Rowan County, North Carolina
County seat: Salisbury · Population 155,096 (2025) · 512 sq mi
Rowan County is the 20th most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 155,096 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Salisbury. It is part of the Southwest Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 10 cities and towns and the 5 neighboring counties.
Rowan County facts
- County seat
- Salisbury
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 155,096 +5.6% since 2020
- Land area
- 512 sq mi 40th largest of 100
- Water area
- 12 sq mi
- Population density
- 303 per sq mi
- Established
- 1753
- Named after
- Matthew Rowan American politician
- Largest city
- Salisbury 36,879
- Median household income
- $65,725
- Cities and towns
- 10 plus 2 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 20
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37159
Cities and towns in Rowan County
Rowan County has 10 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Rowan County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salisbury (county seat) | City | 36,879 | |
| Kannapolis | City | 11,556 | Cabarrus County |
| China Grove | Town | 4,650 | |
| Landis | Town | 3,885 | |
| Spencer | Town | 3,450 | |
| Granite Quarry | Town | 3,129 | |
| Rockwell | Town | 2,417 | |
| East Spencer | Town | 1,650 | |
| Cleveland | Town | 902 | |
| Faith | Town | 845 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Enochville | 3,321 | |
| Gold Hill | 914 |
ZIP codes in Rowan County
20 ZIP codes reach into Rowan County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 27013 also Iredell County
- 27054
- 28023
- 28036 also Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and Iredell counties
- 28039
- 28041
- 28071 also Cabarrus and Stanly counties
- 28072
- 28081 also Cabarrus County
- 28083 also Cabarrus County
- 28088
- 28115 also Iredell County
- 28125 also Iredell County
- 28127 also Stanly, Montgomery, Davidson and Randolph counties
- 28137 also Stanly County
- 28138 also Cabarrus County
- 28144
- 28146
- 28147
- 28159
Population of Rowan County, 2020–2025
Rowan County grew by 8,213 people (+5.6%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 1,898 more deaths than births and a net gain of 9,950 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 146,893 |
| 2021 | 147,701 |
| 2022 | 149,498 |
| 2023 | 151,833 |
| 2024 | 153,713 |
| 2025 | 155,096 |
Neighboring counties
- Davidson County northeast · 180,182 people
- Cabarrus County south · 249,725 people
- Iredell County northwest · 211,798 people
- Davie County north · 45,855 people
- Stanly County southeast · 68,830 people
Printable Rowan 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) (122 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (86 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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