Census Data for North Wilkesboro

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave North Wilkesboro a population of 4,135 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave North Wilkesboro a population of 4,245 people.

The town of North Wilkesboro is located in Wilkes County. The 2010 Census gave Wilkes County; a population of 69,264 people. This means that North Wilkesboro had 6.13% of the county's total population, making it Wilkes' most populous community.

At the same time, North Carolina had a population of 9,535,483 people, meaning that North Wilkesboro had 0.04% of the total population of North Carolina - making it the state's 151st most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for North Wilkesboro has a total area of 6.59 square miles [17.1 km²].

Wilkes County has a land area of 754 square miles [1,953.6 km²]. At 6.59 square miles [17.1 km²], North Wilkesboro has 0.87% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a town like North Wilkesboro, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the town.
  • Things like population, area and housing for North Wilkesboro reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of North Wilkesboro might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   36° 10' 22"   (or 36.17°)
  • Lon:   -81° 8' 20"   (or -81.14°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, North Wilkesboro had 1,996 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 4,245 people, this averages 2.13 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows North Wilkesboro had a land area of 6.59 square miles [17.1 km²]. This translates to 303 Housing Units per square mile [117 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: North Wilkesboro had 1,837 Housing Units, a population of 4,116 people and a land area of 5.12 square miles [13.3 km²]. This gives a density of 2.24 people per Housing Unit and 358.8 Housing Units per square mile [138.5 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for North Wilkesboro and you need to be careful when comparing values between the censuses. More information about the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Wilkes County ...

The town of North Wilkesboro is located in Wilkes County<4>.

The county had a population of 69,264 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 4,245 people, North Wilkesboro represented 6.13% of the county's total.

In addition, where the town of North Wilkesboro has a population density of 644 people per square mile [248.8 people/km²], Wilkes County averages 91.8 people per square mile [35.46 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Wilkes County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for North Wilkesboro, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of North Wilkesboro. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for North Wilkesboro or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of North Wilkesboro, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for North Wilkesboro.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   36.172890°   (or 36°10'22" N)
  • Lon:   -81.139057°   (or -81°8'20" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   36.170910°   (or 36°10'15" N)
  • Lon:   -81.142048°   (or -81°8'31" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 1,138 feet to the northeast<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2407009) to North Wilkesboro. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of North Wilkesboro. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   36.171933°   (or 36°10'18" N)
  • Lon:   -81.139799°   (or -81°8'23" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 411.6 feet to the northeast<6> of the point given by the GNIS for North Wilkesboro. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for North Wilkesboro.

Miscellaneous Information for North Wilkesboro ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Wilkes County or the town of North Wilkesboro:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to North Wilkesboro:
  • GNIS ID for North Wilkesboro: 2407009
  • GNIS ID for Wilkes County: 1008595
  • GNIS ID for State of North Carolina: 1027616

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 37 (North Carolina)
  • County Code: 193 (Wilkes County)
  • Place Code: 47880 (North Wilkesboro)
  • State & County Code: 37/193 (North Carolina / Wilkes County)
  • State & Place Code: 37/47880 (North Carolina / North Wilkesboro)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • North Wilkesboro is located in Census Region #3 (the South Region) and Division #5 (the South Atlantic Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used ZIP codes to identify a community, the ZIP codes were actually created to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although a ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a town like North Wilkesboro, they do identify addresses that are in (or near) the town. It's important to remember that the boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • Our list of ZIP codes for North Wilkesboro:<7>
  •  & .

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for North Wilkesboro.