How many people live in Johnston County, NC?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 249,800 people living in Johnston County, NC. That makes Johnston County the ninth-most populous county in North Carolina. It is home to 2.2% of people living in the state.
250K
population of Johnston County, NC (2024)
2.2%
County share of the North Carolina population (2024)
About 249,800 people lived in Johnston County, NC in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Johnston County, NC’s age demographics?
About 35,700 Johnston County residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 14.3% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 18% of North Carolina’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 60,500 Johnston County residents, or 24.2% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 21.6% of North Carolina’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A lower share of Johnston County, NC's population is aged 65 or older than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Johnston County, NC’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 60.3% of the Johnston County, NC population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Johnston County, NC also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic Black or African American (18.1%) than the US overall (12.6%).
In contrast, Johnston County’s non-Hispanic Asian population accounts for 1.3%, below the 6.5% nationwide, and the Hispanic population makes up 17.7% of the county, compared with 20% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Johnston County, NC has a higher share of a Hispanic population than North Carolina as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Johnston County, NC is Clayton with about 31,700 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Johnston County, NC ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Clayton (pt.) | 31,732 |
| 2. | Smithfield | 12,806 |
| 3. | Selma | 7,228 |
| 4. | Archer Lodge | 5,522 |
| 5. | Benson (pt.) | 4,534 |
| 6. | Wilson's Mills | 2,913 |
| 7. | Four Oaks | 2,681 |
| 8. | Pine Level | 2,347 |
| 9. | Princeton | 1,507 |
| 10. | Kenly (pt.) | 1,480 |
Keep exploring
Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
