State 37 · NC

North Carolina county map

North Carolina has 100 counties. Robeson County is the largest by land at 947 square miles, and Wake County is the most populous with 1,232,444 residents.

Population 2024
11,046,024
#9 of 51
Land area
48,624 sq mi
#29 of 51
Density
227.2 / sq mi
#14 of 51
Counties
100
Capital: Raleigh
N
Raleigh 35.78° N, 78.64° W

Map of all 100 counties in North Carolina

Every county is labeled on Census 2024 boundaries. Download it as a PDF to print, a PNG, or an editable SVG. For blank, colored or city versions, see the printable North Carolina map sheets.

AlamanceAlexanderAlleghanyAnsonAsheAveryBeaufortBertieBladenBrunswickBuncombeBurkeCabarrusCaldwellCamdenCarteretCaswellCatawbaChathamCherokeeChowanClayClevelandColumbusCravenCumberlandCurrituckDareDavidsonDavieDuplinDurhamEdgecombeForsythFranklinGastonGatesGrahamGranvilleGreeneGuilfordHalifaxHarnettHaywoodHendersonHertfordHokeHydeIredellJacksonJohnstonJonesLeeLenoirLincolnMcDowellMaconMadisonMartinMecklenburgMitchellMontgomeryMooreNashNew HanoverNorthamptonOnslowOrangePamlicoPasquotankPenderPerquimansPersonPittPolkRandolphRichmondRobesonRockinghamRowanRutherfordSampsonScotlandStanlyStokesSurrySwainTransylvaniaTyrrellUnionVanceWakeWarrenWashingtonWataugaWayneWilkesWilsonYadkinYanceyNorth Carolina county map. Online Map Tools (onlinemaptools.com), Census 2024 boundaries, free to reuse with credit.
100 units labeled. The orange dot marks the capital.

North Carolina population and land area

North Carolina had 11,046,024 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates, the sum of its counties. That ranks 9th of the 50 states and DC. Its 48,624 square miles of land rank 29th. North Carolina averages 227.2 people per square mile of land, 2.4 times the national figure of 96.3. By density it ranks 14th.

Population, 2024
11,046,0249th of 51
Land area
48,624 sq mi29th of 51
Density
227.2 per sq mi14th of 51
Number of counties
100
Capital
Raleigh35.780° N, 78.639° W
State FIPS code
37

North Carolina counties by population, density and income

Each shape is shaded by quintile, darker for higher values. Switch the measure above the map. Select a shape to open that county's page. The pin marks the capital, Raleigh.

Scotland County: 106Rockingham County: 165Franklin County: 162Caswell County: 53Stokes County: 102Granville County: 116Edgecombe County: 97Randolph County: 190Alexander County: 141Person County: 102Cherokee County: 67Ashe County: 64Davidson County: 322Cabarrus County: 678Mecklenburg County: 2,304Burke County: 175Cumberland County: 519Northampton County: 31Buncombe County: 425Wilson County: 218Bladen County: 34Pitt County: 277Yancey County: 61Stanly County: 170Harnett County: 245Wilkes County: 88Tyrrell County: 9.0Pamlico County: 37Hoke County: 142Transylvania County: 90Carteret County: 138Durham County: 1,195Anson County: 42Pender County: 80Alamance County: 432Polk County: 85Lenoir County: 139Washington County: 31Avery County: 72Hyde County: 7.5Gates County: 30Davie County: 172Jackson County: 92Montgomery County: 54Martin County: 47Pasquotank County: 183Perquimans County: 54Cleveland County: 220Sampson County: 64Catawba County: 416Alleghany County: 48Robeson County: 125Macon County: 75Clay County: 56Haywood County: 114Duplin County: 62Henderson County: 324Craven County: 147Warren County: 44Graham County: 28Union County: 416Wayne County: 217Gaston County: 680Guilford County: 865Yadkin County: 113Watauga County: 176Rowan County: 300Swain County: 26Chatham County: 123Bertie County: 24Halifax County: 65Forsyth County: 976Onslow County: 279Dare County: 100Chowan County: 80Brunswick County: 197Johnston County: 315Orange County: 385Currituck County: 123New Hanover County: 1,266Richmond County: 89Vance County: 168Iredell County: 359Lincoln County: 330Caldwell County: 171McDowell County: 103Rutherford County: 116Mitchell County: 68Moore County: 155Columbus County: 53Lee County: 269Greene County: 77Madison County: 50Camden County: 47Hertford County: 54Beaufort County: 54Jones County: 20Wake County: 1,477Nash County: 181Surry County: 134
Density
  1. < 54
  2. 54+
  3. 90+
  4. 147+
  5. 279+
no data

Largest county in North Carolina by land area

Robeson County ranks first at 947 square miles and Chowan County last at 173 square miles. The top value is 5.5 times the bottom one.

