Wayne County, North Carolina

Wayne County is a county in North Carolina, United States, about 50 miles southeast of
Raleigh. It had a population of 117,333 at the 2020 census, an estimated 118,652 by 2024, and
covers 557.72 square miles (1,444.5 km2) centred near 35°21′N 78°01′W.

Goldsboro is the county seat and the county’s only city; its postal code is 27530. The
county holds 1 city, 5 incorporated towns and 1 incorporated village, plus 5 census-designated
places and a scatter of unincorporated communities, and it runs on Eastern Time.

Towns & Villages in Wayne County

Wayne County has 14 named places on record: 7 incorporated cities, towns and a village, 5
census-designated places, and 2 unincorporated communities with no local government of their
own. CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads communities with no
formal boundary.

Mount Olive’s city limits extend south across the line into Duplin County, so a share of
its population lives outside Wayne. New Hope’s 1,588 residents are split between two ZIP
codes — 27534, based in Goldsboro, covers most of the CDP, while a strip in the southeast
is served by 28551, based in La Grange, over in Lenoir County. Walnut Creek carries the legal
designation “village” rather than “town” under North Carolina law, though it
governs itself the same way as the county’s other incorporated towns.

ZIP Codes

• 27530 — Goldsboro (downtown and the west side of the city)
• 27534 — Goldsboro’s east side, also serves Walnut Creek and most of New Hope
• 28365 — Mount Olive
• 27830 — Fremont and Eureka share this ZIP
• 27863 — Pikeville
• 28578 — Seven Springs
• 28333 — Dudley and Brogden share this ZIP

Elroy, Mar-Mac, Grantham and Nahunta have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered
under Goldsboro’s or the nearest incorporated town’s code. The southeastern edge of
New Hope is covered by 28551, administered from La Grange across the county line in Lenoir
County, and is not counted among Wayne County’s own codes.

Geography

Wayne County lies in North Carolina’s inner Coastal Plain, a flat to gently rolling
stretch of pine woods and row-crop farmland east of the fall line. Of its 557.72 square miles,
553.92 are land and 3.80 are water, well under 1 percent — the county has no large
natural lake. The Neuse River crosses the county diagonally, passing through Goldsboro on its
way toward Kinston and the coast, and Stoney Creek is one of its named tributaries in the
county’s eastern half.

Wilson County lies to the north, Greene County to the northeast, Lenoir County to the
southeast, Duplin County to the south, Sampson County to the southwest, and Johnston County to
the west. Wilson
County, Greene
County, Lenoir County, Duplin County and Sampson County all border Wayne
directly; Johnston County does too, though it currently has no dedicated profile on this
site.

Demographics

Wayne County had a population of 117,333 at the 2020 census, and a 2024 estimate put the
county near 118,652 residents. Goldsboro and Mount Olive are the two largest incorporated
communities, though the unincorporated Elroy and Mar-Mac census-designated places each
outnumber every town in the county but Mount Olive. Median household income runs $59,733,
below North Carolina’s statewide figure of $70,804 (2023 ACS). Population density works
out to roughly 214 people per square mile of land, moderate for a county built around one
mid-sized city and a scatter of small towns and farm communities.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 7,099
people, followed by manufacturing at 6,981 and retail trade at 6,579. Seymour Johnson Air
Force Base, home of the 4th Fighter Wing, is the county’s largest single employer and
contributes more than $460 million a year to the local economy, including a civilian and
military payroll above $282 million. Wayne UNC Health Care, based in Goldsboro, is the
county’s second-largest employer. Wayne County ranks 7th nationally for hog production,
and its farms remain a major share of the local economy alongside the base. Mount Olive is
headquarters to the Mount Olive Pickle Company, founded in 1926, which hosts the North
Carolina Pickle Festival each year on the last full weekend of April.

History

North Carolina’s colonial assembly formed Wayne County on 2 November 1779, carving it
out of Dobbs County. It was named for General Anthony Wayne, nicknamed “Mad
Anthony,” a Revolutionary War officer who never lived in the county. Goldsboro,
originally spelled Goldsborough, was incorporated in 1847 and became the county seat; the
spelling was officially shortened to Goldsboro in 1869.

On 24 January 1961, a B-52 bomber broke apart in flight over rural Wayne County north of
Goldsboro and released two hydrogen bombs as it came apart. Neither detonated. The incident
remains one of the closest calls in the history of the US nuclear arsenal.

Getting There

US 70 is the county’s main east-west thoroughfare, running through downtown Goldsboro;
US 13 and US 117 also cross the county, along with NC 50, NC 55, NC 111, NC 222, NC 403 and NC
581. I-42, the Goldsboro Bypass, skirts the city, and I-795 links Goldsboro to I-95 at Wilson
— no through interstate runs across the county’s rural interior.

• Raleigh — about 50 miles northwest
• Wilson — about 30 miles north
• Kinston — the Lenoir County seat, southeast on US 70

Kinston Regional Jetport, over the line in Lenoir County, is the nearest airport with
scheduled commercial service. Goldsboro Union Station runs Amtrak Thruway buses connecting to
the Carolinian and Palmetto trains at the Wilson station, about 30 miles north.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Wayne County located?
It lies in North Carolina’s inner Coastal Plain, about 50 miles southeast of Raleigh,
bordered by Wilson, Greene, Lenoir, Duplin, Sampson and Johnston counties.

What is the population of Wayne County?
117,333 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 118,652.

How big is Wayne County?
557.72 square miles (1,444.5 km2), of which 553.92 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Wayne County?
Goldsboro, incorporated in 1847, is the county seat and the county’s only city.

How many towns and cities are in Wayne County?
Seven incorporated places — Goldsboro, Mount Olive, Fremont, Pikeville, Eureka, Seven
Springs and the village of Walnut Creek — plus five census-designated places (Elroy,
Mar-Mac, Brogden, New Hope and Dudley) and the unincorporated communities of Grantham and
Nahunta.

What ZIP codes does Wayne County use?
27530 and 27534 for Goldsboro and Walnut Creek; 28365 for Mount Olive; 27830 for Fremont and
Eureka; 27863 for Pikeville; 28578 for Seven Springs; and 28333 for Dudley and Brogden.

What is Wayne County known for?
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and its 4th Fighter Wing, the 1961 Goldsboro nuclear incident,
and the Mount Olive Pickle Company’s annual North Carolina Pickle Festival.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in North Carolina.