Wayne County, North Carolina
County seat: Goldsboro · Population 122,278 (2025) · 554 sq mi
Wayne County is the 25th most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 122,278 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Goldsboro. It is part of the Southeast Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 6 cities and towns and the 6 neighboring counties.
Wayne County facts
- County seat
- Goldsboro
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 122,278 +4.2% since 2020
- Land area
- 554 sq mi 29th largest of 100
- Water area
- 4 sq mi
- Population density
- 221 per sq mi
- Established
- 1779
- Same name
- One of 16 Wayne Counties in the US
- Named after
- Anthony Wayne Continental Army general (1745-1796)
- Largest city
- Goldsboro 35,012
- Median household income
- $59,733
- Cities and towns
- 6 plus 5 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 15
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37191
Cities and towns in Wayne County
Wayne County has 6 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Wayne County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goldsboro (county seat) | City | 35,012 | |
| Mount Olive | Town | 4,515 | Duplin County |
| Fremont | Town | 1,237 | |
| Walnut Creek | Village | 1,119 | |
| Pikeville | Town | 738 | |
| Seven Springs | Town | 59 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Elroy | 3,251 | |
| Mar-Mac | 2,877 | |
| Brogden | 2,733 | |
| Dudley | 2,305 | |
| New Hope | 1,487 |
ZIP codes in Wayne County
15 ZIP codes reach into Wayne County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 27524 also Johnston County
- 27530
- 27531
- 27533
- 27534 also Greene County
- 27542 also Johnston and Wilson counties
- 27569 also Johnston County
- 27830 also Wilson County
- 27851 also Wilson County
- 27863 also Greene and Johnston counties
- 27883 also Wilson and Greene counties
- 28333
- 28365 also Duplin and Sampson counties
- 28551 also Lenoir and Greene counties
- 28578 also Lenoir and Duplin counties
Population of Wayne County, 2020–2025
Wayne County grew by 4,951 people (+4.2%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 752 more births than deaths and a net gain of 4,249 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 117,758 |
| 2021 | 117,416 |
| 2022 | 118,206 |
| 2023 | 119,731 |
| 2024 | 121,168 |
| 2025 | 122,278 |
Neighboring counties
- Johnston County northwest · 256,448 people
- Duplin County south · 51,571 people
- Greene County northeast · 20,700 people
- Wilson County north · 81,150 people
- Lenoir County east · 55,837 people
- Sampson County southwest · 61,504 people
Printable Wayne 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) (110 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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