County facts · Population · October 24, 2026
North Carolina Population by County, 2025 Census Estimates
North Carolina population by county: July 2025 Census estimates for all 100 counties, change since 2020, density, and a link to each official parcel map.
Looking for North Carolina population by county? The Census Bureau estimates that North Carolina had 11,197,968 residents on July 1, 2025, spread across 100 counties. Wake County is the most populous, with 1,257,235 people (11% of the state), and Tyrrell County is the least populous, with 3,537.
The table below lists every county with its 2025 estimate, its April 2020 starting point, the change, people per square mile, and a link to its official parcel viewer.
North Carolina population at a glance
- Counties: 100
- Statewide, July 1, 2025: 11,197,968 (April 1, 2020 estimates base: 10,441,392; change +756,576, +7.2%)
- Most populous: Wake County (1,257,235); least populous: Tyrrell County (3,537)
- Median county: about 53,178 residents (half of the counties are smaller)
- The 5 largest counties hold 34% of all North Carolina residents
- Counties with 1,000,000+ residents: 2 · 100,000+: 29 · under 10,000: 4
- Statewide density: about 230 people per square mile of land
North Carolina population by county, July 2025 (all 100)
| # | County | Jul 2025 | Apr 2020 | % change | People per sq mi | Parcel viewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wake County | 1,257,235 | 1,129,356 | +11.3% | 1,506 | county web map |
| 2 | Mecklenburg County | 1,233,383 | 1,115,554 | +10.6% | 2,356 | county web map |
| 3 | Guilford County | 562,234 | 541,254 | +3.9% | 870 | county web map |
| 4 | Forsyth County | 401,718 | 382,612 | +5.0% | 985 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 5 | Durham County | 347,240 | 324,859 | +6.9% | 1,212 | county web map |
| 6 | Cumberland County | 338,473 | 334,724 | +1.1% | 519 | ArcGIS Map Viewer |
| 7 | Buncombe County | 277,417 | 269,430 | +3.0% | 423 | county web map |
| 8 | Union County | 267,674 | 238,179 | +12.4% | 423 | county web map |
| 9 | Johnston County | 256,448 | 216,014 | +18.7% | 324 | county web map |
| 10 | Cabarrus County | 249,725 | 225,821 | +10.6% | 691 | county web map |
| 11 | Gaston County | 246,558 | 227,944 | +8.2% | 693 | county web map |
| 12 | New Hanover County | 245,959 | 225,704 | +9.0% | 1,279 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 13 | Onslow County | 217,175 | 204,475 | +6.2% | 285 | county web map |
| 14 | Iredell County | 211,798 | 186,686 | +13.5% | 369 | county web map |
| 15 | Alamance County | 186,177 | 171,475 | +8.6% | 440 | county web map |
| 16 | Pitt County | 182,936 | 171,817 | +6.5% | 280 | county web map |
| 17 | Davidson County | 180,182 | 168,910 | +6.7% | 326 | county web map |
| 18 | Brunswick County | 174,702 | 136,695 | +27.8% | 206 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 19 | Catawba County | 170,172 | 160,628 | +5.9% | 424 | county web map |
| 20 | Rowan County | 155,096 | 146,883 | +5.6% | 303 | county web map |
| 21 | Orange County | 152,498 | 148,711 | +2.5% | 384 | county web map |
| 22 | Harnett County | 150,137 | 133,563 | +12.4% | 252 | county web map |
| 23 | Randolph County | 149,516 | 144,158 | +3.7% | 191 | county web map |
| 24 | Henderson County | 122,375 | 116,303 | +5.2% | 328 | county web map |
| 25 | Wayne County | 122,278 | 117,327 | +4.2% | 221 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 26 | Robeson County | 119,941 | 116,542 | +2.9% | 127 | county web map |
| 27 | Moore County | 110,619 | 99,746 | +10.9% | 159 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 28 | Craven County | 105,025 | 100,726 | +4.3% | 149 | county web map |
| 29 | Cleveland County | 103,325 | 99,511 | +3.8% | 223 | WebGIS.net |
| 30 | Nash County | 99,365 | 94,951 | +4.6% | 184 | county web map |
| 31 | Lincoln County | 98,654 | 86,782 | +13.7% | 333 | ArcGIS |
| 32 | Rockingham County | 94,195 | 91,108 | +3.4% | 167 | WebGIS.net |
| 33 | Burke County | 88,655 | 87,570 | +1.2% | 175 | county web map |
| 34 | Chatham County | 85,111 | 76,258 | +11.6% | 125 | county web map |
| 35 | Franklin County | 82,037 | 68,625 | +19.5% | 167 | county web map |
| 36 | Wilson County | 81,150 | 79,268 | +2.4% | 221 | county web map |
| 37 | Caldwell County | 81,105 | 80,670 | +0.5% | 172 | county web map |
| 38 | Surry County | 72,287 | 71,371 | +1.3% | 136 | county web map |
| 39 | Pender County | 72,111 | 60,203 | +19.8% | 83 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 40 | Carteret County | 70,469 | 67,679 | +4.1% | 139 | ArcGIS |
| 41 | Lee County | 70,258 | 63,283 | +11.0% | 275 | ArcGIS |
| 42 | Stanly County | 68,830 | 62,494 | +10.1% | 174 | county web map |
| 43 | Wilkes County | 66,233 | 65,979 | +0.4% | 88 | county web map |
| 44 | Rutherford County | 65,745 | 64,453 | +2.0% | 116 | county web map |
| 45 | Haywood County | 63,369 | 62,088 | +2.1% | 114 | county web map |
