Counties in North Carolina by average household size

Union County had the highest average household size of 100 counties in 2021, at 3 persons per household. Tyrrell County had the lowest, at 1.9 persons per household. The median was 2.5 persons per household and the figure for North Carolina was 2.5 persons per household. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest3Union County
Median2.5100 counties
North Carolina2.5History

Map of counties, 2021

Alamance County: 2.5 persons per householdAlexander County: 2.6 persons per householdAlleghany County: 2.3 persons per householdAnson County: 2.5 persons per householdAshe County: 2.2 persons per householdAvery County: 2.3 persons per householdBeaufort County: 2.4 persons per householdBertie County: 2.3 persons per householdBladen County: 2.6 persons per householdBrunswick County: 2.3 persons per householdBuncombe County: 2.5 persons per householdBurke County: 2.5 persons per householdCabarrus County: 2.9 persons per householdCaldwell County: 2.5 persons per householdCamden County: 2.7 persons per householdCarteret County: 2.2 persons per householdCaswell County: 2.5 persons per householdCatawba County: 2.5 persons per householdChatham County: 2.5 persons per householdCherokee County: 2.3 persons per householdChowan County: 2.2 persons per householdClay County: 2.1 persons per householdCleveland County: 2.7 persons per householdColumbus County: 2.5 persons per householdCraven County: 2.4 persons per householdCumberland County: 2.5 persons per householdCurrituck County: 2.6 persons per householdDare County: 2.3 persons per householdDavidson County: 2.5 persons per householdDavie County: 2.6 persons per householdDuplin County: 2.5 persons per householdDurham County: 2.3 persons per householdEdgecombe County: 2.5 persons per householdForsyth County: 2.5 persons per householdFranklin County: 2.6 persons per householdGaston County: 2.5 persons per householdGates County: 2.6 persons per householdGraham County: 2.5 persons per householdGranville County: 2.7 persons per householdGreene County: 2.7 persons per householdGuilford County: 2.5 persons per householdHalifax County: 2.4 persons per householdHarnett County: 2.8 persons per householdHaywood County: 2.3 persons per householdHenderson County: 2.4 persons per householdHertford County: 2.4 persons per householdHoke County: 2.9 persons per householdHyde County: 2.1 persons per householdIredell County: 2.6 persons per householdJackson County: 2.3 persons per householdJohnston County: 2.8 persons per householdJones County: 2.4 persons per householdLee County: 2.6 persons per householdLenoir County: 2.4 persons per householdLincoln County: 2.5 persons per householdMcDowell County: 2.4 persons per householdMacon County: 2.1 persons per householdMadison County: 2.5 persons per householdMartin County: 2.4 persons per householdMecklenburg County: 2.5 persons per householdMitchell County: 2.3 persons per householdMontgomery County: 2.7 persons per householdMoore County: 2.4 persons per householdNash County: 2.5 persons per householdNew Hanover County: 2.2 persons per householdNorthampton County: 2.3 persons per householdOnslow County: 2.6 persons per householdOrange County: 2.5 persons per householdPamlico County: 2.3 persons per householdPasquotank County: 2.5 persons per householdPender County: 2.6 persons per householdPerquimans County: 2.3 persons per householdPerson County: 2.4 persons per householdPitt County: 2.3 persons per householdPolk County: 2.2 persons per householdRandolph County: 2.6 persons per householdRichmond County: 2.6 persons per householdRobeson County: 2.7 persons per householdRockingham County: 2.4 persons per householdRowan County: 2.6 persons per householdRutherford County: 2.5 persons per householdSampson County: 2.8 persons per householdScotland County: 2.7 persons per householdStanly County: 2.5 persons per householdStokes County: 2.4 persons per householdSurry County: 2.5 persons per householdSwain County: 2.5 persons per householdTransylvania County: 2.3 persons per householdTyrrell County: 1.9 persons per householdUnion County: 3 persons per householdVance County: 2.6 persons per householdWake County: 2.6 persons per householdWarren County: 2.3 persons per householdWashington County: 2.2 persons per householdWatauga County: 2.3 persons per householdWayne County: 2.5 persons per householdWilkes County: 2.4 persons per householdWilson County: 2.4 persons per householdYadkin County: 2.5 persons per householdYancey County: 2.4 persons per household
  • Under 2.3
  • 2.3 to 2.4
  • 2.4 to 2.5
  • 2.5 to 2.6
  • 2.6 and over
persons per household, 2021. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25010: average household size of occupied housing units. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2021

