Wilkes County, North Carolina
County seat: Wilkesboro · Population 66,233 (2025) · 754 sq mi
Wilkes County is the 43rd most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 66,233 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Wilkesboro. 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 8 neighboring counties.
Wilkes County facts
- County seat
- Wilkesboro
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 66,233 +0.4% since 2020
- Land area
- 754 sq mi 13th largest of 100
- Water area
- 3 sq mi
- Population density
- 88 per sq mi
- Established
- 1778
- Named after
- John Wilkes English radical, journalist, and politician (1725–1797)
- Largest city
- North Wilkesboro 4,369
- Median household income
- $51,721
- Cities and towns
- 4 plus 7 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 23
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37193
Cities and towns in Wilkes County
Wilkes County has 4 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Wilkes County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Wilkesboro | Town | 4,369 | |
| Wilkesboro (county seat) | Town | 3,618 | |
| Ronda | Town | 447 | |
| Elkin | Town | 70 | Surry County |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Cricket | 2,317 | |
| Mulberry | 2,037 | |
| Fairplains | 1,803 | |
| Millers Creek | 1,689 | |
| Moravian Falls | 1,285 | |
| Hays | 1,053 | |
| Pleasant Hill | 793 |
ZIP codes in Wilkes County
23 ZIP codes reach into Wilkes County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 27020 also Yadkin and Iredell counties
- 28606 also Caldwell County
- 28618 also Watauga County
- 28621 also Surry County
- 28624 also Caldwell County
- 28635
- 28640 also Ashe County
- 28642 also Yadkin County
- 28644 also Alleghany and Ashe counties
- 28645 also Caldwell, Watauga and Burke counties
- 28649
- 28651
- 28654 also Alexander County
- 28659
- 28665
- 28669
- 28670
- 28675 also Alleghany County
- 28676 also Surry County
- 28683 also Surry County
- 28685
- 28689 also Iredell, Yadkin and Alexander counties
- 28697
Population of Wilkes County, 2020–2025
Wilkes County grew by 254 people (+0.4%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 1,702 more deaths than births and a net gain of 1,933 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 65,871 |
| 2021 | 65,812 |
| 2022 | 65,807 |
| 2023 | 66,024 |
| 2024 | 66,252 |
| 2025 | 66,233 |
Neighboring counties
- Alleghany County north · 11,479 people
- Ashe County northwest · 27,514 people
- Alexander County south · 36,958 people
- Caldwell County southwest · 81,105 people
- Surry County northeast · 72,287 people
- Yadkin County east · 38,325 people
- Watauga County west · 54,786 people
- Iredell County southeast · 211,798 people
Printable Wilkes 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) (124 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (91 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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