Lee County, North Carolina
County seat: Sanford · Population 70,258 (2025) · 255 sq mi
Lee County is the 41st most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 70,258 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Sanford. It is part of the North Central Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 2 cities and towns and the 3 neighboring counties.
Lee County facts
- County seat
- Sanford
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 70,258 +11% since 2020
- Land area
- 255 sq mi 89th largest of 100
- Water area
- 4 sq mi
- Population density
- 275 per sq mi
- Established
- 1907
- Same name
- One of 12 Lee Counties in the US
- Named after
- Robert E. Lee Confederate States general (1807–1870)
- Largest city
- Sanford 34,138
- Median household income
- $65,387
- Cities and towns
- 2
- ZIP codes
- 5
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37105
Cities and towns in Lee County
Lee County has 2 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Lee County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanford (county seat) | City | 34,138 | |
| Broadway | Town | 1,380 | Harnett County |
ZIP codes in Lee County
5 ZIP codes reach into Lee County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 27330 also Chatham, Moore and Harnett counties
- 27332 also Harnett County
- 27505 also Harnett County
- 28326 also Harnett and Moore counties
- 28355
Population of Lee County, 2020–2025
Lee County grew by 6,975 people (+11%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 239 more births than deaths and a net gain of 6,595 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 63,388 |
| 2021 | 63,997 |
| 2022 | 65,613 |
| 2023 | 67,346 |
| 2024 | 68,819 |
| 2025 | 70,258 |
Neighboring counties
- Chatham County north · 85,111 people
- Moore County southwest · 110,619 people
- Harnett County southeast · 150,137 people
Printable Lee 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) (81 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (68 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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