Craven County, North Carolina
County seat: New Bern · Population 105,025 (2025) · 707 sq mi
Craven County is the 28th most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 105,025 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is New Bern. It is part of the Southeast Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 8 cities and towns and the 6 neighboring counties.
Craven County facts
- County seat
- New Bern
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 105,025 +4.3% since 2020
- Land area
- 707 sq mi 15th largest of 100
- Water area
- 67 sq mi
- Population density
- 149 per sq mi
- Established
- 1705
- Named after
- William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven English nobleman and soldier, Bahamian colonial administrator
- Largest city
- New Bern 34,724
- Median household income
- $65,873
- Cities and towns
- 8 plus 5 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 11
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37049
Cities and towns in Craven County
Craven County has 8 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Craven County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Bern (county seat) | City | 34,724 | |
| Havelock | City | 17,430 | |
| Trent Woods | Town | 4,070 | |
| River Bend | Town | 2,890 | |
| Vanceboro | Town | 877 | |
| Cove City | Town | 381 | |
| Dover | Town | 351 | |
| Bridgeton | Town | 345 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| James City | 4,789 | |
| Brices Creek | 3,415 | |
| Fairfield Harbour | 2,948 | |
| Neuse Forest | 2,671 | |
| Cherry Branch | 1,684 |
ZIP codes in Craven County
11 ZIP codes reach into Craven County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28519
- 28523
- 28526 also Jones and Lenoir counties
- 28527
- 28530 also Pitt, Lenoir and Greene counties
- 28532
- 28533
- 28560 also Pamlico County
- 28562 also Jones County
- 28573 also Jones County
- 28586 also Beaufort and Pitt counties
Population of Craven County, 2020–2025
Craven County grew by 4,299 people (+4.3%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 314 more deaths than births and a net gain of 4,640 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 101,514 |
| 2021 | 101,696 |
| 2022 | 102,413 |
| 2023 | 103,370 |
| 2024 | 104,173 |
| 2025 | 105,025 |
Neighboring counties
- Jones County west · 9,575 people
- Pamlico County east · 12,758 people
- Carteret County southeast · 70,469 people
- Beaufort County northeast · 44,670 people
- Pitt County northwest · 182,936 people
- Lenoir County west · 55,837 people
Printable Craven 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) (149 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (124 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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