Total Population in North Carolina

ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates

Total Population
11M
Rank #9 of 52
84th %ile

How North Carolina Compares

North Carolina
11M
National
330M
96.8% below

State Ranking

Rank State Value
#6 Illinois 13M
#7 Ohio 12M
#8 Georgia 11M
#9 North Carolina 11M
#10 Michigan 10M
#11 New Jersey 9,343,809
#12 Virginia 8,705,170
View full state ranking →

Highest Population Counties in North Carolina

# County Population
1 Wake County 1,178,653
2 Mecklenburg County 1,154,681
3 Guilford County 547,940
4 Forsyth County 389,977
5 Cumberland County 338,545
6 Durham County 332,353
7 Buncombe County 274,360
8 Union County 250,958
9 Cabarrus County 236,133
10 New Hanover County 235,229

Lowest Population Counties in North Carolina

# County Population
100 Tyrrell County 3,423
99 Hyde County 4,592
98 Graham County 8,072
97 Jones County 9,302
96 Gates County 10,376
95 Washington County 10,812
94 Camden County 10,927
93 Alleghany County 11,174
92 Clay County 11,610
91 Pamlico County 12,390

Total Population in North Carolina

North Carolina has a total population of 11M, ranking #9 of 52 among all 52 states and territories. This is 96.8% below the national value of 330M.

Across North Carolina's 100 counties, total population ranges from 3,423 to 1,178,653. The county with the highest value is Wake County at 1,178,653.

Total population count from the American Community Survey.

About this data

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024). All values are estimates derived from survey samples and are subject to margin of error. For more information, see our methodology.