How many people live in ?

Updated annually
In 2025, there were 11.2 million people living in North Carolina. That makes North Carolina the ninth-most populous state, home to 3.3% of people living in the US.

11.2M

population of North Carolina (2025)

3.3%

North Carolina share of the US population (2025)
The population of North Carolina was about 5.9 times higher than it was in 1900. Between 2024 and 2025, the population of North Carolina grew by about 145,900 people.

About 11.2 million people lived in North Carolina in 2025. That's about 5.9 times more than in 1900.

Annual population estimates

What are North Carolina's age demographics?

About 1.97 million North Carolina residents were aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 18% of the state’s population compared with 18% in the US overall.
Another 2.36 million North Carolina residents, or 21.6% of the state’s population, were aged under 18. For comparison, children account for 21.6% of the US population.

A lower share of North Carolina's population is is 65 and older than the US overall.

Population share by age group (2024)

What are North Carolina's racial and ethnic demographics?

A state’s population may have racial and ethnic differences compared with the US overall. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census Bureau reporting standards.
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 59.9% of North Carolina’s population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. North Carolina also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic Black or African American (20.8%) than the US overall (12.6%).
In contrast, North Carolina’s Hispanic population accounted for 12%, below the 20% share nationwide. The non-Hispanic Asian population makes up 3.9% of the state, compared with 6.5% nationally.

A higher share of North Carolina's population is is non-Hispanic Black or African American than the US overall.

Population share by race and ethnicity (2024)

What are North Carolina's most populous counties?

In 2024, 12 out of 100 counties accounted for over half of North Carolina's population:
  • Wake County, 1.23 million (11.2% of the population)
  • Mecklenburg County, 1.21 million (10.9%)
  • Guilford County, 558,800 (5.1%)
  • Forsyth County, 398,100 (3.6%)
  • Durham County, 343,600 (3.1%)
  • Cumberland County, 338,400 (3.1%)
  • Buncombe County, 279,200 (2.5%)
  • Union County, 263,400 (2.4%)
  • Johnston County, 249,800 (2.3%)
  • Cabarrus County, 244,900 (2.2%)
  • New Hanover County, 243,300 (2.2%)
  • Gaston County, 242,000 (2.2%)

In 2024, Wake County was the most populous county in North Carolina.

Population estimates

What are North Carolina's most populous cities?

The largest city in North Carolina is Charlotte with about 943,500 residents in 2024.

Cities and counties in North Carolina ranked by population

Cities and counties in North Carolina ranked by population
1.

Charlotte 

943,476
2.

Raleigh 

499,825
3.

Greensboro 

307,381
4.

Durham 

301,870
5.

Winston-Salem 

255,769
6.

Fayetteville 

209,496
7.

Cary 

182,659
8.

Wilmington 

125,284
9.

High Point

118,601
10.

Concord 

112,395

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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.