Rutherford County, North Carolina
County seat: Rutherfordton · Population 65,745 (2025) · 565 sq mi
Rutherford County is the 44th most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 65,745 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Rutherfordton. It is part of the Western Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 8 cities and towns and the 8 neighboring counties.
Rutherford County facts
- County seat
- Rutherfordton
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 65,745 +2% since 2020
- Land area
- 565 sq mi 28th largest of 100
- Water area
- 2 sq mi
- Population density
- 116 per sq mi
- Established
- 1779
- Named after
- Griffith Rutherford Revolutionary War Officer
- Largest city
- Forest City 7,410
- Median household income
- $51,410
- Cities and towns
- 8 plus 3 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 18
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37161
Cities and towns in Rutherford County
Rutherford County has 8 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Rutherford County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest City | Town | 7,410 | |
| Spindale | Town | 4,180 | |
| Rutherfordton (county seat) | Town | 3,723 | |
| Lake Lure | Town | 1,391 | |
| Ellenboro | Town | 738 | |
| Bostic | Town | 359 | |
| Ruth | Town | 345 | |
| Chimney Rock Village | Village | 126 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Cliffside | 438 | |
| Henrietta | 197 | |
| Caroleen | 116 |
ZIP codes in Rutherford County
18 ZIP codes reach into Rutherford County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28018
- 28019
- 28020 also Cleveland County
- 28024
- 28040 also Cleveland County
- 28043
- 28074
- 28076
- 28114 also Cleveland County
- 28139 also Polk County
- 28150 also Cleveland County
- 28160
- 28167 also McDowell County
- 28711 also Buncombe, McDowell and Henderson counties
- 28720
- 28746
- 28752 also McDowell County
- 28756 also Polk County
Population of Rutherford County, 2020–2025
Rutherford County grew by 1,292 people (+2%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 2,183 more deaths than births and a net gain of 3,420 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 64,370 |
| 2021 | 64,523 |
| 2022 | 64,856 |
| 2023 | 65,380 |
| 2024 | 65,579 |
| 2025 | 65,745 |
Neighboring counties
- Polk County southwest · 20,533 people
- Cleveland County east · 103,325 people
- McDowell County north · 45,198 people
- Burke County northeast · 88,655 people
- Buncombe County northwest · 277,417 people
- Cherokee County, South Carolina southeast · 58,275 people
- Henderson County west · 122,375 people
- Spartanburg County, South Carolina south · 380,857 people
Printable Rutherford 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) (133 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (102 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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