County Maps US

North Carolina County Map

North Carolina has 100 counties. Together they cover 48,624 sq mi of land and 11,197,968 people.

Neighbouring areas are given different colours so their shared borders read clearly. These colours carry no data.

Boundaries from the 2025 Census cartographic boundary file, generalised so that no point moves by more than half a pixel at this width. Select any area to open its page.
Counties
100
8th most of the 51 states and DC
Population
11,197,968
9th largest
Land area
48,624
square miles
Density
230.3
people per square mile, computed

Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.

Download this map

Free to use and redistribute. The boundaries are public-domain Census Bureau data; attribution to County Maps US is appreciated but not required.

Satellite view

Aerial imagery of North Carolina with the state boundary drawn on top. County lines are not drawn here: at this scale they would bury the picture, and the map above already carries them.

Aerial view of North Carolina from the USGS National Map, with its boundary outlined
Imagery: USGS National Map, USGS Imagery Only, public domain, requested from USGS by your browser when you reach this point on the page, at 800 by 357 pixels. The boundary is the 2025 Census cartographic boundary file, reprojected to Web Mercator to match the imagery. You can also open the USGS National Map viewer.

The extremes of North Carolina

Most populous

Wake County

1,257,235

Least populous

Tyrrell County

3,537

Largest by land area

Robeson County

947.3 sq mi

Smallest by land area

Chowan County

172.7 sq mi

Most densely populated

Mecklenburg County

2,356 per sq mi

Highest median household income

Wake County

$105,768

Which is the largest county in North Carolina? The answer depends on whether you mean area or population.

The counties, by shape

Every one, drawn to its own scale so the small ones stay recognisable. Shape alone is not a size comparison; the table below carries the areas.

What the map does not say

The counties of North Carolina are nowhere near the same size. Robeson County covers 947.3 sq mi of land, 5.5 times the 172.7 sq mi of Chowan County. People are spread even less evenly: Mecklenburg County packs 2,356 per sq mi while Hyde County holds 7.4 per sq mi.

They were not drawn in one sitting either. Perquimans County dates to 1672, and the boundaries were still being redrawn when Hoke County was organised in 1911, 239 years later. Founding years come from Wikidata and are worth checking against the county's own history before citing.

Water is part of the picture too: 75.1% of Dare County is water, the most in the state, which is why its land area and total area disagree. And 50 of the 100 counties here share their names with counties in other states, so searching by name alone can land in the wrong place; the A to Z index lists every duplicate.

All 100 counties of North Carolina

Sortable on any column. This table doubles as the text alternative to the map above: every area is a link, in alphabetical order, whether or not the map renders.

