North Carolina Demographics
North Carolina is the 9th most populous of 52 states in the United States, with 10,439,341 residents across 48,623 square miles. That is about 215 people per square mile. 67% of residents live in urban areas.
At the 2020 census
| Population | 10,439,341 |
|---|---|
| Land area | 48,623 sq mi |
| Density | 215 / sq mi |
| Urban share | 67% |
Data: 2020 Census · American Community Survey 2024
How North Carolina compares to the US
We're computing this state's comparison table — check back shortly. Population, land area, and density above are already exact.
Central Location: North Carolina
Measured from the state's main population center using 2020 census blocks.
We're computing the drive-time and radius areas around North Carolina — check back shortly. Meanwhile you can drop a pin anywhere in the radius tool.
Counties in North Carolina
| Name | Population | Sq mi | Per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County | 1,129,552 | 834.6 | 1,353 |
| Mecklenburg County | 1,115,482 | 523.6 | 2,130 |
| Guilford County | 541,299 | 646.0 | 838 |
| Forsyth County | 382,609 | 407.8 | 938 |
| Cumberland County | 334,728 | 652.6 | 513 |
| Durham County | 324,691 | 287.5 | 1,129 |
| Buncombe County | 269,418 | 656.5 | 410 |
| Union County | 238,267 | 632.7 | 377 |
| Gaston County | 227,930 | 355.8 | 641 |
| Cabarrus County | 225,804 | 361.2 | 625 |
| New Hanover County | 224,973 | 192.3 | 1,170 |
| Johnston County | 215,999 | 792.0 | 273 |
| Onslow County | 204,576 | 762.1 | 268 |
| Iredell County | 186,693 | 574.4 | 325 |
| Alamance County | 171,398 | 423.5 | 405 |
| Pitt County | 170,243 | 652.4 | 261 |
| Davidson County | 168,911 | 553.2 | 305 |
| Catawba County | 160,605 | 401.4 | 400 |
| Orange County | 148,713 | 397.6 | 374 |
| Rowan County | 146,875 | 511.6 | 287 |
| Randolph County | 144,171 | 782.3 | 184 |
| Brunswick County | 136,598 | 850.1 | 161 |
| Harnett County | 133,568 | 594.9 | 225 |
| Wayne County | 117,333 | 553.9 | 212 |
| Robeson County | 116,530 | 947.3 | 123 |
| Henderson County | 116,307 | 372.9 | 312 |
| Craven County | 100,723 | 706.6 | 143 |
| Moore County | 99,727 | 697.6 | 143 |
| Cleveland County | 99,519 | 464.2 | 214 |
| Nash County | 94,970 | 540.4 | 176 |
| Rockingham County | 91,096 | 565.6 | 161 |
| Burke County | 87,574 | 506.2 | 173 |
| Lincoln County | 86,815 | 295.8 | 293 |
| Caldwell County | 80,652 | 471.9 | 171 |
| Wilson County | 78,784 | 367.6 | 214 |
| Chatham County | 76,285 | 681.7 | 112 |
| Surry County | 71,359 | 532.6 | 134 |
| Franklin County | 68,573 | 491.8 | 139 |
| Carteret County | 67,554 | 507.6 | 133 |
| Wilkes County | 65,969 | 753.7 | 88 |
| Rutherford County | 64,444 | 565.4 | 114 |
| Lee County | 63,285 | 255.1 | 248 |
| Stanly County | 62,504 | 395.1 | 158 |
| Haywood County | 62,089 | 553.6 | 112 |
| Granville County | 60,992 | 532.0 | 115 |
| Pender County | 60,203 | 871.3 | 69 |
| Sampson County | 59,036 | 945.9 | 62 |
| Lenoir County | 55,122 | 399.1 | 138 |
| Watauga County | 54,086 | 312.4 | 173 |
| Hoke County | 52,082 | 390.2 | 133 |
| Columbus County | 50,623 | 938.1 | 54 |
| Edgecombe County | 48,900 | 505.4 | 97 |
