Brunswick County, North Carolina
County seat: Bolivia · Population 174,702 (2025) · 850 sq mi
Brunswick County is the 18th most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 174,702 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Bolivia. It is part of the Southeast Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 19 cities and towns and the 4 neighboring counties.
Brunswick County facts
- County seat
- Bolivia
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 174,702 +27.8% since 2020
- Land area
- 850 sq mi 6th largest of 100
- Water area
- 200 sq mi
- Population density
- 206 per sq mi
- Established
- 1764
- Named after
- Brunswick-Lüneburg former principality of the Holy Roman Empire
- Largest city
- Leland 35,731
- Median household income
- $77,024
- Cities and towns
- 19
- ZIP codes
- 14
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37019
Cities and towns in Brunswick County
Brunswick County has 19 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Brunswick County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leland | Town | 35,731 | |
| Oak Island | Town | 9,337 | |
| St. James | Town | 7,318 | |
| Boiling Spring Lakes | City | 6,875 | |
| Carolina Shores | Town | 5,540 | |
| Shallotte | Town | 5,335 | |
| Sunset Beach | Town | 4,642 | |
| Southport | City | 4,434 | |
| Belville | Town | 3,199 | |
| Calabash | Town | 3,069 | |
| Navassa | Town | 1,889 | |
| Northwest | City | 1,096 | |
| Ocean Isle Beach | Town | 940 | |
| Holden Beach | Town | 916 | |
| Varnamtown | Town | 525 | |
| Caswell Beach | Town | 381 | |
| Sandy Creek | Town | 280 | |
| Bald Head Island | Village | 279 | |
| Bolivia (county seat) | Town | 271 |
ZIP codes in Brunswick County
14 ZIP codes reach into Brunswick County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28420
- 28422
- 28436 also Columbus County
- 28451
- 28452
- 28456 also Columbus and Bladen counties
- 28461
- 28462
- 28465
- 28467
- 28468
- 28469
- 28470
- 28479
Population of Brunswick County, 2020–2025
Brunswick County grew by 38,007 people (+27.8%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 4,453 more deaths than births and a net gain of 42,286 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 138,135 |
| 2021 | 144,719 |
| 2022 | 152,519 |
| 2023 | 159,425 |
| 2024 | 166,889 |
| 2025 | 174,702 |
Neighboring counties
- Columbus County northwest · 50,487 people
- New Hanover County northeast · 245,959 people
- Horry County, South Carolina west · 427,551 people
- Pender County northeast · 72,111 people
Printable Brunswick 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) (145 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (104 KB)
Paste this code to embed the map on your site:
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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