The largest county in North Carolina
There are two right answers. By land area it is Robeson County; by population it is Wake County. Which one you want depends on what you meant by largest.
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.
By land area
| Rank | Name | Land area | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robeson County | 947.3 sq mi | 119,941 |
| 2 | Sampson County | 945.9 sq mi | 61,504 |
| 3 | Columbus County | 938.2 sq mi | 50,487 |
| 4 | Bladen County | 875 sq mi | 30,007 |
| 5 | Pender County | 871.3 sq mi | 72,111 |
| 6 | Brunswick County | 849.5 sq mi | 174,702 |
| 7 | Wake County | 834.8 sq mi | 1,257,235 |
| 8 | Beaufort County | 832.7 sq mi | 44,670 |
| 9 | Duplin County | 814.7 sq mi | 51,571 |
| 10 | Johnston County | 792 sq mi | 256,448 |
By population
| Rank | Name | Population | Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wake County | 1,257,235 | 1,506 per sq mi |
| 2 | Mecklenburg County | 1,233,383 | 2,356 per sq mi |
| 3 | Guilford County | 562,234 | 870 per sq mi |
| 4 | Forsyth County | 401,718 | 984 per sq mi |
| 5 | Durham County | 347,240 | 1,208 per sq mi |
| 6 | Cumberland County | 338,473 | 519 per sq mi |
| 7 | Buncombe County | 277,417 | 423 per sq mi |
| 8 | Union County | 267,674 | 423 per sq mi |
| 9 | Johnston County | 256,448 | 324 per sq mi |
| 10 | Cabarrus County | 249,725 | 691 per sq mi |
And the smallest
More on North Carolina
Rebuilt from source data 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.