Union County: 3 persons per householdUnion County3Cabarrus County: 2.9 persons per householdCabarrus County2.9Hoke County: 2.9 persons per householdHoke County2.9Harnett County: 2.8 persons per householdHarnett County2.8Johnston County: 2.8 persons per householdJohnston County2.8Sampson County: 2.8 persons per householdSampson County2.8Montgomery County: 2.7 persons per householdMontgomery County2.7Robeson County: 2.7 persons per householdRobeson County2.7Camden County: 2.7 persons per householdCamden County2.7Granville County: 2.7 persons per householdGranville County2.7Greene County: 2.7 persons per householdGreene County2.7Cleveland County: 2.7 persons per householdCleveland County2.7Scotland County: 2.7 persons per householdScotland County2.7Vance County: 2.6 persons per householdVance County2.6Alexander County: 2.6 persons per householdAlexander County2.6Onslow County: 2.6 persons per householdOnslow County2.6Franklin County: 2.6 persons per householdFranklin County2.6Lee County: 2.6 persons per householdLee County2.6Pender County: 2.6 persons per householdPender County2.6Davie County: 2.6 persons per householdDavie County2.6Iredell County: 2.6 persons per householdIredell County2.6Wake County: 2.6 persons per householdWake County2.6Bladen County: 2.6 persons per householdBladen County2.6Richmond County: 2.6 persons per householdRichmond County2.6Currituck County: 2.6 persons per householdCurrituck County2.6Randolph County: 2.6 persons per householdRandolph County2.6Gates County: 2.6 persons per householdGates County2.6Rowan County: 2.6 persons per householdRowan County2.6Columbus County: 2.5 persons per householdColumbus County2.5Cumberland County: 2.5 persons per householdCumberland County2.5Edgecombe County: 2.5 persons per householdEdgecombe County2.5Graham County: 2.5 persons per householdGraham County2.5Stanly County: 2.5 persons per householdStanly County2.5Swain County: 2.5 persons per householdSwain County2.5Buncombe County: 2.5 persons per householdBuncombe County2.5Caswell County: 2.5 persons per householdCaswell County2.5Gaston County: 2.5 persons per householdGaston County2.5Pasquotank County: 2.5 persons per householdPasquotank County2.5Caldwell County: 2.5 persons per householdCaldwell County2.5Lincoln County: 2.5 persons per householdLincoln County2.5Union County: 3 persons per householdUnion County3Cabarrus County: 2.9 persons per householdCabarrus County2.9Hoke County: 2.9 persons per householdHoke County2.9Harnett County: 2.8 persons per householdHarnett County2.8Johnston County: 2.8 persons per householdJohnston County2.8Sampson County: 2.8 persons per householdSampson County2.8Montgomery County: 2.7 persons per householdMontgomery County2.7Robeson County: 2.7 persons per householdRobeson County2.7Camden County: 2.7 persons per householdCamden County2.7Granville County: 2.7 persons per householdGranville County2.7Greene County: 2.7 persons per householdGreene County2.7Cleveland County: 2.7 persons per householdCleveland County2.7Scotland County: 2.7 persons per householdScotland County2.7Vance County: 2.6 persons per householdVance County2.6Alexander County: 2.6 persons per householdAlexander County2.6Onslow County: 2.6 persons per householdOnslow County2.6Franklin County: 2.6 persons per householdFranklin County2.6Lee County: 2.6 persons per householdLee County2.6Pender County: 2.6 persons per householdPender County2.6Davie County: 2.6 persons per householdDavie County2.6Iredell County: 2.6 persons per householdIredell County2.6Wake County: 2.6 persons per householdWake County2.6Bladen County: 2.6 persons per householdBladen County2.6Richmond County: 2.6 persons per householdRichmond County2.6Currituck County: 2.6 persons per householdCurrituck County2.6Randolph County: 2.6 persons per householdRandolph County2.6Gates County: 2.6 persons per householdGates County2.6Rowan County: 2.6 persons per householdRowan County2.6Columbus County: 2.5 persons per householdColumbus County2.5Cumberland County: 2.5 persons per householdCumberland County2.5Edgecombe County: 2.5 persons per householdEdgecombe County2.5Graham County: 2.5 persons per householdGraham County2.5Stanly County: 2.5 persons per householdStanly County2.5Swain County: 2.5 persons per householdSwain County2.5Buncombe County: 2.5 persons per householdBuncombe County2.5Caswell County: 2.5 persons per householdCaswell County2.5Gaston County: 2.5 persons per householdGaston County2.5Pasquotank County: 2.5 persons per householdPasquotank County2.5Caldwell County: 2.5 persons per householdCaldwell County2.5Lincoln County: 2.5 persons per householdLincoln County2.5
persons per household. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25010: average household size of occupied housing units. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021
persons per household
1Union County3
2Cabarrus County2.9
3Hoke County2.9
4Harnett County2.8
4Johnston County2.8
6Sampson County2.8
7Montgomery County2.7
8Robeson County2.7
9Camden County2.7
9Granville County2.7
11Greene County2.7
12Cleveland County2.7
