| County | Rank | Change (2020) ↓ | 2026 Pop. | 2020 Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brunswick County | 1 | 32.13% | 182,515 | 138,135 |
| Pender County | 2 | 22.2% | 74,072 | 60,614 |
| Franklin County | 3 | 21.9% | 84,144 | 69,029 |
| Johnston County | 4 | 21.12% | 263,374 | 217,450 |
| Currituck County | 5 | 19.27% | 33,880 | 28,405 |
| Iredell County | 6 | 15.88% | 217,477 | 187,676 |
| Harnett County | 7 | 15.03% | 153,818 | 133,716 |
| Lincoln County | 8 | 14.5% | 99,789 | 87,153 |
| Wake County | 9 | 13.63% | 1,284,995 | 1,130,903 |
| Union County | 10 | 13.37% | 271,644 | 239,615 |
| Lee County | 11 | 13.11% | 71,697 | 63,388 |
| Mecklenburg County | 12 | 12.88% | 1,259,937 | 1,116,183 |
| Chatham County | 13 | 12.69% | 86,390 | 76,663 |
| Moore County | 14 | 12.52% | 112,855 | 100,295 |
| Clay County | 15 | 12.31% | 12,512 | 11,141 |
| Stanly County | 16 | 11.91% | 70,128 | 62,666 |
| Cabarrus County | 17 | 11.68% | 253,777 | 227,240 |
| Hoke County | 18 | 11.47% | 58,219 | 52,230 |
| Tyrrell County | 19 | 10.47% | 3,576 | 3,237 |
| Alamance County | 20 | 10.12% | 188,993 | 171,624 |
| New Hanover County | 21 | 9.77% | 248,583 | 226,449 |
| Gaston County | 22 | 9.38% | 250,096 | 228,640 |
| Camden County | 23 | 9.38% | 11,381 | 10,405 |
| Durham County | 24 | 9.21% | 352,166 | 322,465 |
| Cherokee County | 25 | 8.24% | 31,245 | 28,866 |
| Davidson County | 26 | 7.9% | 182,383 | 169,029 |
| Davie County | 27 | 7.73% | 46,225 | 42,909 |
| Catawba County | 28 | 7.62% | 173,155 | 160,892 |
| Onslow County | 29 | 7.17% | 219,678 | 204,984 |
| Duplin County | 30 | 7.15% | 52,140 | 48,660 |
| Jackson County | 31 | 7% | 45,092 | 42,142 |
| Macon County | 32 | 6.9% | 39,644 | 37,085 |
| Polk County | 33 | 6.71% | 20,678 | 19,378 |
| Orange County | 34 | 6.61% | 153,251 | 143,748 |
| Pitt County | 35 | 6.54% | 184,990 | 173,642 |
| Rowan County | 36 | 6.53% | 156,479 | 146,893 |
| Madison County | 37 | 6.33% | 22,640 | 21,292 |
| Alleghany County | 38 | 6.11% | 11,556 | 10,891 |
| Forsyth County | 39 | 6.01% | 405,600 | 382,618 |
| Henderson County | 40 | 5.92% | 123,464 | 116,564 |
| Pasquotank County | 41 | 5.9% | 42,782 | 40,400 |
| Jones County | 42 | 5.46% | 9,650 | 9,150 |
| Guilford County | 43 | 5.32% | 567,409 | 538,726 |
| Sampson County | 44 | 4.83% | 61,931 | 59,078 |
| Wayne County | 45 | 4.78% | 123,388 | 117,758 |
| Person County | 46 | 4.65% | 41,006 | 39,184 |
| Nash County | 47 | 4.5% | 99,940 | 95,633 |
| Carteret County | 48 | 4.48% | 70,723 | 67,692 |
| Craven County | 49 | 4.3% | 105,877 | 101,514 |
| Pamlico County | 50 | 4.22% | 12,828 | 12,308 |
| Cleveland County | 51 | 4.22% | 104,144 | 99,926 |
| Stokes County | 52 | 4.21% | 46,440 | 44,565 |
| Randolph County | 53 | 4.03% | 150,216 | 144,401 |
| Ashe County | 54 | 4.01% | 27,650 | 26,585 |
| Robeson County | 55 | 3.88% | 120,482 | 115,980 |
