Columbus County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina, on its southeastern border. Its county seat is Whiteville. As of the 2020 census, the population is 50,623. The 2020 census showed a loss of 12.9% of the population from that of 2010. This included an inmate prison population of approximately 2,500.

Whiteville is a city in Columbus County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,394 at the 2010 census. It is the most populous city in Columbus County and is the county seat.