Ranking of North Carolina Counties By Population in 2019

Updated on January 28, 2024.

Based on the US Census Vintage data estimates, in 2019, the Population for North Carolina was 10.50M. Among all North Carolina counties, Mecklenburg County had the highest population (1.11M), followed by Wake County (1.11M), and Guilford County (537.87K).

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.

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Ranking of North Carolina Counties By Population in 2019
Mecklenburg
1.11M
Wake
1.11M
Guilford
537.87K
Forsyth
382.12K
Cumberland
336.52K
Durham
322.97K
Buncombe
262.05K
Union
240.03K
New Hanover
234.28K
Gaston
224.65K
Ranking of North Carolina Counties By Population in 2019
Rank
County
Population
1 Mecklenburg County 1,113,283
2 Wake County 1,112,795
3 Guilford County 537,872
4 Forsyth County 382,118
5 Cumberland County 336,524
6 Durham County 322,969
7 Buncombe County 262,049
8 Union County 240,028
9 New Hanover County 234,275
10 Gaston County 224,652
11 Cabarrus County 216,340
12 Johnston County 209,786
13 Onslow County 202,795
14 Iredell County 181,866
15 Pitt County 181,257
16 Alamance County 169,173
17 Davidson County 168,238
18 Catawba County 159,363
19 Orange County 148,192
20 Randolph County 143,495
21 Brunswick County 142,987
22 Rowan County 141,818
23 Harnett County 136,172
24 Robeson County 130,440
25 Wayne County 123,904
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