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Welcome to Wilkes County ...

Time Zone: Wilkes County lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time.

The community of Wilkesboro is the Seat for Wilkes County.

Wilkes County was founded in 1778 and was created by taking area from Surry County.

From the Census Estimates for 2019, <1> Wilkes had a population of 68,412 people. This is a decrease of 1.23% since the last Census (which gave a population of 69,264 people in 2010).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Wilkes represented 0.73% of the total population of North Carolina.

Below are some of the communities located in Wilkes County:

  • North Wilkesboro
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Ronda
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ronda have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ronda
    • Ronda is located in Wilkes County (NC)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 406 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ronda <2>
  • Wilkesboro
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilkesboro have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkesboro
    • Wilkesboro is located in Wilkes County (NC)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,430 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilkesboro <2>

Websites of Interest ...

Footnotes ...

<1>On a yearly basis, the US Census Bureau creates an estimate of the county's population. Keep in mind that this is an estimate and not an actual count. The last physical count was the 2010 Census and the next count will be for the 2020 Census.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
 

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This page was last modified/updated: 14 Jul 2025