Lincoln County, North Carolina
County seat: Lincolnton · Population 98,654 (2025) · 296 sq mi
Lincoln County is the 31st most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 98,654 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Lincolnton. It is part of the Southwest Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 2 cities and towns and the 6 neighboring counties.
Lincoln County facts
- County seat
- Lincolnton
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 98,654 +13.7% since 2020
- Land area
- 296 sq mi 82nd largest of 100
- Water area
- 9 sq mi
- Population density
- 333 per sq mi
- Established
- 1779
- Same name
- One of 23 Lincoln Counties in the US
- Named after
- Benjamin Lincoln Continental Army general (1733–1810)
- Largest city
- Lincolnton 12,465
- Median household income
- $80,016
- Cities and towns
- 2 plus 5 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 11
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37109
Cities and towns in Lincoln County
Lincoln County has 2 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Lincoln County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincolnton (county seat) | City | 12,465 | |
| Maiden | Town | 1 | Catawba County |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Westport | 5,915 | |
| Lowesville | 3,874 | |
| Denver | 2,497 | |
| Iron Station | 934 | |
| Crouse | 408 |
ZIP codes in Lincoln County
11 ZIP codes reach into Lincoln County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28006 also Gaston County
- 28021 also Gaston and Cleveland counties
- 28033 also Gaston County
- 28037 also Catawba County
- 28080 also Gaston County
- 28090 also Cleveland, Burke and Catawba counties
- 28092 also Gaston and Catawba counties
- 28164 also Gaston County
- 28168 also Catawba, Burke and Cleveland counties
- 28650 also Catawba County
- 28673 also Catawba County
Population of Lincoln County, 2020–2025
Lincoln County grew by 11,872 people (+13.7%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 432 more deaths than births and a net gain of 12,224 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 87,153 |
| 2021 | 89,935 |
| 2022 | 93,088 |
| 2023 | 95,723 |
| 2024 | 97,519 |
| 2025 | 98,654 |
Neighboring counties
- Catawba County north · 170,172 people
- Gaston County south · 246,558 people
- Cleveland County southwest · 103,325 people
- Mecklenburg County southeast · 1,233,383 people
- Iredell County northeast · 211,798 people
- Burke County northwest · 88,655 people
Printable Lincoln 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) (102 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (67 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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