Macon County, North Carolina
County seat: Franklin · Population 39,232 (2025) · 516 sq mi
Macon County is the 64th most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 39,232 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Franklin. It is part of the Western Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 2 cities and towns and the 7 neighboring counties.
Macon County facts
- County seat
- Franklin
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 39,232 +6% since 2020
- Land area
- 516 sq mi 39th largest of 100
- Water area
- 4 sq mi
- Population density
- 76 per sq mi
- Established
- 1828
- Same name
- One of 6 Macon Counties in the US
- Named after
- Nathaniel Macon Speaker of the House (1757-1837)
- Largest city
- Franklin 4,403
- Median household income
- $59,061
- Cities and towns
- 2
- ZIP codes
- 6
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37113
Cities and towns in Macon County
Macon County has 2 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Macon County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin (county seat) | Town | 4,403 | |
| Highlands | Town | 1,118 | Jackson County |
ZIP codes in Macon County
6 ZIP codes reach into Macon County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28713 also Swain County
- 28734 also Clay County
- 28741 also Jackson County
- 28763
- 28775
- 28781
Population of Macon County, 2020–2025
Macon County grew by 2,228 people (+6%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 1,271 more deaths than births and a net gain of 3,484 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 37,085 |
| 2021 | 37,457 |
| 2022 | 37,964 |
| 2023 | 38,433 |
| 2024 | 38,820 |
| 2025 | 39,232 |
Neighboring counties
- Jackson County northeast · 45,039 people
- Clay County west · 12,239 people
- Swain County north · 14,024 people
- Rabun County, Georgia south · 17,764 people
- Cherokee County west · 30,830 people
- Graham County northwest · 8,190 people
- Oconee County, South Carolina southeast · 83,775 people
Printable Macon 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) (106 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (75 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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