Ranking of North Carolina Counties By Population in 2016
Updated on January 28, 2024.
Based on the US Census Vintage data estimates, in 2016, the Population for North Carolina was 10.16M. Among all North Carolina counties, Mecklenburg County had the highest population (1.06M), followed by Wake County (1.05M), and Guilford County (524.52K).
The chart below shows the top 10 counties, and the table below shows the ranking of all North Carolina counties.
You can see similar ranking information for related topics, and for other states. You can also see the ranking of all counties in the United States.
Related Topics: North Carolina Census Vintage Data Topic List.
Data Source: US Census Bureau (Vintage), 2016 Census.
See this for other years:
Ranking of North Carolina Counties By Population in 2016
Rank | County | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mecklenburg County | 1,058,056 |
| 2 | Wake County | 1,048,933 |
| 3 | Guilford County | 524,520 |
| 4 | Forsyth County | 371,437 |
| 5 | Cumberland County | 333,723 |
| 6 | Durham County | 308,105 |
| 7 | Buncombe County | 255,222 |
| 8 | Union County | 226,501 |
| 9 | New Hanover County | 224,922 |
| 10 | Gaston County | 216,727 |
| 11 | Cabarrus County | 201,737 |
| 12 | Onslow County | 192,745 |
| 13 | Johnston County | 190,937 |
| 14 | Pitt County | 177,291 |
| 15 | Iredell County | 172,600 |
| 16 | Davidson County | 164,497 |
| 17 | Alamance County | 160,358 |
| 18 | Catawba County | 156,517 |
| 19 | Randolph County | 143,070 |
| 20 | Orange County | 142,849 |
| 21 | Rowan County | 139,417 |
| 22 | Robeson County | 133,344 |
| 23 | Harnett County | 130,822 |
| 24 | Brunswick County | 126,422 |
| 25 | Wayne County | 124,368 |
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