Scotland County is a county in North Carolina, United States, on the South Carolina line in the south-central part of the state. It had a population of 34,174 at the 2020 census and covers 320.62 square miles (830.4 km2) centred near 34°50′N 79°29′W.
Laurinburg is the county seat and largest city; its postal code is 28352. The county has one city, three towns, four census-designated places, a handful of smaller unincorporated communities, and four townships. It sits in the Eastern time zone (UTC-5, UTC-4 during daylight saving), and its FIPS code is 37165.
Towns & Villages in Scotland County
Scotland County is North Carolina’s smallest county by land area, and most of its population lives in or near Laurinburg. Beyond the county seat, the map holds three small towns (Gibson, Maxton, and Wagram — Maxton’s town limits sit mostly across the line in Robeson County), four Census Bureau-designated places, and a scatter of older mill and crossroads communities. “CDP” below marks a Census-Designated Place (unincorporated, no town government); “Unincorp.” marks a named community with no formal boundary.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurinburg | City · seat | Williamson | 15,024 | 28352 / 28353 |
| Gibson | Town | — | — | 28343 |
| Wagram | Town | — | — | 28396 |
| Maxton | Town | — | — | — |
| Laurel Hill | CDP | Laurel Hill | — | 28351 |
| Deercroft | CDP | — | — | 28351 |
| Old Hundred | CDP | — | — | — |
| Scotch Meadows | CDP | — | — | — |
| East Laurinburg | Unincorp. | — | — | 28352 |
| Montclair | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hasty | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Johns | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Elmore | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Gibson Mill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Green Pond | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sandy Bottoms | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Maxton straddles the Scotland–Robeson county line; its historic downtown and most of its housing sit in Robeson County, with only the northern edge of town in Scotland County, which is why no separate population figure is given for the Scotland County share. The old scrape of this page also carried roughly forty additional names — subdivisions such as Deercroft’s golf-course sections, Laurinburg neighborhoods (College Park, Highland Park, Idlewood, Lincoln Heights, Norman Heights), and mobile-home parks (Langley Place, McKenzie Acres) — that are platted developments inside Laurinburg or Deercroft rather than distinct settlements; they are not repeated here as separate places. See notes.md for the full list.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Williamson | — | Laurinburg, East Laurinburg |
| Laurel Hill | — | Laurel Hill, Old Hundred |
| Spring Hill | — | Wagram, Scotch Meadows |
| Stewartsville | — | Gibson, Deercroft |
Scotland County’s four civil townships are used mainly for historical land records and voting-precinct grouping today; they carry no local government of their own. The Census Bureau does not publish current township-level population totals for North Carolina, so the figures above are omitted rather than estimated.
ZIP Codes
- 28352 — Laurinburg
- 28353 — Laurinburg (PO Box only)
- 28351 — Laurel Hill (also serves Deercroft)
- 28396 — Wagram
- 28343 — Gibson
Smaller communities such as Montclair, Old Hundred, and Scotch Meadows do not have their own ZIP code and use whichever of the five above is closest by mail route.
Geography
Scotland County sits in North Carolina’s Sandhills region, a belt of rolling, sandy terrain left behind by ancient shorelines, transitioning eastward into the flatter Coastal Plain. Longleaf pine and turkey oak forest cover much of the county, mixed with row-crop farmland along the creek bottoms. The Lumber River forms part of the county’s eastern edge, and Gum Swamp and Marks Creek drain the interior toward it.
Scotland County borders Hoke County to the north, Moore County to the northwest, Richmond County to the west, Robeson County to the south and east, and Marlboro County, South Carolina, across the state line to the south.
Demographics
The county’s 2020 population of 34,174 works out to about 107 people per square mile. Laurinburg, with 15,024 residents, is by far the largest community, holding roughly 44% of the county’s population; East Laurinburg and the Laurel Hill and Deercroft CDPs make up most of the rest. Median household income has historically run well below the North Carolina median of $70,804 (2023 American Community Survey); Scotland County’s own median was $39,866 in the 2017–2021 ACS five-year estimate, among the lowest of any North Carolina county.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture (cotton, soybeans, and tobacco) and manufacturing have long anchored the local economy, alongside Scotland Memorial Hospital and Richmond Community College’s Scotland County campus. St. Andrews University, a small private liberal-arts college, sits just outside Laurinburg. The county lost a major employer when its state prison complex and several textile plants closed over the past two decades, and it now ranks among North Carolina’s higher-unemployment counties. Laurinburg’s John Blue Cotton Festival, held each fall and named for a local inventor of cotton-farming equipment, is the county’s best-known annual event.
History
Scotland County was formed on February 20, 1899, from a portion of Richmond County, effective the following year, and was named for the Scottish Highland settlers who had populated the area since the 1700s. During World War II, the U.S. Army built Camp Mackall near the county for airborne and glider-pilot training, and the nearby Laurinburg-Maxton Army Air Base trained an estimated 30,000 glider pilots — among the largest such programs in the country. A stretch of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad running north from Hamlet through the county is cited as one of the longest continuous straight sections of railroad track in the United States.
Getting There
U.S. Routes 15, 74, 401, and 501 all cross Scotland County, along with North Carolina Highways 71, 79, 144, and 381.
- Fayetteville, N.C. — 40 miles northeast
- Rockingham, N.C. — 20 miles west
- Lumberton, N.C. — 25 miles southeast
- Florence, S.C. — 45 miles south
Laurinburg-Maxton Airport handles general aviation; the nearest commercial airport is Fayetteville Regional Airport. No Amtrak service currently stops in the county.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Scotland County, North Carolina?
It sits in the Sandhills region of south-central North Carolina, on the South Carolina border, about 40 miles southwest of Fayetteville.
What is the population of Scotland County?
34,174 people, as of the 2020 census.
How big is Scotland County?
320.62 square miles (830.4 km2), making it North Carolina’s smallest county by land area.
What is the county seat of Scotland County?
Laurinburg is the county seat and largest city.
How many towns are in Scotland County?
One city (Laurinburg) and three towns (Gibson, Maxton, and Wagram), plus four census-designated places and several smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Scotland County?
28352 and 28353 (Laurinburg), 28351 (Laurel Hill), 28396 (Wagram), and 28343 (Gibson).
Is Maxton in Scotland County?
Only partly — most of the town of Maxton lies across the line in Robeson County, with a small portion in Scotland County.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in North Carolina.