 34 per sq mi
- Established
- 1734
- Named after
- Martin Bladen British politician, died 1746
- Largest city
- Elizabethtown 3,306
- Median household income
- $42,422
- Cities and towns
- 7 plus 3 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 18
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37017
Cities and towns in Bladen County
Bladen County has 7 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Bladen County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabethtown (county seat) | Town | 3,306 | |
| Bladenboro | Town | 1,656 | |
| White Lake | Town | 850 | |
| Clarkton | Town | 604 | |
| East Arcadia | Town | 423 | |
| Dublin | Town | 267 | |
| Tar Heel | Town | 91 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Kelly | 616 | |
| White Oak | 191 | |
| Butters | 62 |
ZIP codes in Bladen County
18 ZIP codes reach into Bladen County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28306 also Cumberland and Hoke counties
- 28312 also Cumberland County
- 28320 also Columbus County
- 28332
- 28337
- 28382 also Sampson and Cumberland counties
- 28384 also Robeson and Cumberland counties
- 28392
- 28399 also Cumberland County
- 28423 also Columbus County
- 28433 also Columbus County
- 28434
- 28438 also Columbus County
- 28441 also Sampson County
- 28444 also Sampson and Duplin counties
- 28447 also Sampson and Pender counties
- 28448 also Pender County
- 28456 also Columbus and Brunswick counties
Population of Bladen County, 2020–2025
Bladen County grew by 394 people (+1.3%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 626 more deaths than births and a net gain of 1,007 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 29,628 |
| 2021 | 29,531 |
| 2022 | 29,360 |
| 2023 | 29,586 |
| 2024 | 29,967 |
| 2025 | 30,007 |
Neighboring counties
- Sampson County north · 61,504 people
- Columbus County south · 50,487 people
- Robeson County west · 119,941 people
- Cumberland County northwest · 338,473 people
- Pender County east · 72,111 people
Printable Bladen County map
The PDF is a vector file with real text: it prints sharp on Letter paper and you can search it for a town. The PNG is 2400 pixels wide for slides and documents. Both are free to use with a credit to WhichCounty.
- PDF (Letter) (132 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (92 KB)
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Sources
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files (1:500,000).
- Population: Census Bureau county and city estimates, Vintage 2025. CDP populations: American Community Survey 2020–2024.
- Places and ZIP codes: Census Bureau 2026 Gazetteer and 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area relationship files.
- County seat, founding year and name origin: Wikidata (CC0), checked against state sources.
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