Catawba County, North Carolina
County seat: Newton · Population 170,172 (2025) · 401 sq mi
Catawba County is the 19th most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 170,172 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Newton. It is part of the Northwest Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 8 cities and towns and the 5 neighboring counties.
Catawba County facts
- County seat
- Newton
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 170,172 +5.9% since 2020
- Land area
- 401 sq mi 61st largest of 100
- Water area
- 15 sq mi
- Population density
- 424 per sq mi
- Established
- 1842
- Named after
- Catawba people federally-recognized Indian Nation in South Carolina, United States
- Largest city
- Hickory 45,852 in the county
- Median household income
- $67,864
- Cities and towns
- 8 plus 3 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 14
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37035
Cities and towns in Catawba County
Catawba County has 8 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Catawba County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory | City | 45,852 | Burke and Caldwell counties |
| Newton (county seat) | City | 13,822 | |
| Conover | City | 8,938 | |
| Long View | Town | 4,613 | Burke County |
| Maiden | Town | 3,921 | Lincoln County |
| Claremont | City | 1,790 | |
| Catawba | Town | 736 | |
| Brookford | Town | 456 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Norman of Catawba | 9,906 | |
| St. Stephens | 9,457 | |
| Mountain View | 3,982 |
ZIP codes in Catawba County
14 ZIP codes reach into Catawba County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28037 also Lincoln County
- 28090 also Cleveland, Lincoln and Burke counties
- 28092 also Lincoln and Gaston counties
- 28168 also Lincoln, Burke and Cleveland counties
- 28601 also Burke, Alexander and Caldwell counties
- 28602 also Burke County
- 28609
- 28610
- 28612 also Burke County
- 28613
- 28650 also Lincoln County
- 28658
- 28673 also Lincoln County
- 28682
Population of Catawba County, 2020–2025
Catawba County grew by 9,544 people (+5.9%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 2,260 more deaths than births and a net gain of 11,669 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 160,892 |
| 2021 | 161,706 |
| 2022 | 163,274 |
| 2023 | 164,901 |
| 2024 | 167,189 |
| 2025 | 170,172 |
Neighboring counties
- Lincoln County south · 98,654 people
- Iredell County northeast · 211,798 people
- Burke County west · 88,655 people
- Alexander County north · 36,958 people
- Caldwell County northwest · 81,105 people
Printable Catawba 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) (125 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (82 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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