The 100 counties of North Carolina, with population, land area, density, median household income, county seat and FIPS code.
NamePopulationLand areaDensityMedian incomeSeatFIPS
Alamance County186,177423.5 sq mi440 per sq mi$65,651Graham37001
Alexander County36,958260 sq mi142 per sq mi$65,354Taylorsville37003
Alleghany County11,479234.8 sq mi48.9 per sq mi$47,172Sparta37005
Anson County21,758531.5 sq mi40.9 per sq mi$47,302Wadesboro37007
Ashe County27,514426.3 sq mi64.5 per sq mi$56,866Jefferson37009
Avery County18,110247.3 sq mi73.2 per sq mi$61,428Newland37011
Beaufort County44,670832.7 sq mi53.6 per sq mi$58,357Washington37013
Bertie County17,086699.2 sq mi24.4 per sq mi$48,750Windsor37015
Bladen County30,007875 sq mi34.3 per sq mi$42,422Elizabethtown37017
Brunswick County174,702849.5 sq mi206 per sq mi$77,024Bolivia37019
Buncombe County277,417656.5 sq mi423 per sq mi$74,436Asheville37021
Burke County88,655506.2 sq mi175 per sq mi$58,592Morganton37023
Cabarrus County249,725361.2 sq mi691 per sq mi$89,005Concord37025
Caldwell County81,105471.9 sq mi172 per sq mi$56,425Lenoir37027
Camden County11,315240.3 sq mi47.1 per sq mi$91,078Camden37029
Carteret County70,469507.6 sq mi139 per sq mi$72,322Beaufort37031
Caswell County22,563425.5 sq mi53.0 per sq mi$59,755Yanceyville37033
Catawba County170,172401.4 sq mi424 per sq mi$67,864Newton37035
Chatham County85,111681.5 sq mi125 per sq mi$94,317Pittsboro37037
Cherokee County30,830455.5 sq mi67.7 per sq mi$53,628Murphy37039
Chowan County14,082172.7 sq mi81.6 per sq mi$53,864Edenton37041
Clay County12,239215 sq mi56.9 per sq mi$56,971Hayesville37043
Cleveland County103,325464.3 sq mi223 per sq mi$58,534Shelby37045
Columbus County50,487938.2 sq mi53.8 per sq mi$49,442Whiteville37047
Craven County105,025706.5 sq mi149 per sq mi$65,873New Bern37049
Cumberland County338,473652.6 sq mi519 per sq mi$61,291Fayetteville37051
Currituck County33,158261.9 sq mi127 per sq mi$93,511Currituck37053
Dare County38,245383.2 sq mi99.8 per sq mi$88,994Manteo37055
Davidson County180,182553 sq mi326 per sq mi$64,172Lexington37057
Davie County45,855263.7 sq mi174 per sq mi$75,057Mocksville37059
Duplin County51,571814.7 sq mi63.3 per sq mi$55,148Kenansville37061
Durham County347,240287.6 sq mi1,208 per sq mi$82,316Durham37063
Edgecombe County49,121505.4 sq mi97.2 per sq mi$51,265Tarboro37065
Forsyth County401,718408 sq mi984 per sq mi$67,165Winston-Salem37067
Franklin County82,037491.9 sq mi167 per sq mi$74,240Louisburg37069
Gaston County246,558355.8 sq mi693 per sq mi$67,478Gastonia37071
Gates County10,234340.6 sq mi30.0 per sq mi$66,333Gatesville37073
Graham County8,190292 sq mi28.1 per sq mi$49,684Robbinsville37075
Granville County61,421532 sq mi115 per sq mi$71,111Oxford37077
Greene County20,700266.7 sq mi77.6 per sq mi$53,244Snow Hill37079
Guilford County562,234646 sq mi870 per sq mi$68,642Greensboro37081
Halifax County46,534723.7 sq mi64.3 per sq mi$45,590Halifax37083
Harnett County150,137595.1 sq mi252 per sq mi$71,287Lillington37085
Haywood County63,369553.6 sq mi114 per sq mi$61,912Waynesville37087
Henderson County122,375372.9 sq mi328 per sq mi$68,187Hendersonville37089
Hertford County19,015353.2 sq mi53.8 per sq mi$45,537Winton37091
Hoke County56,939390.2 sq mi146 per sq mi$64,912Raeford37093
Hyde County4,554612.3 sq mi7.4 per sq mi$53,713Swan Quarter37095
Iredell County211,798574.5 sq mi369 per sq mi$81,419Statesville37097
Jackson County45,039491.1 sq mi91.7 per sq mi$55,815Sylva37099
Johnston County256,448792 sq mi324 per sq mi$83,384Smithfield37101
Jones County9,575471.4 sq mi20.3 per sq mi$59,641Trenton37103
Lee County70,258255.1 sq mi275 per sq mi$65,387Sanford37105
