Watauga County, North Carolina
County seat: Boone · Population 54,786 (2025) · 312 sq mi
Watauga County is the 50th most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 54,786 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Boone. It is part of the Northwest Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 4 cities and towns and the 5 neighboring counties.
Watauga County facts
- County seat
- Boone
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 54,786 +1.3% since 2020
- Land area
- 312 sq mi 81st largest of 100
- Water area
- 1 sq mi
- Population density
- 175 per sq mi
- Established
- 1849
- Named after
- Watauga River river in North Carolina and Tennessee, United States
- Largest city
- Boone 19,929
- Median household income
- $51,693
- Cities and towns
- 4 plus 3 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 10
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37189
Cities and towns in Watauga County
Watauga County has 4 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Watauga County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boone (county seat) | Town | 19,929 | |
| Blowing Rock | Town | 1,229 | Caldwell County |
| Beech Mountain | Town | 598 | Avery County |
| Seven Devils | Town | 273 | Avery County |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Cove Creek | 1,629 | |
| Foscoe | 1,226 | |
| Valle Crucis | 242 |
ZIP codes in Watauga County
10 ZIP codes reach into Watauga County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28604 also Avery County
- 28605 also Caldwell and Avery counties
- 28607
- 28618 also Wilkes County
- 28622 also Avery County
- 28645 also Caldwell, Burke and Wilkes counties
- 28679 also Avery County
- 28684 also Ashe County
- 28692
- 28698 also Ashe County
Population of Watauga County, 2020–2025
Watauga County grew by 707 people (+1.3%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 550 more deaths than births and a net gain of 1,378 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 54,466 |
| 2021 | 55,302 |
| 2022 | 55,363 |
| 2023 | 55,362 |
| 2024 | 54,921 |
| 2025 | 54,786 |
Neighboring counties
- Johnson County, Tennessee northwest · 18,718 people
- Ashe County northeast · 27,514 people
- Avery County southwest · 18,110 people
- Caldwell County southeast · 81,105 people
- Wilkes County east · 66,233 people
Printable Watauga 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) (101 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (81 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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