RANKING · 2000 CENSUS · 100 SHOWN OF 100

Most densely populated, North Carolina counties · 2000

North Carolina counties ranked by residents per square mile (2000). This list covers the 100 counties in North Carolina that qualify, ranked against each other statewide. The median across all 100 is 98.

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SAME RANKING BYCities States Metros

YEAR1990 2000 2010 2020 2025

RANKPLACESTATEPOPPOPULATION DENSITYVS 1990

01Mecklenburg County, NCNC1,233,3831,328+36%

02New Hanover County, NCNC245,959834+33%

03Durham County, NCNC347,240777+23%

04Wake County, NCNC1,257,235752+48%

05Forsyth County, NCNC401,718750+15%

06Guilford County, NCNC562,234652+21%

07Gaston County, NCNC246,558535+9%

08Cumberland County, NCNC338,473464+10%

09Cabarrus County, NCNC249,725363+32%

10Catawba County, NCNC170,172353+20%

11Buncombe County, NCNC277,417314+18%

12Alamance County, NCNC186,177309+21%

13Orange County, NCNC152,498297+26%

14Davidson County, NCNC180,182266+16%

15Rowan County, NCNC155,096255+18%

16Henderson County, NCNC122,375239+29%

17Lincoln County, NCNC98,654216+27%

18Iredell County, NCNC211,798214+32%

19Cleveland County, NCNC103,325207+14%

20Pitt County, NCNC182,936205+24%

21Wayne County, NCNC122,278205+8%

22Wilson County, NCNC81,150201+12%

23Onslow County, NCNC217,1751970%

24Union County, NCNC267,674195+47%

25Lee County, NCNC70,258192+19%

26Burke County, NCNC88,655176+18%

27Vance County, NCNC42,638170+10%

28Randolph County, NCNC149,516167+22%

29Caldwell County, NCNC81,105164+9%

30Rockingham County, NCNC94,195163+7%

31Nash County, NCNC99,365162+14%

32Johnston County, NCNC256,448154+50%

33Pasquotank County, NCNC42,201154+11%

34Harnett County, NCNC150,137153+34%

35Lenoir County, NCNC55,837149+4%

36Stanly County, NCNC68,830147+12%

37Watauga County, NCNC54,786137+16%

38Surry County, NCNC72,287134+15%

39Davie County, NCNC45,855132+25%

40Robeson County, NCNC119,941130+17%

41Craven County, NCNC105,025129+12%

42Alexander County, NCNC36,958129+22%

43Carteret County, NCNC70,469117+13%

44Scotland County, NCNC33,322113+7%

45Rutherford County, NCNC65,745111+11%

46Edgecombe County, NCNC49,121110−2%

47Yadkin County, NCNC38,325109+19%

48Moore County, NCNC110,619107+27%

49Stokes County, NCNC46,126100+20%

50Richmond County, NCNC42,04198+5%

51Haywood County, NCNC63,36998+15%

52Franklin County, NCNC82,03796+30%

53McDowell County, NCNC45,19896+18%

54Granville County, NCNC61,42191+26%

55Person County, NCNC40,63691+18%

56Wilkes County, NCNC66,23387+11%

57Hoke County, NCNC56,93986+47%

58Brunswick County, NCNC174,70286+43%

59Chowan County, NCNC14,08284+8%

60Halifax County, NCNC46,53479+3%

61Dare County, NCNC38,24578+32%

62Transylvania County, NCNC34,21178+15%

63Polk County, NCNC20,53377+27%

64Chatham County, NCNC85,11172+27%

65Greene County, NCNC20,70071+23%

66Mitchell County, NCNC15,06271+9%

67Currituck County, NCNC33,15869+32%

68Avery County, NCNC18,11069+15%

69Jackson County, NCNC45,03967+23%

70Hertford County, NCNC19,015640%

71Sampson County, NCNC61,50464+27%

72Duplin County, NCNC51,57160+23%

73Columbus County, NCNC50,48758+10%

74Macon County, NCNC39,23258+27%

75Ashe County, NCNC27,51457+10%

76Yancey County, NCNC19,08457+15%

77Martin County, NCNC21,60156+2%

78Caswell County, NCNC22,56355+14%

79Montgomery County, NCNC26,40355+15%

80Beaufort County, NCNC44,67054+6%

81Cherokee County, NCNC30,83053+20%

82Anson County, NCNC21,75848+8%

83Pender County, NCNC72,11147+42%

84Warren County, NCNC18,89847+16%

85Perquimans County, NCNC13,49046+9%

86Alleghany County, NCNC11,47945+11%

87Madison County, NCNC22,55344+16%

88Northampton County, NCNC16,49141+6%

89Clay County, NCNC12,23941+23%

90Washington County, NCNC10,63840−2%

91Pamlico County, NCNC12,75838+14%

92Bladen County, NCNC30,00737+13%

93Gates County, NCNC10,23431+13%

94Camden County, NCNC11,31529+17%

95Bertie County, NCNC17,08628−3%

96Graham County, NCNC8,19027+11%

97Swain County, NCNC14,02425+15%

98Jones County, NCNC9,57522+10%

99Tyrrell County, NCNC3,53711+8%

100Hyde County, NCNC4,55410+8%

SHOWING 1–100 OF 100

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UPDATED 2026-09-11 · DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU DECENNIAL CENSUS