Burke County, North Carolina
County seat: Morganton · Population 88,655 (2025) · 506 sq mi
Burke County is the 33rd most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 88,655 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Morganton. It is part of the Northwest Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 10 cities and towns and the 7 neighboring counties.
Burke County facts
- County seat
- Morganton
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 88,655 +1.2% since 2020
- Land area
- 506 sq mi 42nd largest of 100
- Water area
- 8 sq mi
- Population density
- 175 per sq mi
- Established
- 1777
- Same name
- One of 3 Burke Counties in the US
- Named after
- Thomas Burke Irish physician, lawyer, and statesman who lived in Hillsborough, North Carolina (1747-1783)
- Largest city
- Morganton 17,849
- Median household income
- $58,592
- Cities and towns
- 10 plus 2 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 17
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37023
Cities and towns in Burke County
Burke County has 10 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Burke County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morganton (county seat) | City | 17,849 | |
| Valdese | Town | 4,712 | |
| Drexel | Town | 1,764 | |
| Hildebran | Town | 1,691 | |
| Glen Alpine | Town | 1,552 | |
| Connelly Springs | Town | 1,550 | |
| Rutherford College | Town | 1,220 | Caldwell County |
| Long View | Town | 774 | Catawba County |
| Rhodhiss | Town | 645 | Caldwell County |
| Hickory | City | 88 | Caldwell and Catawba counties |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Salem | 2,377 | |
| Icard | 2,153 |
ZIP codes in Burke County
17 ZIP codes reach into Burke County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28090 also Cleveland, Lincoln and Catawba counties
- 28168 also Lincoln, Catawba and Cleveland counties
- 28601 also Catawba, Alexander and Caldwell counties
- 28602 also Catawba County
- 28612 also Catawba County
- 28619
- 28628
- 28637
- 28641
- 28645 also Caldwell, Watauga and Wilkes counties
- 28655 also Caldwell and McDowell counties
- 28657 also Avery and McDowell counties
- 28666
- 28667 also Caldwell County
- 28671
- 28690
- 28761 also McDowell County
Population of Burke County, 2020–2025
Burke County grew by 1,085 people (+1.2%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 2,392 more deaths than births and a net gain of 3,453 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 87,262 |
| 2021 | 87,337 |
| 2022 | 87,801 |
| 2023 | 88,217 |
| 2024 | 88,569 |
| 2025 | 88,655 |
Neighboring counties
- Caldwell County northeast · 81,105 people
- McDowell County west · 45,198 people
- Catawba County east · 170,172 people
- Rutherford County southwest · 65,745 people
- Cleveland County south · 103,325 people
- Avery County northwest · 18,110 people
- Lincoln County southeast · 98,654 people
Printable Burke 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) (135 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (101 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.
Back to the North Carolina county map with all 100 counties. Found an error? Tell us.