Census Data for Winston - Salem

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Winston - Salem a population of 247,775 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Winston - Salem a population of 229,617 people.

The city of Winston - Salem is located in Forsyth County. The 2010 Census gave Forsyth County; a population of 350,670 people. This means that Winston - Salem had 65.5% of the county's total population, making it Forsyth's most populous community.

At the same time, North Carolina had a population of 9,535,483 people, meaning that Winston - Salem had 2.41% of the total population of North Carolina - making it the state's 4th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Winston - Salem has a total area of 133.7 square miles [346.3 km²]. Of this total, a small amount of the area is covered by water (1.25 square miles [3.2 km²]).

Forsyth County has a land area of 408.1 square miles [1,057.1 km²]. At 132.4 square miles [343 km²], Winston - Salem has 32.45% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Winston - Salem, 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 city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Winston - Salem reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Winston - Salem 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° 6' 11"   (or 36.1°)
  • Lon:   -80° 15' 38"   (or -80.26°)
  • 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, Winston - Salem had 103,974 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 229,617 people, this averages 2.21 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Winston - Salem had a land area of 132.4 square miles [343 km²]. This translates to 777 Housing Units per square mile [300.3 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Winston - Salem had 82,593 Housing Units, a population of 185,776 people and a land area of 108.9 square miles [281.9 km²]. This gives a density of 2.25 people per Housing Unit and 753 Housing Units per square mile [290.9 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 Census and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Winston - Salem and you need to be careful when comparing values between the censuses. More information about these differences can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Forsyth County ...

Winston - Salem is located in Forsyth County<4> and is the County Seat for Forsyth County.

The county had a population of 350,670 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 229,617 people, Winston - Salem represented 65.5% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Winston - Salem has a population density of 1,717 people per square mile [663 people/km²], Forsyth County averages 859 people per square mile [331.7 people/km²].

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

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Winston - Salem, 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 Winston - Salem. 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 Winston - Salem 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 Winston - Salem, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Winston - Salem.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   36.103262°   (or 36°6'11" N)
  • Lon:   -80.260578°   (or -80°15'38" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   36.102764°   (or 36°6'9" N)
  • Lon:   -80.260491°   (or -80°15'37" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 183.4 feet to the north<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 (#2405771) to Winston - Salem. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Winston - Salem. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   36.102816°   (or 36°6'10" N)
  • Lon:   -80.260556°   (or -80°15'38" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 162.7 feet to the north<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Winston - Salem. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Winston - Salem.

Miscellaneous Information for Winston - Salem ...

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 Forsyth County or the city of Winston - Salem:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Winston - Salem:
  • GNIS ID for Winston - Salem: 2405771
  • GNIS ID for Forsyth County: 1008552
  • 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: 067 (Forsyth County)
  • Place Code: 75000 (Winston - Salem)
  • State & County Code: 37/067 (North Carolina / Forsyth County)
  • State & Place Code: 37/75000 (North Carolina / Winston - Salem)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Winston - Salem is located in Census Region #3 (the South Region) and Division #5 (the South Atlantic Division).

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Winston - Salem.

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Winston - Salem: www.ci.winston-salem.nc.us/

The official website for Forsyth County: www.co.forsyth.nc.us/

The official website for State of North Carolina: https://www.nc.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)