Lenoir County55,837399.1 sq mi140 per sq mi$45,143Kinston37107
Lincoln County98,654295.9 sq mi333 per sq mi$80,016Lincolnton37109
Macon County39,232515.5 sq mi76.1 per sq mi$59,061Franklin37113
Madison County22,553449.6 sq mi50.2 per sq mi$58,531Marshall37115
Martin County21,601456.4 sq mi47.3 per sq mi$48,578Williamston37117
McDowell County45,198440 sq mi103 per sq mi$57,168Marion37111
Mecklenburg County1,233,383523.6 sq mi2,356 per sq mi$87,005Charlotte37119
Mitchell County15,062221.3 sq mi68.1 per sq mi$57,602Bakersville37121
Montgomery County26,403491.5 sq mi53.7 per sq mi$57,766Troy37123
Moore County110,619697.6 sq mi159 per sq mi$86,080Carthage37125
Nash County99,365540.4 sq mi184 per sq mi$62,426Nashville37127
New Hanover County245,959192.3 sq mi1,279 per sq mi$75,166Wilmington37129
Northampton County16,491536.7 sq mi30.7 per sq mi$50,086Jackson37131
Onslow County217,175762.1 sq mi285 per sq mi$68,148Jacksonville37133
Orange County152,498397.6 sq mi384 per sq mi$90,089Hillsborough37135
Pamlico County12,758336.5 sq mi37.9 per sq mi$59,717Bayboro37137
Pasquotank County42,201226.9 sq mi186 per sq mi$66,589Elizabeth City37139
Pender County72,111871.3 sq mi82.8 per sq mi$80,396Burgaw37141
Perquimans County13,490247.2 sq mi54.6 per sq mi$67,917Hertford37143
Person County40,636392.3 sq mi104 per sq mi$63,300Roxboro37145
Pitt County182,936652.4 sq mi280 per sq mi$58,188Greenville37147
Polk County20,533237.7 sq mi86.4 per sq mi$67,758Columbus37149
Randolph County149,516782.3 sq mi191 per sq mi$61,022Asheboro37151
Richmond County42,041473.7 sq mi88.8 per sq mi$44,883Rockingham37153
Robeson County119,941947.3 sq mi127 per sq mi$41,978Lumberton37155
Rockingham County94,195565.6 sq mi167 per sq mi$57,053Wentworth37157
Rowan County155,096511.6 sq mi303 per sq mi$65,725Salisbury37159
Rutherford County65,745565.4 sq mi116 per sq mi$51,410Rutherfordton37161
Sampson County61,504945.9 sq mi65.0 per sq mi$52,432Clinton37163
Scotland County33,322319.1 sq mi104 per sq mi$45,730Laurinburg37165
Stanly County68,830395.1 sq mi174 per sq mi$60,704Albemarle37167
Stokes County46,126449.3 sq mi103 per sq mi$62,969Danbury37169
Surry County72,287532.6 sq mi136 per sq mi$55,656Dobson37171
Swain County14,024527.7 sq mi26.6 per sq mi$52,349Bryson City37173
Transylvania County34,211378.4 sq mi90.4 per sq mi$66,184Brevard37175
Tyrrell County3,537390.8 sq mi9.1 per sq mi$41,685Columbia37177
Union County267,674632.7 sq mi423 per sq mi$102,900Monroe37179
Vance County42,638252.4 sq mi169 per sq mi$50,465Henderson37181
Wake County1,257,235834.8 sq mi1,506 per sq mi$105,768Raleigh37183
Warren County18,898429.4 sq mi44.0 per sq mi$50,638Warrenton37185
Washington County10,638346.5 sq mi30.7 per sq mi$41,813Plymouth37187
Watauga County54,786312.4 sq mi175 per sq mi$51,693Boone37189
Wayne County122,278553.9 sq mi221 per sq mi$59,733Goldsboro37191
Wilkes County66,233753.7 sq mi87.9 per sq mi$51,721Wilkesboro37193
Wilson County81,150367.6 sq mi221 per sq mi$56,423Wilson37195
Yadkin County38,325334.9 sq mi114 per sq mi$62,932Yadkinville37197
Yancey County19,084312.6 sq mi61.1 per sq mi$58,709Burnsville37199

Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026; Wikidata (CC0), Wikidata. Retrieved 30 August 2026.

The ten most populous

  1. Wake County1,257,235
  2. Mecklenburg County1,233,383
  3. Guilford County562,234
  4. Forsyth County401,718
  5. Durham County347,240
  6. Cumberland County338,473
  7. Buncombe County277,417
  8. Union County267,674
  9. Johnston County256,448
  10. Cabarrus County249,725

Data on this page last rebuilt 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.