Map of the United States with North Carolina highlighted
Map of the United States with North Carolina highlighted

North Carolina is a state located in the Southern United States. According to the 2020 United States Census, North Carolina is the ninth most populous state with 10,439,388 inhabitants, but the 28th largest by land area spanning 53,819 square miles (139,390 km2) of land.[1][2] North Carolina is divided into 100 counties and contains 532 municipalities consisting of cities, towns, or villages.[3] The three different terms have no legal distinction.

Table of contents: Largest -
- See also

Largest municipalities

 †  County seat
 ††  State capital and county seat

Below is a list of the 50 largest municipalities in North Carolina according to the 2020 census.

Rank Name Population (2021) Population (2020) Change Type County
1 Charlotte † 879,709 874,579 +0.59% City Mecklenburg
2 Raleigh †† 469,124 467,665 +0.31% City Wake (seat), Durham
3 Greensboro † 298,263 299,035 −0.26% City Guilford
4 Durham † 285,527 283,506 +0.71% City Durham (seat), Wake, Orange
5 Winston-Salem † 250,320 249,545 +0.31% City Forsyth
6 Fayetteville † 208,778 208,501 +0.13% City Cumberland
7 Cary 176,987 174,721 +1.30% Town Wake, Chatham
8 Wilmington † 117,643 115,451 +1.90% City New Hanover
9 High Point 114,086 114,059 +0.02% City Guilford, Randolph, Davidson, Forsyth
10 Concord † 107,697 105,240 +2.33% City Cabarrus
11 Asheville † 94,067 94,589 −0.55% City Buncombe
12 Greenville † 88,728 87,521 +1.38% City Pitt
13 Gastonia † 81,161 80,411 +0.93% City Gaston
14 Jacksonville † 72,876 72,723 +0.21% City Onslow
15 Apex 62,911 58,780 +7.03% Town Wake
16 Huntersville 61,839 61,376 +0.75% Town Mecklenburg
17 Chapel Hill 61,128 61,960 −1.34% Town Orange, Durham
18 Burlington 58,818 55,481 +6.01% City Alamance
19 Kannapolis 54,446 53,114 +2.51% City Cabarrus, Rowan
20 Rocky Mount 53,957 54,341 −0.71% City Edgecombe, Nash
21 Mooresville 51,594 50,193 +2.79% Town Iredell
22 Wake Forest 49,657 47,601 +4.32% Town Wake, Franklin
23 Wilson † 47,731 47,851 −0.25% City Wilson
24 Hickory 43,532 43,490 +0.10% City Catawba, Burke, Caldwell
25 Holly Springs 43,524 41,239 +5.54% Town Wake
26 Indian Trail 40,953 39,997 +2.39% Town Union
27 Fuquay-Varina 36,736 34,152 +7.57% Town Wake
28 Salisbury † 35,760 35,540 +0.62% City Rowan
29 Monroe † 34,888 34,562 +0.94% City Union
30 Goldsboro † 32,749 33,657 −2.70% City Wayne
31 Garner 31,935 31,159 +2.49% Town Wake
32 Cornelius 31,650 31,412 +0.76% Town Mecklenburg
33 New Bern † 31,346 31,291 +0.18% City Craven
34 Morrisville 31,278 29,630 +5.56% Town Wake, Durham
35 Sanford † 30,678 30,261 +1.38% City Lee
36 Matthews 29,623 29,435 +0.64% Town Mecklenburg
37 Statesville † 28,844 28,419 +1.50% City Iredell
38 Clayton 28,306 26,307 +7.60% Town Johnston, Wake
39 Thomasville 27,203 27,183 +0.07% City Davidson, Randolph
40 Asheboro † 27,124 27,156 −0.12% City Randolph
41 Kernersville 26,793 26,449 +1.30% Town Forsyth, Guilford
42 Mint Hill 26,633 26,450 +0.69% Town Mecklenburg, Union
43 Leland 25,974 22,908 +13.38% Town Brunswick
44 Shelby † 21,947 21,918 +0.13% City Cleveland
45 Waxhaw 21,673 20,534 +5.55% Town Union
46 Clemmons 21,517 21,163 +1.67% Village Forsyth
47 Carrboro 21,312 21,295 +0.08% Town Orange
48 Knightdale 19,576 19,435 +0.73% Town Wake
49 Kinston † 19,546 19,900 −1.78% City Lenoir
50 Lexington † 19,516 19,632 −0.59% City Davidson

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See also

References

  1. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: North Carolina". www.census.gov. US Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  2. ^ "North Carolina | Capital, Map, History, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
  3. ^ "North Carolina: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing" (PDF). 2010 census. United States Census Bureau. September 2012. p. 18. Retrieved August 7, 2016.


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