North Carolina vs Tennessee

The two states, county by county

Both maps share one density scale, so the same shade means the same number of people per square mile on either side of the border. Darker counties are denser. Select a county to open its page.

Side by side

Population and density

North Carolina has 11,046,024 residents, 53% more than Tennessee's 7,227,750. North Carolina ranks 9th and Tennessee 15th of the 50 states and DC. North Carolina is the more crowded, with 227.2 people per square mile against 175.3, 30% more.

Land area

North Carolina has 48,624 square miles of land, 18% more than Tennessee's 41,224. The largest county-equivalent in North Carolina is Robeson County at 947 square miles; in Tennessee it is Shelby County at 753.

Counties

North Carolina is divided into 100 county-equivalents and Tennessee into 95, so an average North Carolina county covers 486 square miles against 434. The typical county in North Carolina has 52,768 residents, against 32,883 in Tennessee. The most populous are Wake County (1,232,444) and Shelby County (910,530).

20 county names appear on both sides of the border: Clay, Cumberland, Davidson, Franklin, Greene, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, Montgomery, Moore, Polk, Rutherford, Union, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wilson. Use the FIPS code, not the name, when joining data across the two states.

Household income

The median county in North Carolina has a household income of $60,263, 5% above Tennessee's $57,630. The highest county incomes are Wake County ($103,084) in North Carolina and Williamson County ($136,007) in Tennessee, from SAIPE 2023.

Capitals and daylight

Raleigh and Nashville are 456 miles apart in a straight line; from Raleigh the initial bearing is 276°, W. On June 21, 2026, Raleigh gets 14 h 35 min of daylight and Nashville 14 h 37 min; on December 21 the figures are 9 h 44 min and 9 h 42 min. Month by month tables are on the Raleigh and Nashville daylight pages.

Where they sit

Both are in the South region, but North Carolina is in the South Atlantic division and Tennessee in the East South Central division. By county internal points, North Carolina spans 3 UTM zones and Tennessee 2.