| Rockingham County | 56 | 3.86% | 94,720 | 91,201 |
| Perquimans County | 57 | 3.7% | 13,506 | 13,024 |
| Yancey County | 58 | 3.32% | 19,106 | 18,492 |
| Dare County | 59 | 3.31% | 38,262 | 37,036 |
| Chowan County | 60 | 3.19% | 14,139 | 13,702 |
| Yadkin County | 61 | 3.16% | 38,427 | 37,250 |
| Montgomery County | 62 | 2.95% | 26,458 | 25,700 |
| Transylvania County | 63 | 2.88% | 34,213 | 33,255 |
| Graham County | 64 | 2.56% | 8,245 | 8,039 |
| Rutherford County | 65 | 2.39% | 65,911 | 64,370 |
| Buncombe County | 66 | 2.19% | 275,607 | 269,703 |
| Lenoir County | 67 | 2.14% | 56,242 | 55,062 |
| Alexander County | 68 | 2.09% | 37,167 | 36,406 |
| Haywood County | 69 | 2.07% | 63,505 | 62,219 |
| Wilson County | 70 | 2% | 81,415 | 79,816 |
| Granville County | 71 | 1.72% | 61,214 | 60,178 |
| Burke County | 72 | 1.69% | 88,741 | 87,262 |
| Surry County | 73 | 1.57% | 72,508 | 71,386 |
| Bladen County | 74 | 1.41% | 30,047 | 29,628 |
| Greene County | 75 | 1.27% | 20,700 | 20,441 |
| McDowell County | 76 | 1.22% | 45,098 | 44,554 |
| Avery County | 77 | 1.11% | 18,117 | 17,918 |
| Caldwell County | 78 | 0.96% | 81,356 | 80,582 |
| Caswell County | 79 | 0.84% | 22,665 | 22,476 |
| Edgecombe County | 80 | 0.81% | 49,176 | 48,781 |
| Cumberland County | 81 | 0.8% | 339,698 | 337,000 |
| Warren County | 82 | 0.73% | 18,741 | 18,606 |
| Mitchell County | 83 | 0.54% | 14,982 | 14,901 |
| Wilkes County | 84 | 0.52% | 66,214 | 65,871 |
| Columbus County | 85 | 0.37% | 50,673 | 50,487 |
| Watauga County | 86 | 0.34% | 54,651 | 54,466 |
| Vance County | 87 | 0.28% | 42,674 | 42,554 |
| Hyde County | 88 | 0.16% | 4,515 | 4,508 |
| Beaufort County | 89 | -0.19% | 44,610 | 44,694 |
| Swain County | 90 | -0.75% | 14,001 | 14,107 |
| Anson County | 91 | -1.08% | 21,992 | 22,233 |
| Scotland County | 92 | -1.13% | 33,034 | 33,413 |
| Martin County | 93 | -1.43% | 21,640 | 21,954 |
| Richmond County | 94 | -1.83% | 41,945 | 42,729 |
| Gates County | 95 | -2.58% | 10,180 | 10,450 |
| Washington County | 96 | -3.19% | 10,626 | 10,976 |
| Bertie County | 97 | -4.14% | 16,988 | 17,722 |
| Halifax County | 98 | -4.81% | 46,075 | 48,401 |
| Northampton County | 99 | -5.6% | 16,456 | 17,433 |
| Hertford County | 100 | -11.6% | 18,931 | 21,414 |
North Carolina's counties show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2026. Brunswick County leads with 4.75% annualized growth, followed by Pender County (3.4%) and Franklin County (3.36%). The largest counties are Wake County (1,284,995), Mecklenburg County (1,259,937), and Guilford County (567,409). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, 88 are growing while 12 have experienced population decline. Overall, counties averaged 0.86% annualized growth, with total population growing by 1.38% annually.
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