New Hanover County, North Carolina
A county in North Carolina, ranked 12 of 100 by population.
CountyFIPS 37129
- Population
- 245,959
- +19,510 (+8.6%) since 2020
- Land area
- 192.3
- square miles. A further 41.5% of the total area is water
- Population density
- 1,279
- people per square mile, computed rather than published
- County seat
- Wilmington
- Seat of county government.
- Established
- 1729
- 296 years ago
- Largest city
- Wilmington city
- Population 126,809.
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; Wikidata (CC0), Wikidata. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
Satellite view
Aerial imagery of New Hanover County with its boundary drawn on top. A map shows you the shape; this shows you what is inside it, and which side of the line a place falls on.
Where New Hanover County ranks
Position among the 100 counties of North Carolina, and among all 3,144 US counties and county-equivalents. Computed from the figures on this page.
| Measure | Value | In North Carolina | Nationally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 245,959 | 12th of 100 | 299th of 3,144 |
| Land area | 192.3 sq mi | 99th of 100 | 3,010th of 3,144 |
| Population density | 1,279 per sq mi | 3rd of 100 | 124th of 3,144 |
| Median household income | $75,166 | 17th of 100 | 831st of 3,143 |
Full data for New Hanover County
| Measure | Value | Source and vintage |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 245,959 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Population in 2020 | 226,449 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| 2020 estimates base? | 225,704 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Land area | 192.3 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Water area | 136.6 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Total area | 328.9 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Population density? | 1,279 per sq mi | Computed: Vintage 2025 estimates divided by 2025 Gazetteer land area |
| Median household income | $75,166 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median home value | $387,800 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median age | 39.9 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Households | 104,856 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Housing units | 120,050 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026. Population density is computed here, not published: it divides the Vintage 2025 population estimate by the 2025 Gazetteer land area, which are two different Census products. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
How the population changed
The Census Bureau publishes the components behind an estimate, not just the total. For the year to July 2025:
- Births minus deaths
- -96
- 2,220 births, 2,316 deaths
- Net migration
- +2,724
- More people moved in than moved out.
Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
The 2 areas bordering New Hanover County
Ordered by the length of the border actually shared, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which no other county reference presents.
| Bordering area | State | Shared border | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brunswick County | North Carolina | 45 mi | 174,702 |
| Pender County | North Carolina | 37 mi | 72,111 |
Source: US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
All 100 counties of North Carolina
Open the interactive North Carolina county map, or jump straight to any of them.
- Alamance County
- Alexander County
- Alleghany County
- Anson County
- Ashe County
- Avery County
- Beaufort County
- Bertie County
- Bladen County
- Brunswick County
- Buncombe County
- Burke County
- Cabarrus County
- Caldwell County
- Camden County
- Carteret County
- Caswell County
- Catawba County
- Chatham County
- Cherokee County
- Chowan County
- Clay County
- Cleveland County
- Columbus County
- Craven County
- Cumberland County
- Currituck County
- Dare County
- Davidson County
- Davie County
- Duplin County
- Durham County
- Edgecombe County
- Forsyth County
- Franklin County
- Gaston County
- Gates County
- Graham County
- Granville County
- Greene County
- Guilford County
- Halifax County
- Harnett County
- Haywood County
- Henderson County
- Hertford County
- Hoke County
- Hyde County
- Iredell County
- Jackson County
- Johnston County
- Jones County
- Lee County
- Lenoir County
- Lincoln County
- Macon County
- Madison County
- Martin County
- McDowell County
- Mecklenburg County
- Mitchell County
- Montgomery County
- Moore County
- Nash County
- New Hanover County
- Northampton County
- Onslow County
- Orange County
- Pamlico County
- Pasquotank County
- Pender County
- Perquimans County
- Person County
- Pitt County
- Polk County
- Randolph County
- Richmond County
- Robeson County
- Rockingham County
- Rowan County
- Rutherford County
- Sampson County
- Scotland County
- Stanly County
- Stokes County
- Surry County
- Swain County
- Transylvania County
- Tyrrell County
- Union County
- Vance County
- Wake County
- Warren County
- Washington County
- Watauga County
- Wayne County
- Wilkes County
- Wilson County
- Yadkin County
- Yancey County
Data on this page last rebuilt 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.