| 46 | Sampson County | 61,504 | 59,045 | +4.2% | 65 | county web map |
| 47 | Granville County | 61,421 | 61,000 | +0.7% | 115 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 48 | Hoke County | 56,939 | 52,074 | +9.3% | 146 | county web map |
| 49 | Lenoir County | 55,837 | 55,124 | +1.3% | 140 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 50 | Watauga County | 54,786 | 54,079 | +1.3% | 175 | county web map |
| 51 | Duplin County | 51,571 | 48,710 | +5.9% | 63 | county web map |
| 52 | Columbus County | 50,487 | 50,630 | −0.3% | 54 | county web map |
| 53 | Edgecombe County | 49,121 | 48,892 | +0.5% | 97 | county web map |
| 54 | Halifax County | 46,534 | 48,613 | −4.3% | 64 | qPublic (Schneider Geospatial) |
| 55 | Stokes County | 46,126 | 44,514 | +3.6% | 103 | county web map |
| 56 | Davie County | 45,855 | 42,719 | +7.3% | 174 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 57 | McDowell County | 45,198 | 44,584 | +1.4% | 103 | WebGIS.net |
| 58 | Jackson County | 45,039 | 43,122 | +4.4% | 92 | county web map |
| 59 | Beaufort County | 44,670 | 44,655 | +0.0% | 54 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 60 | Vance County | 42,638 | 42,582 | +0.1% | 169 | listed link under review |
| 61 | Pasquotank County | 42,201 | 40,569 | +4.0% | 186 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 62 | Richmond County | 42,041 | 42,955 | −2.1% | 89 | county web map |
| 63 | Person County | 40,636 | 39,081 | +4.0% | 104 | county web map |
| 64 | Macon County | 39,232 | 37,004 | +6.0% | 76 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 65 | Yadkin County | 38,325 | 37,213 | +3.0% | 114 | county web map |
| 66 | Dare County | 38,245 | 36,914 | +3.6% | 100 | county web map |
| 67 | Alexander County | 36,958 | 36,440 | +1.4% | 142 | county web map |
| 68 | Transylvania County | 34,211 | 32,988 | +3.7% | 90 | county web map |
| 69 | Scotland County | 33,322 | 34,167 | −2.5% | 104 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 70 | Currituck County | 33,158 | 28,101 | +18.0% | 127 | county web map |
| 71 | Cherokee County | 30,830 | 28,773 | +7.1% | 68 | county web map |
| 72 | Bladen County | 30,007 | 29,613 | +1.3% | 34 | county web map |
| 73 | Ashe County | 27,514 | 26,584 | +3.5% | 65 | county web map |
| 74 | Montgomery County | 26,403 | 25,740 | +2.6% | 54 | WebGIS.net |
| 75 | Caswell County | 22,563 | 22,744 | −0.8% | 53 | WebGIS.net |
| 76 | Madison County | 22,553 | 21,201 | +6.4% | 50 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 77 | Anson County | 21,758 | 22,058 | −1.4% | 41 | county web map |
| 78 | Martin County | 21,601 | 22,034 | −2.0% | 47 | county web map |
| 79 | Greene County | 20,700 | 20,455 | +1.2% | 78 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 80 | Polk County | 20,533 | 19,322 | +6.3% | 86 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 81 | Yancey County | 19,084 | 18,470 | +3.3% | 61 | county web map |
| 82 | Hertford County | 19,015 | 21,548 | −11.8% | 54 | ArcGIS Instant Apps |
| 83 | Warren County | 18,898 | 18,641 | +1.4% | 44 | county web map |
| 84 | Avery County | 18,110 | 17,809 | +1.7% | 73 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 85 | Bertie County | 17,086 | 17,933 | −4.7% | 24 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 86 | Northampton County | 16,491 | 17,470 | −5.6% | 31 | county web map |
| 87 | Mitchell County | 15,062 | 14,901 | +1.1% | 68 | county web map |
| 88 | Chowan County | 14,082 | 13,706 | +2.7% | 82 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 89 | Swain County | 14,024 | 14,115 | −0.6% | 27 | county web map |
| 90 | Perquimans County | 13,490 | 13,012 | +3.7% | 55 | county web map |
| 91 | Pamlico County | 12,758 | 12,270 | +4.0% | 38 | county web map |
| 92 | Clay County | 12,239 | 11,083 | +10.4% | 57 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 93 | Alleghany County | 11,479 | 10,879 | +5.5% | 49 | WebGIS.net |
| 94 | Camden County | 11,315 | 10,357 | +9.2% | 47 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 95 | Washington County | 10,638 | 10,998 | −3.3% | 31 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 96 | Gates County | 10,234 | 10,476 | −2.3% | 30 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 97 | Jones County | 9,575 | 9,175 | +4.4% | 20 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 98 | Graham County | 8,190 | 8,029 | +2.0% | 28 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 99 | Hyde County | 4,554 | 4,587 | −0.7% | 7.4 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 100 | Tyrrell County | 3,537 | 3,245 | +9.0% | 9.1 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
Percent change runs from the April 1, 2020 estimates base to July 1, 2025. People per square mile is the July 2025 estimate divided by the county's land area in the Census Bureau's 2020 Gazetteer file, so lakes and bays are left out.
