Swain County, North Carolina
County seat: Bryson City · Population 14,024 (2025) · 528 sq mi
Swain County is the 89th most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 14,024 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Bryson City. It is part of the Western Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 1 city or town and the 6 neighboring counties.
Swain County facts
- County seat
- Bryson City
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 14,024 −0.6% since 2020
- Land area
- 528 sq mi 37th largest of 100
- Water area
- 13 sq mi
- Population density
- 27 per sq mi
- Established
- 1871
- Named after
- David Lowry Swain American judge (1801–1868); Governor of North Carolina from 1832 to 1835
- Largest city
- Bryson City 1,525
- Median household income
- $52,349
- Cities and towns
- 1 plus 1 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 5
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37173
Cities and towns in Swain County
Swain County has 1 incorporated place. Populations count the people living inside Swain County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryson City (county seat) | Town | 1,525 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Cherokee | 1,273 | Jackson County |
ZIP codes in Swain County
5 ZIP codes reach into Swain County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28702 also Graham County
- 28713 also Macon County
- 28719 also Jackson County
- 28771 also Graham County
- 28789 also Jackson County
Population of Swain County, 2020–2025
Swain County shrank by 91 people (−0.6%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 497 more deaths than births and a net gain of 405 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 14,107 |
| 2021 | 14,134 |
| 2022 | 13,982 |
| 2023 | 13,959 |
| 2024 | 14,047 |
| 2025 | 14,024 |
Neighboring counties
- Graham County southwest · 8,190 people
- Sevier County, Tennessee north · 101,342 people
- Jackson County southeast · 45,039 people
- Macon County south · 39,232 people
- Blount County, Tennessee west · 143,820 people
- Haywood County east · 63,369 people
Printable Swain 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) (90 KB)
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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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