North Carolina Counties by Population (2026)
2026 Pop.
100K
200K
300K
400K
500K
600K
700K
800K
900K
1M
1.1M
1.2M
Top 5 Most Populous Counties
1,284,995
1,259,937
567,409
405,600
352,166
| County | 2026 Pop. ↓ | Area (mi²) | Density (/mi²) | Change (2020) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County | 1,284,995 | 835 | 1,539 | 13.63% |
| Mecklenburg County | 1,259,937 | 524 | 2,404 | 12.88% |
| Guilford County | 567,409 | 646 | 878 | 5.32% |
| Forsyth County | 405,600 | 408 | 994 | 6.01% |
| Durham County | 352,166 | 288 | 1,223 | 9.21% |
| Cumberland County | 339,698 | 653 | 520 | 0.8% |
| Buncombe County | 275,607 | 656 | 420 | 2.19% |
| Union County | 271,644 | 633 | 429 | 13.37% |
| Johnston County | 263,374 | 792 | 333 | 21.12% |
| Cabarrus County | 253,777 | 361 | 703 | 11.68% |
| Gaston County | 250,096 | 356 | 703 | 9.38% |
| New Hanover County | 248,583 | 192 | 1,295 | 9.77% |
| Onslow County | 219,678 | 762 | 288 | 7.17% |
| Iredell County | 217,477 | 574 | 379 | 15.88% |
| Alamance County | 188,993 | 423 | 447 | 10.12% |
| Pitt County | 184,990 | 652 | 284 | 6.54% |
| Brunswick County | 182,515 | 850 | 215 | 32.13% |
| Davidson County | 182,383 | 553 | 330 | 7.9% |
| Catawba County | 173,155 | 401 | 432 | 7.62% |
| Rowan County | 156,479 | 512 | 306 | 6.53% |
| Harnett County | 153,818 | 595 | 259 | 15.03% |
| Orange County | 153,251 | 398 | 385 | 6.61% |
| Randolph County | 150,216 | 782 | 192 | 4.03% |
| Henderson County | 123,464 | 373 | 331 | 5.92% |
| Wayne County | 123,388 | 554 | 223 | 4.78% |
| Robeson County | 120,482 | 947 | 127 | 3.88% |
| Moore County | 112,855 | 698 | 162 | 12.52% |
| Craven County | 105,877 | 707 | 150 | 4.3% |
| Cleveland County | 104,144 | 464 | 224 | 4.22% |
| Nash County | 99,940 | 540 | 185 | 4.5% |
| Lincoln County | 99,789 | 296 | 337 | 14.5% |
| Rockingham County | 94,720 | 566 | 167 | 3.86% |
| Burke County | 88,741 | 506 | 175 | 1.69% |
| Chatham County | 86,390 | 681 | 127 | 12.69% |
| Franklin County | 84,144 | 492 | 171 | 21.9% |
| Wilson County | 81,415 | 368 | 221 | 2% |
| Caldwell County | 81,356 | 472 | 172 | 0.96% |
| Pender County | 74,072 | 871 | 85 | 22.2% |
| Surry County | 72,508 | 533 | 136 | 1.57% |
| Lee County | 71,697 | 255 | 281 | 13.11% |
| Carteret County | 70,723 | 508 | 139 | 4.48% |
| Stanly County | 70,128 | 395 | 178 | 11.91% |
| Wilkes County | 66,214 | 754 | 88 | 0.52% |
| Rutherford County | 65,911 | 565 | 117 | 2.39% |
| Haywood County | 63,505 | 554 | 115 | 2.07% |
| Sampson County | 61,931 | 946 | 65 | 4.83% |
| Granville County | 61,214 | 532 | 115 | 1.72% |
| Hoke County | 58,219 | 390 | 149 | 11.47% |
| Lenoir County | 56,242 | 399 | 141 | 2.14% |
| Watauga County | 54,651 | 312 | 175 | 0.34% |
| Duplin County | 52,140 | 815 | 64 | 7.15% |
| Columbus County | 50,673 | 938 | 54 | 0.37% |
| Edgecombe County | 49,176 | 505 | 97 | 0.81% |
| Stokes County | 46,440 | 449 | 103 | 4.21% |
| Davie County | 46,225 | 264 | 175 | 7.73% |
| Halifax County | 46,075 | 724 | 64 | -4.81% |
| McDowell County | 45,098 | 440 | 102 | 1.22% |
| Jackson County | 45,092 | 491 | 92 | 7% |
| Beaufort County | 44,610 | 833 | 54 | -0.19% |
| Pasquotank County | 42,782 | 227 | 188 | 5.9% |
| Vance County | 42,674 | 252 | 169 | 0.28% |
| Richmond County | 41,945 | 474 | 88 | -1.83% |
| Person County | 41,006 | 392 | 105 | 4.65% |
| Macon County | 39,644 | 516 | 77 | 6.9% |
| Yadkin County | 38,427 | 335 | 115 | 3.16% |
| Dare County | 38,262 | 383 | 100 | 3.31% |
| Alexander County | 37,167 | 260 | 143 | 2.09% |
| Transylvania County | 34,213 | 378 | 91 | 2.88% |
| Currituck County | 33,880 | 262 | 129 | 19.27% |
| Scotland County | 33,034 | 319 | 104 | -1.13% |
| Cherokee County | 31,245 | 456 | 69 | 8.24% |
| Bladen County | 30,047 | 875 | 34 | 1.41% |
| Ashe County | 27,650 | 426 | 65 | 4.01% |
| Montgomery County | 26,458 | 492 | 54 | 2.95% |
| Caswell County | 22,665 | 425 | 53 | 0.84% |
| Madison County | 22,640 | 450 | 50 | 6.33% |
| Anson County | 21,992 | 531 | 41 | -1.08% |
| Martin County | 21,640 | 456 | 47 | -1.43% |
| Greene County | 20,700 | 267 | 78 | 1.27% |
| Polk County | 20,678 | 238 | 87 | 6.71% |
| Yancey County | 19,106 | 313 | 61 | 3.32% |
| Hertford County | 18,931 | 353 | 54 | -11.6% |
| Warren County | 18,741 | 429 | 44 | 0.73% |
| Avery County | 18,117 | 247 | 73 | 1.11% |
| Bertie County | 16,988 | 699 | 24 | -4.14% |
| Northampton County | 16,456 | 537 | 31 | -5.6% |
| Mitchell County | 14,982 | 221 | 68 | 0.54% |
| Chowan County | 14,139 | 173 | 82 | 3.19% |
| Swain County | 14,001 | 528 | 27 | -0.75% |
| Perquimans County | 13,506 | 247 | 55 | 3.7% |
| Pamlico County | 12,828 | 337 | 38 | 4.22% |
| Clay County | 12,512 | 215 | 58 | 12.31% |
| Alleghany County | 11,556 | 235 | 49 | 6.11% |
| Camden County | 11,381 | 240 | 47 | 9.38% |
| Washington County | 10,626 | 347 | 31 | -3.19% |
| Gates County | 10,180 | 341 | 30 | -2.58% |
| Jones County | 9,650 | 471 | 20 | 5.46% |
| Graham County | 8,245 | 292 | 28 | 2.56% |
| Hyde County | 4,515 | 612 | 7.4 | 0.16% |
| Tyrrell County | 3,576 | 391 | 9.1 | 10.47% |
Sources
- US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
- US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
- American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
- Census QuickFacts
- Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)