Boone, NC Micro Area
The Boone, NC micro area is one county in North Carolina: Watauga County. About 54,786 people lived there on July 1, 2025 (Census estimate), 1.3% more than in April 2020.
- Population, July 2025
- 54,786 1.3% more than in April 2020
- Type
- Micropolitan statistical area
- County
- Watauga County
- Land area
- 312 sq mi (809 km²)
- Time zone
- Eastern TimeUTC-05:00 in January; UTC-04:00 in July
- State
- North Carolina
- CBSA code
- 14380
The county in the Boone, NC micro area
| County | Role | Population, July 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Watauga County | Central | 54,786 |
A central county holds the area’s core, an urban area of 10,000 to 49,999 people. This area has no outlying counties: no neighboring county sends enough commuters to join it. A county belongs to one metro or micro area at most, and it counts whole, countryside included.
Principal city
- Boone20,032 people
OMB names the area after its largest principal cities. A principal city is the area’s largest city, plus any other city that is very large or a big job center, and smaller ones with at least as many jobs as working residents (2020 Census and commuting figures). People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Bordering metro and micro areas, nearest first
Areas with a county on this area’s edge. Distances are straight lines between the areas’ largest cities.
- North Wilkesboro, NC Micro Area29 mi east
- Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC Metro Area38 mi southeast
Before using this answer on a form
A metro or micro area is a statistical area that OMB draws for federal statistics. It is not a city, a local government or a mailing address, and it is not a measure of urban and rural: whole counties count, rural parts included. Programs that use metro areas, such as housing income limits or wage rates, can use their own version of these lists; check the program’s own list for an address.
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