North Carolina Population By County in 2021

Updated on January 29, 2024.

Based on the US Census Vintage data estimates, in 2021, the population of North Carolina was 10,565,885. Among all North Carolina counties, Wake[object Promise] had the highest population (1,152,357), followed by Mecklenburg[object Promise] (1,125,809), and Guilford[object Promise] (542,756). Tyrrell[object Promise] was the least populated county (3,377).

Hover over or click on the counties in the map below to see the populations. The data can also be found in a table below. You can use the table to sort, filter, and explore the data further.

You can see similar information for other states and by state for the United States.

See this for other years:
North Carolina Population By County in 2021
North Carolina Population By County in 2021
Items per page:
0 of 0
County Population % of State Population
Alamance 173876 1.65
Alexander 36467 0.35
Alleghany 11066 0.11
Anson 22254 0.21
Ashe 26764 0.25
Avery 17502 0.17
Beaufort 44438 0.42
Bertie 17425 0.17
Bladen 29565 0.28
Brunswick 144814 1.37
Buncombe 271719 2.57
Burke 87634 0.83
Cabarrus 231726 2.19
Caldwell 80561 0.76
Camden 10816 0.10
Carteret 68718 0.65
Caswell 22701 0.22
Catawba 161821 1.53
Chatham 78111 0.74
Cherokee 29195 0.28
Chowan 13791 0.13
Clay 11350 0.11
Cleveland 100318 0.95
Columbus 49953 0.47
Craven 100277 0.95
Cumberland 337249 3.19
Currituck 29714 0.28
Dare 37889 0.36
Davidson 170794 1.62
Davie 43614 0.41
Duplin 48606 0.46
Durham 329699 3.12
Edgecombe 48370 0.46
Forsyth 386172 3.66
Franklin 71798 0.68
Gaston 231337 2.19
Gates 10403 0.10
Graham 8008 0.08
Granville 61408 0.58
Greene 20261 0.19
Guilford 542756 5.14
Halifax 48377 0.46
Harnett 135669 1.28
Haywood 62504 0.59
Henderson 116988 1.11
Hertford 21172 0.20
Hoke 53235 0.50
Hyde 4625 0.04
Iredell 192227 1.82
Jackson 42520 0.40
Johnston 227313 2.15
Jones 9217 0.09
Lee 64097 0.61
Lenoir 54693 0.52
Lincoln 89870 0.85
McDowell 44586 0.42
Macon 37488 0.36
Madison 21645 0.21
Martin 21742 0.21
Mecklenburg 1125809 10.66
Mitchell 14982 0.14
Montgomery 25853 0.25
Moore 102952 0.97
Nash 95227 0.90
New Hanover 229930 2.18
Northampton 17093 0.16
Onslow 204660 1.94
Orange 148610 1.41
Pamlico 12347 0.12
Pasquotank 40746 0.39
Pender 63072 0.60
Perquimans 13126 0.12
Person 39172 0.37
Pitt 172273 1.63
Polk 19691 0.19
Randolph 145109 1.37
Richmond 42842 0.41
Robeson 116229 1.10
Rockingham 91260 0.86
Rowan 148012 1.40
Rutherford 64618 0.61
Sampson 59080 0.56
Scotland 34175 0.32
Stanly 63108 0.60
Stokes 44641 0.42
Surry 71196 0.67
Swain 14149 0.13
Transylvania 33255 0.32
Tyrrell 3377 0.03
Union 244260 2.31
Vance 42103 0.40
Wake 1152357 10.91
Warren 18791 0.18
Washington 10909 0.10
Watauga 54962 0.52
Wayne 116866 1.11
Wilkes 65818 0.62
Wilson 78283 0.74
Yadkin 37258 0.35
Yancey 18776 0.18