The largest city in North Carolina is Charlotte, with a population of 885,663. Wendell is the fastest growing city in North Carolina over the past 10 years, having grown 55.63% since 2010.

CSV JSON

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

10 Largest Cities in North Carolina

Cities in North Carolina by Population (2023)

North Carolina has a total population of 10.2 million residents, making it the 9th most populous state in the country. The largest city by population is Charlotte, which has a population of 827,097 people. Raleigh, the state’s capital, comes in second with just over half of the numbers recorded in Charlotte: 451,066. Greensboro, Durham, Winston-Salem, Fayetteville, Cary, Wilmington and High Point round out the remaining cities in North Carolina that boast populations of more than 100,000 inhabitants. There are also 76 cities with populations of at least 10,000 but not more than 100,000.

Incorporated municipalities in the state are classified as cities, towns and villages. Unlike other states, population, government structure, or other factors do not weigh into how these areas are classified. There is not a legal distinction between city, town, and village, and municipalities can choose which name they use. In this state, there are 532 incorporated areas that are spread across 100 counties.

Map of Cities in North Carolina

North Carolina Cities by First Letter