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County · code 37111

McDowell CountyNorth Carolina

McDowell County is a county in North Carolina with its county seat in Marion. It was established in 1842 and named after Joseph McDowell, Jr.

  • Founded1842
  • County seatMarion
  • Named forJoseph McDowell, Jr.
  • Land area440 sq mi + 5.4 sq mi water
  • Population44,578 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped33,500 checked 16 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in McDowell County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

RutherfordYanceyMitchellBurkeAveryBuncombe Marion Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

McDowell 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 CountyJohnston CountyJones CountyLee CountyLenoir CountyLincoln 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 CountyMcDowell County McDowell
Counties of North Carolina · McDowell highlighted

History

Founded in 1842

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

McDowell County was created on December 19, 1842 from Burke and Rutherford counties. It gained territory from Rutherford County on December 24, 1844, and lost territory to Buncombe County on March 6, 1925.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

  1. 1842
    McDowell County created McDowell created from Burke and Rutherford.
    from Burkefrom Rutherford
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1842-1843, pub., ch. 10, sec. 1/p. 14
  2. 1844
    Gained territory McDowell gained from Rutherford.
    from Rutherford
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1844-1845, pub., ch. 30, secs. 1, 4/pp. 43-44
  3. 1870
    Lost territory McDowell lost small area to Burke.
    to Burke
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1869-1870, pub., ch. 96, sec. 1/p. 145
  4. 1871
    Gained territory McDowell gained small area from Burke (repealed act of 22 March 1870).
    from Burke
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1870-1871, pub., ch. 50, secs. 1-2/p. 108
  5. 1925
    Lost territory McDowell lost to Buncombe.
    to Buncombe
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1925, pub.-loc., ch. 353, sec. 1/pp. 395-398

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in McDowell

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

McDowell by the Census

Population
44,578 2020 Census count
Housing units
21,242 2020 Census count
Land area
440 square miles
Water area
5.4 square miles
People per sq mi
101 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 McDowell 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 McDowell County

When was McDowell County founded?
McDowell County was founded in 1842, and named after Joseph McDowell, Jr..
What is the county seat of McDowell County?
The county seat of McDowell County is Marion.
Is there an online parcel map for McDowell County?
Yes. McDowell County publishes a parcel map of 33,500 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has McDowell County's boundary or name changed?
McDowell County was created in 1842. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 4 later changes, chiefly involving Burke County, Buncombe County and Rutherford County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for McDowell 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