Rocky Mount, NC Metro Area
The Rocky Mount, NC metro area is made up of 2 counties in North Carolina: Nash and Edgecombe. About 148,486 people lived there on July 1, 2025 (Census estimate), 3.2% more than in April 2020.
- Population, July 2025
- 148,486 3.2% more than in April 2020
- Type
- Metropolitan statistical area
- Counties
- 2, both central
- Land area
- 1,046 sq mi (2,709 km²)
- Time zone
- Eastern TimeUTC-05:00 in January; UTC-04:00 in July
- State
- North Carolina
- Combined statistical area
- Rocky Mount-Wilson-Roanoke Rapids, NC
- CBSA code
- 40580
Counties in the Rocky Mount, NC metro area, largest first
| County | Role | Population, July 2025 | Share of the area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nash County | Central | 99,365 | 66.9% |
| Edgecombe County | Central | 49,121 | 33.1% |
A central county holds the area’s core, an urban area of at least 50,000 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
- Rocky Mount54,297 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.
Part of the Rocky Mount-Wilson-Roanoke Rapids, NC combined statistical area
OMB joins neighboring metro and micro areas into a combined statistical area when enough people commute between them. The other 2 areas in this one, largest first:
- Wilson, NC Micro Area81,150 people
- Roanoke Rapids, NC Micro Area63,025 people
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.
- Wilson, NC Micro Area18 mi southwest
- Roanoke Rapids, NC Micro Area34 mi north
- Greenville, NC Metro Area35 mi southeast
- Raleigh-Cary, NC Metro Area48 mi west
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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