The county seat is Oxford, a historic town of about 8,500 people that serves as the main commercial center. The largest town is Creedmoor, with around 5,000 residents, located in the southern part of the county and benefiting from its proximity to Durham. Other key communities include Butner, with roughly 8,000 people and home to a state hospital and federal prison, and smaller towns like Stem, Stovall, and Franklinton.

The county has a total population of about 62,000 residents. It blends traditional rural agriculture, tobacco heritage, and manufacturing with suburban growth spilling over from the Triangle. Much of the county still feels rural, with farmland and forests surrounding the small towns.