Jackson County, North Carolina
County seat: Sylva · Population 45,039 (2025) · 491 sq mi
Jackson County is the 58th most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 45,039 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Sylva. It is part of the Western Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 5 cities and towns and the 5 neighboring counties.
Jackson County facts
- County seat
- Sylva
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 45,039 +4.5% since 2020
- Land area
- 491 sq mi 46th largest of 100
- Water area
- 4 sq mi
- Population density
- 92 per sq mi
- Established
- 1851
- Same name
- One of 23 Jackson Counties in the US
- Named after
- Andrew Jackson president of the United States from 1829 to 1837
- Largest city
- Cullowhee 7,973
- Median household income
- $55,815
- Cities and towns
- 5 plus 5 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 13
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37099
Cities and towns in Jackson County
Jackson County has 5 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Jackson County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sylva (county seat) | Town | 2,691 | |
| Webster | Town | 387 | |
| Forest Hills | Village | 325 | |
| Dillsboro | Town | 217 | |
| Highlands | Town | 9 | Macon County |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Cullowhee | 7,973 | |
| Cherokee | 786 | Swain County |
| Cashiers | 683 | |
| Glenville | 138 | |
| Whittier | 0 |
ZIP codes in Jackson County
13 ZIP codes reach into Jackson County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28707
- 28717
- 28719 also Swain County
- 28723
- 28725
- 28736
- 28741 also Macon County
- 28751 also Haywood County
- 28774 also Transylvania County
- 28779
- 28783
- 28788
- 28789 also Swain County
Population of Jackson County, 2020–2025
Jackson County grew by 1,917 people (+4.5%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 558 more deaths than births and a net gain of 2,510 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 42,142 |
| 2021 | 42,521 |
| 2022 | 43,920 |
| 2023 | 45,034 |
| 2024 | 44,986 |
| 2025 | 45,039 |
Neighboring counties
- Macon County southwest · 39,232 people
- Haywood County northeast · 63,369 people
- Transylvania County east · 34,211 people
- Swain County northwest · 14,024 people
- Oconee County, South Carolina south · 83,775 people
Printable Jackson 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) (130 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (108 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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