STATE · ADMITTED 1789 · 2020 ACS
North Carolina
10,439,388 residents · 100 counties · 776 cities · 48,618 sq mi · 2,672 census tracts
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The short version
North Carolina is a state of 10,439,388 people. Growth has run 30% since 2000, or 2,390,075 more people. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $182,100. 8% of people here were born outside the United States. Households take in $56,642 at the median, 15% less than the US figure. 32% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Section 01
Population & growth
Land area
48,618 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
202410.7M
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.5%(574,468)
5 to 96%(625,115)
10 to 146.5%(679,932)
15 to 196.7%(700,316)
20 to 246.7%(701,089)
25 to 3413%(1,362,100)
35 to 4412.5%(1,300,738)
45 to 5412.8%(1,340,415)
55 to 6413.1%(1,365,767)
65 to 7410.4%(1,081,580)
75 to 845%(525,667)
85 and over1.7%(182,201)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$56,642
−4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $39,184 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
37.6%
+10.9 ptssince 2009
from 26.7% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Retail trade12.1%
Information11.6%
Wholesale trade7%
Other services6.7%
Public administration4.8%
Finance & insurance4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical4%
Transportation & warehousing2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.7%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.2%
Construction1.1%
Education & health services0.8%
Manufacturing0.1%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$182,100
+26%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $95,800 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
3.2
+1%since 2009
from 3.2 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic70.2%(5,647,155)
Black21.4%(1,723,301)
Hispanic / Latino4.7%(378,963)
Asian1.4%(112,416)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic60.5%(6,312,148)
Black20.2%(2,107,526)
Hispanic / Latino10.7%(1,118,596)
Asian3.3%(340,059)
Other3.9%(405,184)
No data for the years selected.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Mexican5.2%(542,666)
Central American1.5%(157,688)
Puerto Rican1.1%(112,634)
South American0.6%(67,104)
Salvadoran0.5%(53,914)
Honduran0.5%(51,251)
Guatemalan0.3%(31,590)
Dominican0.3%(29,809)
Cuban0.3%(29,804)
Colombian0.3%(27,022)
Spaniard0.1%(12,164)
Ecuadorian0.1%(10,362)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.1%(10,191)
Venezuelan0.1%(7,896)
Nicaraguan0.1%(7,402)
Panamanian0.1%(7,297)
Costa Rican0.1%(5,431)
Argentine0%(4,856)
Chilean0%(3,546)
Uruguayan0%(1,399)
Bolivian0%(985)
Paraguayan0%(350)
Asian origin
Asian Indian1%(105,712)
Chinese0.5%(47,877)
Vietnamese0.3%(34,047)
Filipino0.2%(24,828)
Korean0.2%(22,426)
Hmong0.1%(14,232)
Pakistani0.1%(8,041)
Japanese0.1%(7,792)
Nepalese0.1%(5,863)
Laotian0.1%(5,602)
Cambodian0.1%(5,454)
Burmese0%(4,831)
+ 9 more asian origin groups with data
Thai0%(4,087)
Taiwanese0%(1,898)
Bangladeshi0%(1,712)
Bhutanese0%(1,290)
Indonesian0%(1,019)
Sri Lankan0%(813)
Mongolian0%(351)
Malaysian0%(154)
Okinawan0%(88)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.1%(7,106)
Chamorro0%(3,661)
Samoan0%(1,761)
Marshallese0%(467)
Tongan0%(147)
Fijian0%(78)
Ancestry
American10.4%(1,082,461)
English9.8%(1,014,096)
German9.6%(997,739)
Irish8%(832,880)
Italian3.2%(332,786)
Scotch-Irish2.3%(242,897)
Scottish2.2%(232,425)
French1.5%(156,169)
Polish1.4%(148,746)
Subsaharan African1.3%(131,145)
Dutch0.8%(83,803)
British0.7%(69,305)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Welsh0.6%(59,716)
Swedish0.6%(57,417)
Norwegian0.5%(47,844)
West Indian0.5%(47,455)
Russian0.4%(42,461)
French Canadian0.4%(36,617)
Hungarian0.3%(29,507)
Greek0.3%(26,981)
Jamaican0.2%(20,359)
Ukrainian0.2%(19,534)
Czech0.2%(17,702)
Portuguese0.2%(17,174)
Danish0.2%(16,786)
Swiss0.2%(16,692)
Canadian0.1%(14,663)
Austrian0.1%(11,915)
Lebanese0.1%(11,140)
Lithuanian0.1%(11,128)
Nigerian0.1%(11,067)
Slovak0.1%(10,638)
Haitian0.1%(9,712)
Romanian0.1%(8,877)
Finnish0.1%(8,223)
Brazilian0.1%(8,004)
Ethiopian0.1%(7,012)
Egyptian0.1%(6,430)
Iranian0.1%(6,102)
Arab0.1%(5,773)