  1. 01Robeson County947
  2. 02Sampson County946
  3. 03Columbus County938
  4. 04Bladen County875
  5. 05Pender County871
  6. 06Brunswick County850
  7. 07Wake County835
  8. 08Beaufort County833
  9. 09Duplin County815
  10. 10Johnston County792

Most populous county in North Carolina

Wake County ranks first at 1,232,444 residents and Tyrrell County last at 3,517 residents. The gap is more than a hundredfold.

  1. 01Wake County1,232,444
  2. 02Mecklenburg County1,206,285
  3. 03Guilford County558,816
  4. 04Forsyth County398,143
  5. 05Durham County343,628
  6. 06Cumberland County338,430
  7. 07Buncombe County279,210
  8. 08Union County263,386
  9. 09Johnston County249,794
  10. 10Cabarrus County244,925

Least populous county in North Carolina

The smallest populations, fewest first. Estimates for small counties carry more uncertainty than those for large ones.

  1. 01Tyrrell County3,517
  2. 02Hyde County4,583
  3. 03Graham County8,179
  4. 04Jones County9,462
  5. 05Gates County10,299
Log scale, so small counties stay visible next to the largest.

Most densely populated county in North Carolina

Mecklenburg County ranks first at 2,303.8 people per square mile and Hyde County last at 7.5 people per square mile. The gap is more than a hundredfold.

  1. 01Mecklenburg County2,303.8
  2. 02Wake County1,476.7
  3. 03New Hanover County1,265.8
  4. 04Durham County1,195.0
  5. 05Forsyth County975.7
  6. 06Guilford County865.1
  7. 07Gaston County680.3
  8. 08Cabarrus County678.0
  9. 09Cumberland County518.6
  10. 10Alamance County432.2
People per square mile of land, log scale.

Highest median household income in North Carolina

Wake County ranks first at $103,084 and Robeson County last at $42,180. The top value is 2.4 times the bottom one.

  1. 01Wake County$103,084
  2. 02Union County$98,776
  3. 03Chatham County$95,716
  4. 04Orange County$86,736
  5. 05Currituck County$86,047
  6. 06Cabarrus County$85,540
  7. 07Mecklenburg County$84,796
  8. 08Camden County$84,656
  9. 09Iredell County$84,335
  10. 10Durham County$81,413

Towns and cities in North Carolina

The Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates list 335 incorporated places in North Carolina with 1,000 or more residents, holding 6,318,696 people together, or 57% of the state total. 147 of them have 5,000 or more. The northernmost is Mount Airy at 36.509° N and the southernmost is Sunset Beach at 33.892° N. Among places of 5,000+, Wendell grew fastest from July 2020 to July 2024, by 68.6%.

  1. 01Charlotte943,476
  2. 02Raleigh499,825
  3. 03Greensboro307,381
  4. 04Durham301,870
  5. 05Winston-Salem255,769
  6. 06Fayetteville209,496
  7. 07Cary182,659
  8. 08Wilmington125,284
  9. 09High Point118,601
  10. 10Concord112,395
  11. 11Greenville95,138
  12. 12Asheville94,992
Largest incorporated places, Vintage 2024 estimates.

Raleigh, the capital

55.6% of North Carolina's place population, 3,511,187 of 6,318,696 people, lives in places within 100 miles of Raleigh. That ranks 34th of 51 for how central the capital is.

See all states in the capital radius ranking and the most remote towns ranking. Sunrise and sunset times for Raleigh, month by month, are on the Raleigh daylight page.

States bordering North Carolina

North Carolina borders 4 states or districts. The nearest neighboring capital is Richmond, 139 miles NNE of Raleigh in a straight line.

UTM zones in North Carolina

The internal points of North Carolina's counties fall in UTM zones 16, 17, 18. Zones are 6 degrees of longitude wide, numbered from 180° W: zone = floor((longitude + 180) / 6) + 1. Because North Carolina spans 3 zones, no single UTM zone covers the whole state.

All 100 counties in North Carolina

Sort by any column. The small orange number marks the top 3 in the state by population.

