Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 86,810, making it the most populous "Lincoln County" in the United States. Its county seat is Lincolnton.

Lincolnton is a city in Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States within the Charlotte metropolitan area. The population was 10,486 at the 2010 census. Lincolnton is northwest of Charlotte, on the South Fork of the Catawba River. The city is the county seat of Lincoln County.