12Scotland County2.7
14Vance County2.6
15Alexander County2.6
15Onslow County2.6
17Franklin County2.6
17Lee County2.6
17Pender County2.6
20Davie County2.6
20Iredell County2.6
20Wake County2.6
23Bladen County2.6
23Richmond County2.6
25Currituck County2.6
26Randolph County2.6
27Gates County2.6
27Rowan County2.6
29Columbus County2.5
29Cumberland County2.5
29Edgecombe County2.5
29Graham County2.5
29Stanly County2.5
34Swain County2.5
35Buncombe County2.5
35Caswell County2.5
35Gaston County2.5
35Pasquotank County2.5
39Caldwell County2.5
39Lincoln County2.5
41Mecklenburg County2.5
42Alamance County2.5
42Anson County2.5
42Duplin County2.5
42Yadkin County2.5
46Burke County2.5
46Catawba County2.5
46Davidson County2.5
46Nash County2.5
50Chatham County2.5
50Orange County2.5
50Surry County2.5
53Forsyth County2.5
53Guilford County2.5
53Wayne County2.5
56Madison County2.5
56Rutherford County2.5
58Jones County2.4
59Person County2.4
59Wilson County2.4
61Halifax County2.4
62Hertford County2.4
62Moore County2.4
62Wilkes County2.4
65Beaufort County2.4
65Martin County2.4
65McDowell County2.4
65Yancey County2.4
69Craven County2.4
69Lenoir County2.4
71Henderson County2.4
71Rockingham County2.4
73Stokes County2.4
74Warren County2.3
75Bertie County2.3
75Jackson County2.3
75Northampton County2.3
78Haywood County2.3
78Watauga County2.3
80Dare County2.3
81Brunswick County2.3
81Durham County2.3
81Pitt County2.3
84Avery County2.3
85Cherokee County2.3
85Mitchell County2.3
87Alleghany County2.3
87Pamlico County2.3
89Perquimans County2.3
89Transylvania County2.3
91Ashe County2.2
91Washington County2.2
93New Hanover County2.2
93Polk County2.2
95Carteret County2.2
96Chowan County2.2
97Clay County2.1
98Hyde County2.1
98Macon County2.1
100Tyrrell County1.9

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of persons per private household. EU countries: EU-SILC. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate of people in households divided by occupied housing units, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Covers private households only; people living in institutions or other group quarters are excluded. EU-SILC figures refer to the survey year. The EU and US surveys differ, so their figures are not strictly comparable.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25010: average household size of occupied housing units. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25010.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25010: average household size of occupied housing units (Counties in North Carolina by average household size, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25010.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25010: average household size of occupied housing units, Counties in North Carolina by average household size, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25010.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-household-size/north-carolina-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25010: average household size of occupied housing units. Counties in North Carolina by average household size, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25010.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-household-size/north-carolina-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25010: average household size of occupied housing units, Counties in North Carolina by average household size, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25010.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-household-size/north-carolina-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25010: average household size of occupied housing units: Counties in North Carolina by average household size, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25010.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-household-size/north-carolina-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25010: average household size of occupied housing units. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25010.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25010: average household size of occupied housing units: Counties in North Carolina by average household size, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25010.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-household-size/north-carolina-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-household-size/north-carolina-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25010: average household size of occupied housing units. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25010.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest average household size?

Union County, with 3 persons per household in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest average household size?

Tyrrell County, with 1.9 persons per household in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25010: average household size of occupied housing units. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Average household size: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings