How many people live in Rowan County, NC?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 153,400 people living in Rowan County, NC. That makes Rowan County the 20th-most populous county in North Carolina. It is home to 1.4% of people living in the state.
153K
population of Rowan County, NC (2024)
1.4%
County share of the North Carolina population (2024)
About 153,400 people lived in Rowan County, NC in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Rowan County, NC’s age demographics?
About 28,100 Rowan County, NC residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 18.4% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 18% of North Carolina’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 33,400 Rowan County residents, or 21.8% 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 Rowan County, NC's population is aged 25–44 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Rowan County, NC’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 67.3% of the Rowan County, NC population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Rowan County, NC also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic Black or African American (16.3%) than the US overall (12.6%).
In contrast, Rowan County’s Hispanic population accounts for 13%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Asian population makes up 1.1% of the county, compared with 6.5% 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.
Rowan County, NC has a higher share of a non-Hispanic white population than North Carolina as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Rowan County, NC is Salisbury with about 36,600 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Rowan County, NC ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Salisbury | 36,579 |
| 2. | Kannapolis (pt.) | 11,270 |
| 3. | China Grove | 4,610 |
| 4. | Landis | 3,838 |
| 5. | Spencer | 3,406 |
| 6. | Granite Quarry | 3,107 |
| 7. | Rockwell | 2,390 |
| 8. | East Spencer | 1,625 |
| 9. | Cleveland | 887 |
| 10. | Faith | 836 |
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.
