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County · code 37101

Johnston CountyNorth Carolina

Johnston County is a county in North Carolina, with its seat in Smithfield. It was first created from Craven County on June 28, 1746, and named after Gabriel Johnston.

  • Founded1746
  • County seatSmithfield
  • Named forGabriel Johnston
  • Land area792 sq mi + 3.6 sq mi water
  • Population215,999 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped119,070 checked 14 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Johnston County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

WayneWakeWilsonHarnettSampsonFranklinNash Smithfield Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Johnston on the map of North Carolina

North Carolina has 100 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Alamance CountyAlexander CountyAlleghany CountyAnson CountyAshe CountyAvery CountyBeaufort CountyBertie CountyBladen CountyBrunswick CountyBuncombe CountyBurke CountyCabarrus CountyCaldwell CountyCamden CountyCarteret CountyCaswell CountyCatawba CountyChatham CountyCherokee CountyChowan CountyClay CountyCleveland CountyColumbus CountyCraven CountyCumberland CountyCurrituck CountyDare CountyDavidson CountyDavie CountyDuplin CountyDurham CountyEdgecombe CountyForsyth CountyFranklin CountyGaston CountyGates CountyGraham CountyGranville CountyGreene CountyGuilford CountyHalifax CountyHarnett CountyHaywood CountyHenderson CountyHertford CountyHoke CountyHyde CountyIredell CountyJackson CountyJones CountyLee CountyLenoir CountyLincoln CountyMcDowell CountyMacon CountyMadison CountyMartin CountyMecklenburg CountyMitchell CountyMontgomery CountyMoore CountyNash CountyNew Hanover CountyNorthampton CountyOnslow CountyOrange CountyPamlico CountyPasquotank CountyPender CountyPerquimans CountyPerson CountyPitt CountyPolk CountyRandolph CountyRichmond CountyRobeson CountyRockingham CountyRowan CountyRutherford CountySampson CountyScotland CountyStanly CountyStokes CountySurry CountySwain CountyTransylvania CountyTyrrell CountyUnion CountyVance CountyWake CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWatauga CountyWayne CountyWilkes CountyWilson CountyYadkin CountyYancey CountyJohnston County Johnston
Counties of North Carolina · Johnston highlighted

History

Formed in 1746 from Craven County

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Johnston County was created in 1746 from Craven County, though its western boundary was indefinite at the time. The county was voided by royal decree in 1754 but re-created by the legislature in 1756 following Crown authorization. Over the following decades, Johnston's boundaries changed several times through the creation of neighboring counties and territorial exchanges, including losing land to Wake County in 1771 and Wilson County in 1855.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; the 5 that matter most are shown first.

  1. 1746
    Johnston County created Johnston created from Craven; western boundary limit was indefinite.
    from Craven
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 2, secs. 1-2/23:248-249
  2. 1752
    Lost territory Johnston lost to creation of Orange.
    to Orange
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 6, secs. 1-2/23:383-384
  3. c. 1756
    Johnston County created Johnston re-created by the legislature in response to the Crown Instructions of 1 July 1755 (authorizing reenactment of the creations repealed on 8 April 1754). · N.C. Recs., ch. 9, sec. 2/23:446
  4. 1759
    Lost territory Johnston lost to creation of Dobbs (extinct).
    to Dobbs
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 20, sec. 1/23:469-470; N.C. Recs., ch. 12., secs. 1-2/23:495-496
  5. 1761
    Gained territory Johnston gained from Orange.
    from Orange
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 11, secs. 1-2/23:547-548
Show all 9 changes (4 more)
  1. 1746
    Johnston County created Johnston created from Craven; western boundary limit was indefinite.
    from Craven
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 2, secs. 1-2/23:248-249
  2. 1752
    Lost territory Johnston lost to creation of Orange.
    to Orange
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 6, secs. 1-2/23:383-384
  3. 1754
    Changed Creation of Johnston repealed by King George Ii, in Privy Council.
    Ii
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 9, sec. 1/23:445-446
  4. c. 1756
    Johnston County created Johnston re-created by the legislature in response to the Crown Instructions of 1 July 1755 (authorizing reenactment of the creations repealed on 8 April 1754). · N.C. Recs., ch. 9, sec. 2/23:446
  5. 1759
    Lost territory Johnston lost to creation of Dobbs (extinct).
    to Dobbs
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 20, sec. 1/23:469-470; N.C. Recs., ch. 12., secs. 1-2/23:495-496
  6. 1761
    Gained territory Johnston gained from Orange.
    from Orange
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 11, secs. 1-2/23:547-548
  7. 1771
    Lost territory Johnston lost to creation of Wake.
    to Wake
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 22, secs. 1-2/23:819-823
  8. 1777
    Gained territory Johnston gained from Duplin.
    from Duplin
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 33, secs. 1-2/24:144
  9. 1855
    Lost territory Johnston lost to creation of Wilson.
    to Wilson
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1854-1855, pub., ch. 12, sec. 1/pp. 30-31

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Johnston

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Official
from the office that keeps the record
Good enough
a reliable statewide or national copy
Fallback
a guide only; check the official record
Missing
nothing public found yet

People and land

Johnston by the Census

Population
215,999 2020 Census count
Housing units
84,340 2020 Census count
Land area
792 square miles
Water area
3.6 square miles
People per sq mi
273 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Who to ask before you build, dig or sell

Official county pages only. We link to them; we do not copy them, because they change.

Inside a city or town, permits usually come from that city rather than the county.

Zoning and code

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Johnston County on Parcel Chart's free map and click your parcel. Save it with a free account; the full record of your place (site map, projects, documents) is Pro, in early access.

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Questions

Common questions about Johnston County

When was Johnston County founded?
Johnston County was founded in 1746, formed from Craven County, and named after Gabriel Johnston.
What is the county seat of Johnston County?
The county seat of Johnston County is Smithfield.
Is there an online parcel map for Johnston County?
Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 119,070 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Johnston County's boundary or name changed?
Johnston County was created in 1746 from Craven County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Orange County, Dobbs County and Duplin County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Johnston County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door