| Duplin County | 48,715 | 814.7 | 60 |
| Halifax County | 48,622 | 723.7 | 67 |
| Beaufort County | 44,645 | 832.7 | 54 |
| McDowell County | 44,574 | 440.0 | 101 |
| Stokes County | 44,520 | 449.3 | 99 |
| Jackson County | 43,109 | 491.1 | 88 |
| Richmond County | 42,946 | 473.7 | 91 |
| Davie County | 42,712 | 263.7 | 162 |
| Vance County | 42,578 | 252.4 | 169 |
| Pasquotank County | 40,568 | 226.9 | 179 |
| Person County | 39,097 | 392.3 | 100 |
| Yadkin County | 37,214 | 334.9 | 111 |
| Macon County | 37,014 | 515.6 | 72 |
| Dare County | 36,888 | 383.2 | 96 |
| Alexander County | 36,444 | 260.0 | 140 |
| Scotland County | 34,174 | 319.1 | 107 |
| Transylvania County | 32,986 | 378.4 | 87 |
| Bladen County | 29,606 | 875.0 | 34 |
| Cherokee County | 28,770 | 455.5 | 63 |
| Currituck County | 28,092 | 261.9 | 107 |
| Ashe County | 26,577 | 426.3 | 62 |
| Montgomery County | 25,751 | 491.5 | 52 |
| Caswell County | 22,736 | 425.4 | 53 |
| Anson County | 22,055 | 531.5 | 41 |
| Martin County | 22,031 | 456.4 | 48 |
| Hertford County | 21,552 | 353.2 | 61 |
| Madison County | 21,208 | 449.6 | 47 |
| Greene County | 20,451 | 266.7 | 77 |
| Polk County | 19,328 | 237.7 | 81 |
| Warren County | 18,642 | 429.4 | 43 |
| Yancey County | 18,470 | 312.6 | 59 |
| Bertie County | 17,934 | 699.2 | 26 |
| Avery County | 17,818 | 247.3 | 72 |
| Northampton County | 17,471 | 536.7 | 33 |
| Mitchell County | 14,891 | 221.3 | 67 |
| Swain County | 14,117 | 527.7 | 27 |
| Chowan County | 13,708 | 172.7 | 79 |
| Perquimans County | 13,005 | 247.2 | 53 |
| Pamlico County | 12,271 | 336.5 | 36 |
| Clay County | 11,089 | 215.0 | 52 |
| Washington County | 11,003 | 346.5 | 32 |
| Alleghany County | 10,888 | 234.8 | 46 |
| Gates County | 10,478 | 340.6 | 31 |
| Camden County | 10,355 | 240.3 | 43 |
| Jones County | 9,172 | 471.4 | 19 |
| Graham County | 8,030 | 292.0 | 28 |
| Hyde County | 4,589 | 612.3 | 7 |
| Tyrrell County | 3,245 | 390.8 | 8 |
Largest cities in North Carolina
| Name | Population | Sq mi | Per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte, NC | 875,040 | 310.0 | 2,823 |
| Raleigh, NC | 467,220 | 148.5 | 3,145 |
| Greensboro, NC | 298,586 | 131.4 | 2,272 |
| Durham, NC | 283,820 | 115.4 | 2,460 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 249,640 | 133.5 | 1,870 |
| Fayetteville, NC | 208,414 | 148.3 | 1,406 |
| Cary, NC | 174,926 | 59.9 | 2,918 |
| Wilmington, NC | 115,440 | 51.4 | 2,246 |
| High Point, NC | 114,171 | 56.9 | 2,006 |
| Concord, NC | 105,498 | 64.0 | 1,648 |
| Asheville, NC | 94,336 | 45.5 | 2,075 |
| Greenville, NC | 87,747 | 37.4 | 2,344 |
Showing the 12 most populous of 776 — the rest are shown on the map.
Related places
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About this page
This page shows demographics for a US state from the 2020 census and the American Community Survey: population, land area, density, and how the state compares to national averages for income, housing, age, and more.
Use the links below to drill into the state's counties and largest cities, or open any point of the state in the radius tool to measure the population within a distance or drive time.