Belgian0.1%(5,437)
Croatian0.1%(5,331)
Turkish0%(4,598)
Moroccan0%(4,218)
Ghanaian0%(3,763)
Armenian0%(3,692)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(3,404)
Palestinian0%(3,398)
Syrian0%(2,834)
Kenyan0%(2,656)
Slovene0%(2,474)
Serbian0%(2,452)
Australian0%(2,352)
Jordanian0%(2,176)
Guyanese0%(2,033)
Bulgarian0%(1,599)
Somali0%(1,517)
Barbadian0%(1,474)
Israeli0%(1,461)
Iraqi0%(1,248)
Latvian0%(1,139)
Cape Verdean0%(592)
Macedonian0%(486)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
88.5%
+10.4 ptssince 2000
from 78.1% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
72.3%
US average: 73.3%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
90.7%
US average: 91.9%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married35.6%(1,516,822)
Married52.8%(2,253,121)
Widowed2.8%(119,764)
Divorced8.8%(376,746)
Women 15+
Never married30.4%(1,384,452)
Married48.9%(2,223,687)
Widowed8.7%(397,144)
Divorced12%(544,132)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
15.3%
US average: 13.7%
VA health care
2.9%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
67.5%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
34.6%
US average: 35.2%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)23.2%(151,733)
Gulf War (1990s)24.4%(159,695)
Vietnam era34.1%(223,229)
Korean War6.3%(41,346)
World War II2.1%(13,682)
Share of the 654,365 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Largest cities
1.Charlotte964,784
2.Raleigh506,306
3.Greensboro308,667
4.Durham305,561
5.Winston-Salem257,271
6.Fayetteville209,120
7.Cary183,582
8.Wilmington126,809
9.High Point120,571
10.Concord114,598
11.Greenville96,443
12.Asheville93,523
13.Gastonia87,067
14.Apex80,419
15.Jacksonville72,732
16.Huntersville68,535
17.Chapel Hill63,565
18.Kannapolis61,708
19.Burlington61,496
20.Wake Forest58,147
21.Mooresville55,842
22.Rocky Mount55,120
23.Holly Springs50,288
24.Wilson49,572
25.Fuquay-Varina48,536
26.Hickory45,975
27.Indian Trail44,303
28.Monroe42,644
29.Garner41,562
30.Salisbury36,879
31.Leland35,731
32.Cornelius35,094
33.Goldsboro35,012
34.New Bern34,724
35.Sanford34,138
36.Matthews32,769
37.Clayton32,633
38.Morrisville32,466
39.Statesville32,181
40.Mint Hill29,476
41.Kernersville29,128
42.Asheboro27,990
43.Thomasville27,733
44.Shelby23,309
45.Knightdale23,144
Section 03
Metropolitan & micropolitan areas
Metropolitan areas (15)
1.Charlotte2,938,830
2.Raleigh1,595,720
3.Greensboro805,945
4.Winston-Salem712,206
5.Durham625,485
6.Wilmington492,772
7.Asheville422,345
8.Fayetteville395,412
9.Hickory376,890
10.Jacksonville217,175
11.Burlington186,177
12.Greenville182,936
13.Rocky Mount148,486
14.Goldsboro122,278
15.Pinehurst110,619
Micropolitan areas (23)
1.Anderson Creek150,137
2.New Bern127,358
3.Lumberton119,941
4.Shelby103,325
5.Wilson81,150
6.Mount Airy72,287
7.Morehead City70,469
8.Sanford70,258
9.Albemarle68,830
10.North Wilkesboro66,233
11.Forest City65,745
12.Waynesville63,369
13.Roanoke Rapids63,025
14.Kinston55,837
15.Boone54,786
16.Marion45,198
17.Washington44,670
18.Henderson42,638
19.Elizabeth City42,201
20.Rockingham42,041
21.Kill Devil Hills38,245
22.Brevard34,211
23.Laurinburg33,322
Metropolitan areas are built around an urban core of 50,000 or more people; micropolitan areas around a core of 10,000 to 50,000. A statistical area can cross state lines, so each is listed under its primary state.
Frequently asked
How many people live in North Carolina?
North Carolina has about 10,439,388 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in North Carolina?
The typical household in North Carolina earns about $56,642 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is North Carolina expensive?
In North Carolina, the median home is worth about $182,100, and the typical rent is about $932 a month.
How educated are people in North Carolina?
About 32.0% of adults age 25 and over in North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in North Carolina?
About 14.0% of people in North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.
Has North Carolina grown since 1990?
Yes, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 3,810,751 residents, a change of about 57 percent over that period.
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