Mitchell County, North Carolina
County seat: Bakersville · Population 15,062 (2025) · 221 sq mi
Mitchell County is the 87th most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 15,062 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Bakersville. It is part of the Northwest Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 2 cities and towns and the 5 neighboring counties.
Mitchell County facts
- County seat
- Bakersville
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 15,062 +1.1% since 2020
- Land area
- 221 sq mi 97th largest of 100
- Water area
- 1 sq mi
- Population density
- 68 per sq mi
- Established
- 1861
- Same name
- One of 5 Mitchell Counties in the US
- Named after
- Elisha Mitchell American geologist and educator (1793-1857)
- Largest city
- Spruce Pine 2,211
- Median household income
- $57,602
- Cities and towns
- 2
- ZIP codes
- 4
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37121
Cities and towns in Mitchell County
Mitchell County has 2 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Mitchell County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spruce Pine | Town | 2,211 | |
| Bakersville (county seat) | Town | 468 |
ZIP codes in Mitchell County
4 ZIP codes reach into Mitchell County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28705 also Yancey County
- 28740 also Yancey County
- 28749 also McDowell County
- 28777 also Avery, McDowell and Yancey counties
Population of Mitchell County, 2020–2025
Mitchell County grew by 161 people (+1.1%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 676 more deaths than births and a net gain of 824 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 14,901 |
| 2021 | 14,980 |
| 2022 | 15,043 |
| 2023 | 15,013 |
| 2024 | 15,142 |
| 2025 | 15,062 |
Neighboring counties
- Yancey County southwest · 19,084 people
- Avery County east · 18,110 people
- Unicoi County, Tennessee northwest · 17,856 people
- McDowell County south · 45,198 people
- Carter County, Tennessee north · 57,361 people
Printable Mitchell 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) (112 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (101 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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