FIPS
37183Wake County1,232,444#18351,476.7$103,084
37119Mecklenburg County1,206,285#25242,303.8$84,796
37081Guilford County558,816#3646865.1$65,890
37067Forsyth County398,143408975.7$65,556
37063Durham County343,6282881,195.0$81,413
37051Cumberland County338,430653518.6$61,511
37021Buncombe County279,210656425.3$71,218
37179Union County263,386633416.3$98,776
37101Johnston County249,794792315.4$79,666
37025Cabarrus County244,925361678.0$85,540
37129New Hanover County243,3331921,265.8$79,106
37071Gaston County242,010356680.3$67,076
37133Onslow County212,954762279.4$66,982
37097Iredell County206,361574359.2$84,335
37001Alamance County183,040423432.2$66,395
37147Pitt County180,783652277.1$60,268
37057Davidson County177,809553321.5$63,551
37019Brunswick County167,112850196.6$76,797
37035Catawba County167,054401416.2$65,898
37159Rowan County153,384512299.8$65,139
37135Orange County152,877398384.6$86,736
37151Randolph County148,389782189.7$59,336
37085Harnett County146,096595245.5$70,074
37089Henderson County120,771373323.8$63,765
37191Wayne County120,338554217.2$56,313
37155Robeson County118,624947125.2$42,180
37125Moore County108,417698155.4$78,955
37049Craven County104,167707147.4$61,761
37045Cleveland County102,194464220.1$61,411
37127Nash County97,990540181.3$65,457
37109Lincoln County97,611296329.9$79,109
37157Rockingham County93,517566165.3$58,508
37023Burke County88,545506174.9$55,616
37037Chatham County83,874681123.1$95,716
37027Caldwell County80,739472171.1$56,239
37195Wilson County79,958368217.5$52,620
37069Franklin County79,771492162.2$70,898
37171Surry County71,547533134.3$58,211
37031Carteret County70,259508138.4$76,397
37141Pender County70,07787180.4$72,161
37105Lee County68,537255268.7$62,680
37167Stanly County67,326395170.4$65,784
37193Wilkes County66,18675487.8$50,848
37161Rutherford County65,587565116.0$50,714
37087Haywood County63,048554113.9$64,553
37077Granville County61,544532115.7$72,896
37163Sampson County60,40494663.9$53,637
37093Hoke County55,382390142.0$60,257
37107Lenoir County55,332399138.6$51,601
37189Watauga County54,997312176.0$62,045
37061Duplin County50,53981562.0$52,947
37047Columbus County50,05493853.4$50,837
37065Edgecombe County49,12450597.2$49,972
37083Halifax County46,99272464.9$48,520
37169Stokes County45,857449102.1$61,374
37059Davie County45,383264172.1$76,153
37099Jackson County45,28149192.2$55,462
37111McDowell County45,269440102.9$53,697
37013Beaufort County44,57683353.5$55,960
37181Vance County42,337252167.7$45,408
37153Richmond County41,99047488.6$50,242
37139Pasquotank County41,418227182.6$59,463
37145Person County40,143392102.3$64,466
37113Macon County38,71751675.1$58,765
37055Dare County38,18338399.6$79,646
37197Yadkin County37,995335113.4$61,626
37003Alexander County36,693260141.1$62,976
37175Transylvania County34,10337890.1$62,002
37165Scotland County33,898319106.2$45,604
37053Currituck County32,278262123.2$86,047
37039Cherokee County30,37345666.7$53,926
37017Bladen County29,77787534.0$49,661
37009Ashe County27,26642664.0$54,589
37123Montgomery County26,36449253.6$55,005
37007Anson County22,43253142.2$50,503
37033Caswell County22,36342552.6$57,865
37115Madison County22,35245049.7$59,505
37117Martin County21,52345647.2$49,033
37079Greene County20,67126777.5$52,145
37149Polk County20,32023885.5$59,012
37091Hertford County19,16935354.3$48,964
37185Warren County19,08142944.4$47,866
37199Yancey County18,99331360.8$54,913
37011Avery County17,81124772.0$55,922
37015Bertie County16,93969924.2$44,371
37131Northampton County16,58053730.9$44,182
37121Mitchell County15,03022167.9$56,746
37173Swain County13,94552826.4$54,357
37041Chowan County13,89117380.5$60,808
37143Perquimans County13,46024754.5$61,157
37137Pamlico County12,55033737.3$61,996
37043Clay County12,04221556.0$53,229
37005Alleghany County11,37923548.5$46,571
37029Camden County11,18424046.5$84,656
37187Washington County10,65434730.7$47,239
37073Gates County10,29934130.2$64,047
37103Jones County9,46247120.1$53,001
37075Graham County8,17929228.0$51,841
37095Hyde County4,5836127.5$49,781
37177Tyrrell County3,5173919.0$46,072

Download all 100 counties as CSV

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.