Forsyth County vs Guilford County
Two neighbouring counties in North Carolina, compared on population, size, income and housing. They share 17 mi of border.
Forsyth County
North Carolina
Guilford County
North Carolina
Both outlines are drawn at true relative size. Guilford County spans about 50.2 km at its widest.
Side by side
| Measure | Forsyth County | Difference | Guilford County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 401,718 | -28.5% | 562,234 |
| Change since 2020 | 5.0% | +0.6 pp | 4.4% |
| Land area | 408 sq mi | -36.8% | 646 sq mi |
| Population density | 984 per sq mi | +13.1% | 870 per sq mi |
| Median household income | $67,165 | -2.2% | $68,642 |
| Median home value | $250,400 | -3.7% | $259,900 |
| Median age | 38.4 | +2.4% | 37.5 |
| Households | 159,925 | -27.2% | 219,718 |
| Housing units | 175,631 | -26.2% | 238,032 |
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026; US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. The difference column is computed here: the first county's figure against the second, expressed as a percentage of the second. The change-since-2020 row is the exception: two growth rates differ in percentage points (pp), not percent. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
What the numbers say
- Guilford County holds about 1.4 times the population of Forsyth County: 562,234 against 401,718.
- Guilford County covers more ground, at 646 square miles against 408.
- Forsyth County is the more crowded of the two, at 984 people per square mile against 870.
- Median household income is higher in Guilford County, by 1,477 dollars a year.
- Since 2020, Forsyth County has grown by 5.0% and Guilford County has grown by 4.4%.
- They share 17 mi of common border, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which almost no other county reference presents.
Full pages
Want a different pair? Compare any two of the 3,144 US counties.
Rebuilt from source data 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.