First look at 2020 census in North Carolina

Published August 19, 2021

By Rebecca Tippett

Population Growth & Change
Between 2010 and 2020, North Carolina’s population grew from 9,535,483 to 10,439,483, an increase of 903,905 or 9.5%. Over this same period, 51 North Carolina counties lost population (for a total combined loss of 147,224) and 49 counties gained population (a total combined gain of 1,051,129).

What are the most populous counties in North Carolina?
Wake County officially surpassed Mecklenburg to become the most populous county in North Carolina. Otherwise, the five largest counties in North Carolina in 2020 were also the five largest in 2010:

*    Wake: 1,129,410
*    Mecklenburg: 1,115,482
*    Guilford: 541,299
*    Forsyth: 382,590
*    Cumberland: 334,728

Both Wake and Mecklenburg are more than twice as populous as Guilford, the state’s third largest county. Wake, Mecklenburg, and Guilford grew faster than the state over the decade while Forsyth and Cumberland grew more slowly.

What are the least populous counties in North Carolina?
Tyrrell County remains the least populous county in North Carolina and five smallest counties are the same as in 2010, with some shuffling between Jones and Camden:

*    Tyrrell: 3,245
*    Hyde: 4,589
*    Graham: 8,030
*    Jones: 9,172
*    Camden: 10,355

Camden County was the only one of these counties to grow over the decade (3.8%). The other four counties had large population losses.

Note: Small populations can limit the amount of data available to communities. With populations under 5,000 residents, the U.S. Census Bureau will not publish American Community Survey comparison profiles for Tyrrell and Hyde.

Name 2010 Population 2020 Population Numeric Change Growth Rate (%)
North Carolina 9,535,483 10,439,388 903,905 9%
Alamance 151,131 171,415 20,284 13%
Alexander 37,198 36,444 −754 −2%
Alleghany 11,155 10,888 −267 −2%
Anson 26,948 22,055 −4,893 −18%
Ashe 27,281 26,577 −704 −3%
Avery 17,797 17,806 9 0%
Beaufort 47,759 44,652 −3,107 −7%
Bertie 21,282 17,934 −3,348 −16%
Bladen 35,190 29,606 −5,584 −16%
Brunswick 107,431 136,693 29,262 27%
Buncombe 238,318 269,452 31,134 13%
Burke 90,912 87,570 −3,342 −4%
Cabarrus 178,011 225,804 47,793 27%
Caldwell 83,029 80,652 −2,377 −3%
Camden 9,980 10,355 375 4%
Carteret 66,469 67,686 1,217 2%
Caswell 23,719 22,736 −983 −4%
Catawba 154,358 160,610 6,252 4%
Chatham 63,505 76,285 12,780 20%
Cherokee 27,444 28,774 1,330 5%
Chowan 14,793 13,708 −1,085 −7%
Clay 10,587 11,089 502 5%
Cleveland 98,078 99,519 1,441 1%
Columbus 58,098 50,623 −7,475 −13%
Craven 103,505 100,720 −2,785 −3%
Cumberland 319,431 334,728 15,297 5%
Currituck 23,547 28,100 4,553 19%
Dare 33,920 36,915 2,995 9%
Davidson 162,878 168,930 6,052 4%
Davie 41,240 42,712 1,472 4%
Duplin 58,505 48,715 −9,790 −17%
Durham 267,587 324,833 57,246 21%
Edgecombe 56,552 48,900 −7,652 −14%
Forsyth 350,670 382,590 31,920 9%
Franklin 60,619 68,573 7,954 13%
Gaston 206,086 227,943 21,857 11%
Gates 12,197 10,478 −1,719 −14%
Graham 8,861 8,030 −831 −9%
Granville 59,916 60,992 1,076 2%
Greene 21,362 20,451 −911 −4%
Guilford 488,406 541,299 52,893 11%
Halifax 54,691 48,622 −6,069 −11%
Harnett 114,678 133,568 18,890 16%
Haywood 59,036 62,089 3,053 5%
Henderson 106,740 116,281 9,541 9%
Hertford 24,669 21,552 −3,117 −13%
Hoke 46,952 52,082 5,130 11%
Hyde 5,810 4,589 −1,221 −21%
Iredell 159,437 186,693 27,256 17%
Jackson 40,271 43,109 2,838 7%
Johnston 168,878 215,999 47,121 28%
Jones 10,153 9,172 −981 −10%
Lee 57,866 63,285 5,419 9%
Lenoir 59,495 55,122 −4,373 −7%
Lincoln 78,265 86,810 8,545 11%
McDowell 44,996 44,578 −418 −1%
Macon 33,922 37,014 3,092 9%
Madison 20,764 21,193 429 2%
Martin 24,505 22,031 −2,474 −10%
Mecklenburg 919,628 1,115,482 195,854 21%
Mitchell 15,579 14,903 −676 −4%
Montgomery 27,798 25,751 −2,047 −7%
Moore 88,247 99,727 11,480 13%
Nash 95,840 94,970 −870 −1%
New Hanover 202,667 225,702 23,035 11%
Northampton 22,099 17,471 −4,628 −21%
Onslow 177,772 204,576 26,804 15%
Orange 133,801 148,696 14,895 11%
Pamlico 13,144 12,276 −868 −7%
Pasquotank 40,661 40,568 −93 −0%
Pender 52,217 60,203 7,986 15%
Perquimans 13,453 13,005 −448 −3%
Person 39,464 39,097 −367 −1%
Pitt 168,148 170,243 2,095 1%
Polk 20,510 19,328 −1,182 −6%
Randolph 141,752 144,171 2,419 2%
Richmond 46,639 42,946 −3,693 −8%
Robeson 134,168 116,530 −17,638 −13%
Rockingham 93,643 91,096 −2,547 −3%
Rowan 138,428 146,875 8,447 6%
Rutherford 67,810 64,444 −3,366 −5%
Sampson 63,431 59,036 −4,395 −7%
Scotland 36,157 34,174 −1,983 −5%
Stanly 60,585 62,504 1,919 3%
Stokes 47,401 44,520 −2,881 −6%
Surry 73,673 71,359 −2,314 −3%
Swain 13,981 14,117 136 1%
Transylvania 33,090 32,986 −104 −0%
Tyrrell 4,407 3,245 −1,162 −26%
Union 201,292 238,267 36,975 18%
Vance 45,422 42,578 −2,844 −6%
Wake 900,993 1,129,410 228,417 25%
Warren 20,972 18,642 −2,330 −11%
Washington 13,228 11,003 −2,225 −17%
Watauga 51,079 54,086 3,007 6%
Wayne 122,623 117,333 −5,290 −4%
Wilkes 69,340 65,969 −3,371 −5%
Wilson 81,234 78,784 −2,450 −3%
Yadkin 38,406 37,214 −1,192 −3%
Yancey 17,818 18,470 652 4%
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