Columbus County, North Carolina
County seat: Whiteville · Population 50,487 (2025) · 938 sq mi
Columbus County is the 52nd most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 50,487 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Whiteville. It is part of the Sandhills (South Central) Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 10 cities and towns and the 6 neighboring counties.
Columbus County facts
- County seat
- Whiteville
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 50,487 −0.3% since 2020
- Land area
- 938 sq mi 3rd largest of 100
- Water area
- 17 sq mi
- Population density
- 54 per sq mi
- Established
- 1808
- Named after
- Christopher Columbus Italian navigator, explorer, and colonist (1451–1506)
- Largest city
- Whiteville 4,765
- Median household income
- $49,442
- Cities and towns
- 10 plus 4 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 16
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37047
Cities and towns in Columbus County
Columbus County has 10 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Columbus County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whiteville (county seat) | City | 4,765 | |
| Tabor City | Town | 3,886 | |
| Chadbourn | Town | 1,539 | |
| Lake Waccamaw | Town | 1,239 | |
| Brunswick | Town | 921 | |
| Fair Bluff | Town | 737 | |
| Sandyfield | Town | 450 | |
| Bolton | Town | 448 | |
| Boardman | Town | 163 | |
| Cerro Gordo | Town | 144 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Riegelwood | 649 | |
| Evergreen | 421 | |
| Hallsboro | 291 | |
| Delco | 258 |
ZIP codes in Columbus County
16 ZIP codes reach into Columbus County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28320 also Bladen County
- 28423 also Bladen County
- 28424
- 28430
- 28431
- 28432
- 28433 also Bladen County
- 28436 also Brunswick County
- 28438 also Bladen County
- 28439
- 28442
- 28450
- 28455
- 28456 also Bladen and Brunswick counties
- 28463
- 28472
Population of Columbus County, 2020–2025
Columbus County shrank by 143 people (−0.3%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 1,276 more deaths than births and a net gain of 1,108 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 50,487 |
| 2021 | 50,021 |
| 2022 | 50,037 |
| 2023 | 50,249 |
| 2024 | 50,301 |
| 2025 | 50,487 |
Neighboring counties
- Brunswick County southeast · 174,702 people
- Bladen County north · 30,007 people
- Horry County, South Carolina southwest · 427,551 people
- Robeson County northwest · 119,941 people
- Pender County east · 72,111 people
- Dillon County, South Carolina west · 27,458 people
Printable Columbus 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) (127 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (84 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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