North Carolina county populations
100 supported county-equivalent records in North Carolina; July 1, 2025 population, 2024–2025 growth and 2025 land-area density.
Population totals use July 1, 2025 observations from PEP Vintage 2025. Change is measured since July 1, 2024. County equivalents are included, including Connecticut planning regions. Missing density is displayed as unavailable, never as zero.
Population table and filters
Whole-dataset downloads| Place | Population · 2025 | Change · 2024–25 | Growth · 2024–25 | People / sq. mi. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37183 | 1,257,235 | +27,760 | +2.26% | 1,506.1 |
| Mecklenburg CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37119 | 1,233,383 | +26,554 | +2.20% | 2,355.6 |
| Guilford CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37081 | 562,234 | +5,175 | +0.93% | 870.3 |
| Forsyth CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37067 | 401,718 | +3,882 | +0.98% | 984.5 |
| Durham CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37063 | 347,240 | +4,926 | +1.44% | 1,207.6 |
| Cumberland CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37051 | 338,473 | +1,225 | +0.36% | 518.7 |
| Buncombe CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37021 | 277,417 | -1,810 | -0.65% | 422.6 |
| Union CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37179 | 267,674 | +3,970 | +1.51% | 423.0 |
| Johnston CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37101 | 256,448 | +6,926 | +2.78% | 323.8 |
| Cabarrus CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37025 | 249,725 | +4,052 | +1.65% | 691.3 |
| Gaston CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37071 | 246,558 | +3,538 | +1.46% | 693.1 |
| New Hanover CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37129 | 245,959 | +2,624 | +1.08% | 1,279.2 |
| Onslow CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37133 | 217,175 | +2,503 | +1.17% | 285.0 |
| Iredell CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37097 | 211,798 | +5,679 | +2.76% | 368.7 |
| Alamance CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37001 | 186,177 | +2,816 | +1.54% | 439.7 |
| Pitt CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37147 | 182,936 | +2,054 | +1.14% | 280.4 |
| Davidson CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37057 | 180,182 | +2,201 | +1.24% | 325.8 |
| Brunswick CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37019 | 174,702 | +7,813 | +4.68% | 205.7 |
| Catawba CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37035 | 170,172 | +2,983 | +1.78% | 424.0 |
| Rowan CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37159 | 155,096 | +1,383 | +0.90% | 303.2 |
| Orange CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37135 | 152,498 | +753 | +0.50% | 383.6 |
| Harnett CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37085 | 150,137 | +3,681 | +2.51% | 252.3 |
| Randolph CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37151 | 149,516 | +700 | +0.47% | 191.1 |
| Henderson CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37089 | 122,375 | +1,089 | +0.90% | 328.1 |
| Wayne CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37191 | 122,278 | +1,110 | +0.92% | 220.7 |
| Robeson CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37155 | 119,941 | +541 | +0.45% | 126.6 |
| Moore CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37125 | 110,619 | +2,236 | +2.06% | 158.6 |
| Craven CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37049 | 105,025 | +852 | +0.82% | 148.6 |
| Cleveland CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37045 | 103,325 | +819 | +0.80% | 222.6 |
| Nash CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37127 | 99,365 | +575 | +0.58% | 183.9 |
| Lincoln CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37109 | 98,654 | +1,135 | +1.16% | 333.5 |
| Rockingham CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37157 | 94,195 | +525 | +0.56% | 166.5 |
| Burke CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37023 | 88,655 | +86 | +0.10% | 175.1 |
| Chatham CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37037 | 85,111 | +1,279 | +1.53% | 124.9 |
| Franklin CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37069 | 82,037 | +2,107 | +2.64% | 166.8 |
| Wilson CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37195 | 81,150 | +265 | +0.33% | 220.8 |
| Caldwell CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37027 | 81,105 | +251 | +0.31% | 171.9 |
| Surry CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37171 | 72,287 | +221 | +0.31% | 135.7 |
| Pender CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37141 | 72,111 | +1,961 | +2.80% | 82.8 |
| Carteret CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37031 | 70,469 | +254 | +0.36% | 138.8 |
| Lee CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37105 | 70,258 | +1,439 | +2.09% | 275.4 |
| Stanly CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37167 | 68,830 | +1,298 | +1.92% | 174.2 |
| Wilkes CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37193 | 66,233 | -19 | -0.03% | 87.9 |
| Rutherford CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37161 | 65,745 | +166 | +0.25% | 116.3 |
| Haywood CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37087 | 63,369 | +136 | +0.22% | 114.5 |
| Sampson CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37163 | 61,504 | +427 | +0.70% | 65.0 |
| Granville CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37077 | 61,421 | -207 | -0.34% | 115.5 |
| Hoke CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37093 | 56,939 | +1,280 | +2.30% | 145.9 |
| Lenoir CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37107 | 55,837 | +405 | +0.73% | 139.9 |
| Watauga CountyNorth Carolina · County equivalent · 37189 | 54,786 | -135 | -0.25% | 175.3 |
Use these comparisons consistently
A larger population does not necessarily mean faster growth. Absolute change measures the number of residents gained or lost; percentage change divides that difference by the starting population. The percentage column here covers one July-to-July interval, rather than a decade or a partial calendar year. Percent growth is suppressed where the starting population is zero.
Density divides the unrounded July 1, 2025 population by matching 2025 Gazetteer land area. It is measured in people per square mile and excludes water area. These geographic averages depend on the size and definition of each unit, so a county’s density is not directly comparable to a built-up city neighborhood.
County-equivalent names and units vary by state. Connecticut planning regions are represented in the current series; linking older county series requires a documented relationship. Incorporated places may cross county boundaries and do not form an exhaustive county breakdown.
Exports contain the current page’s visible rows after filtering, with reference date and release metadata. Use whole-dataset downloads for every row or select a compatible comparison to inspect a longer interval. The initial pep-2025-r1 snapshot remains reproducible when future releases are added.