Population

How many people are on Medicaid in ?

Updated annually
On average 3.02 million or 27.5% of North Carolina's population during 2024. With about 2 in 7 people enrolled in the program, Medicaid is one of the largest health insurers in North Carolina.

3.02M

enrolled in Medicaid (FY 2024)

27.5%

of the North Carolina population enrolled in Medicaid (FY 2024)
As of 2024, North Carolina had a higher Medicaid enrollment rate than the US overall. Enrollment in the state peaked in 2025 at 28.1%.

In 2024, 27.5% of North Carolina residents were covered by Medicaid.

Average monthly Medicaid enrollment as a share of the population

In 2024, 3.02 million people in North Carolina were covered by Medicaid, down 2.5% from its FY 2025 peak.
In addition to economic conditions, Medicaid enrollment has been affected by changes in policy. For example, during the pandemic, the federal government provided states with additional Medicaid funding on the condition that they not disenroll anyone from Medicaid. This was in effect between 2020 and 2023.

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Medicaid enrollment peaked in FY 2025.

Average monthly Medicaid enrollment

Eligibility in Medicaid is determined by a combination of federal guidelines and state-level rules, primarily based on income, household size, disability status, age, and other factors such as pregnancy or caretaking responsibilities.
As a part of the Affordable Care Act, states have had the option to extend eligibility to a larger subset of adults than previously possible. North Carolina expanded Medicaid in December 2023.

Prior to expansion, enrollees were categorized into 4 different categories:


  • Children
  • Seniors (age 65 and over)
  • People with disabilities (including both adults and children)
  • Pregnant women and parents or caretakers
In FY 2022, the latest data available, children were the largest category in North Carolina, accounting for 41.4% of all enrollees. For comparison, children accounted for 35.8% of all enrollees nationwide.

In FY 2022, children were the largest category of Medicaid enrollees in North Carolina.

Average monthly Medicaid enrollment, by eligibility group

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.