How North Carolina's population is spread out
Grouping the counties by size shows how concentrated the state is:
| Residents (July 2025) | Counties | Total residents | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000,000 or more | 2 | 2,490,618 | 22% |
| 250,000 to 999,999 | 7 | 2,451,204 | 22% |
| 100,000 to 249,999 | 20 | 3,356,194 | 30% |
| 25,000 to 99,999 | 45 | 2,510,383 | 22% |
| 10,000 to 24,999 | 22 | 363,713 | 3% |
| Under 10,000 | 4 | 25,856 | 0% |
9 counties with at least 250,000 residents hold 44% of the state's population.
Most and least densely populated
The most crowded counties by people per square mile of land:
- Mecklenburg County: 2,356 per sq mi (1,233,383 people on 524 sq mi)
- Wake County: 1,506 per sq mi (1,257,235 people on 835 sq mi)
- New Hanover County: 1,279 per sq mi (245,959 people on 192 sq mi)
- Durham County: 1,212 per sq mi (347,240 people on 287 sq mi)
- Forsyth County: 985 per sq mi (401,718 people on 408 sq mi)
The most thinly settled:
- Hyde County: 7.4 per sq mi (4,554 people on 612 sq mi)
- Tyrrell County: 9.1 per sq mi (3,537 people on 391 sq mi)
- Jones County: 20 per sq mi (9,575 people on 471 sq mi)
- Bertie County: 24 per sq mi (17,086 people on 699 sq mi)
- Swain County: 27 per sq mi (14,024 people on 528 sq mi)
About these numbers
- They are estimates. Between censuses the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program updates county totals each year from births, deaths and migration records. The next full count is the 2030 census.
- The base is April 1, 2020. The estimates start from an April 1, 2020 "estimates base" built from the 2020 census, which is why it is slightly different from the published census count.
- Each new release revises the past. A newer vintage can change earlier years as well, so compare numbers from the same release, as this page does.
- Statewide total. The counties add up exactly to the statewide figure of 11,197,968 in the same file.
Using population numbers in a land search
- Big counties, busy offices. In the most populous counties, parcel maps and deed records are usually online and searchable, but recording and permit offices are busier. Allow for that if you are on a deadline.
- Small counties, fewer sales. In counties with only a few thousand people, land changes hands less often, so there are fewer recent sales to compare a price with. The county assessor's sales records are the best source.
- Density hints at lot size. A low people-per-square-mile figure usually means farms, ranches and timber tracts; a high one means subdivided lots. The parcel viewer shows the actual parcel lines.
- Check the official map. Use the parcel viewer link in the table for boundaries, parcel numbers and owner names, then confirm anything important with the county's recorder or assessor.
Related guides
- Fastest growing counties in North Carolina
- Largest counties in North Carolina
- North Carolina county GIS websites by viewer
- North Carolina plat maps
- North Carolina landowner maps for hunting
- Most populous counties in the US
- Where people are moving in the US
More: All North Carolina counties on Platbookmapper
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county totals, Vintage 2025 (April 1, 2020 estimates base and July 1, 2020–2025 estimates, with components of change). Statewide totals are the sum of the counties and match the file's state row.
- U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer files, 2020 county land and water area (for people per square mile).
- Platbookmapper county GIS directory (live data file behind our county pages, pulled October 24, 2026) for each official parcel viewer.