Data / Rankings / Foreign-born population share / Cities in North Carolina

Cities in North Carolina by foreign-born share of the population

Morrisville, NC had the highest foreign-born share of the population of 93 cities in 2023, at 35.3%. Reidsville, NC had the lowest, at 2.3%. The median was 7.8% and the figure for North Carolina was 8.7%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest35.3Morrisville, NC
Lowest2.3Reidsville, NC
Median7.893 cities
North Carolina8.7History

Top 40 cities, 2023

Morrisville, NC: 35.3 %Morrisville, NC35.3Cary, NC: 23.7 %Cary, NC23.7Charlotte, NC: 18.1 %Charlotte, NC18.1Monroe, NC: 17.8 %Monroe, NC17.8Zebulon, NC: 17.6 %Zebulon, NC17.6Pineville, NC: 17.4 %Pineville, NC17.4Apex, NC: 17.3 %Apex, NC17.3Waxhaw, NC: 16.3 %Waxhaw, NC16.3Harrisburg, NC: 15.8 %Harrisburg, NC15.8Carrboro, NC: 15.3 %Carrboro, NC15.3Durham, NC: 15.3 %Durham, NC15.3Chapel Hill, NC: 14.9 %Chapel Hill, NC14.9Sanford, NC: 14.5 %Sanford, NC14.5High Point, NC: 14.2 %High Point, NC14.2Weddington, NC: 13.9 %Weddington, NC13.9Matthews, NC: 13.9 %Matthews, NC13.9Mint Hill, NC: 13.6 %Mint Hill, NC13.6Raleigh, NC: 13.6 %Raleigh, NC13.6Graham, NC: 13.6 %Graham, NC13.6Lexington, NC: 12.8 %Lexington, NC12.8Greensboro, NC: 12.7 %Greensboro, NC12.7Indian Trail, NC: 12.7 %Indian Trail, NC12.7Concord, NC: 12.5 %Concord, NC12.5Burlington, NC: 12.4 %Burlington, NC12.4Morganton, NC: 12.4 %Morganton, NC12.4Knightdale, NC: 12 %Knightdale, NC12Asheboro, NC: 11.4 %Asheboro, NC11.4Statesville, NC: 11.4 %Statesville, NC11.4Winston-Salem, NC: 10.7 %Winston-Salem, NC10.7Stallings, NC: 10.5 %Stallings, NC10.5Wendell, NC: 10.4 %Wendell, NC10.4Newton, NC: 10.3 %Newton, NC10.3Huntersville, NC: 9.9 %Huntersville, NC9.9Summerfield, NC: 9.9 %Summerfield, NC9.9Holly Springs, NC: 9.8 %Holly Springs, NC9.8Clayton, NC: 9.5 %Clayton, NC9.5Thomasville, NC: 9.4 %Thomasville, NC9.4Mebane, NC: 9.3 %Mebane, NC9.3Rolesville, NC: 9.2 %Rolesville, NC9.2Hickory, NC: 9 %Hickory, NC9Morrisville, NC: 35.3 %Morrisville, NC35.3Cary, NC: 23.7 %Cary, NC23.7Charlotte, NC: 18.1 %Charlotte, NC18.1Monroe, NC: 17.8 %Monroe, NC17.8Zebulon, NC: 17.6 %Zebulon, NC17.6Pineville, NC: 17.4 %Pineville, NC17.4Apex, NC: 17.3 %Apex, NC17.3Waxhaw, NC: 16.3 %Waxhaw, NC16.3Harrisburg, NC: 15.8 %Harrisburg, NC15.8Carrboro, NC: 15.3 %Carrboro, NC15.3Durham, NC: 15.3 %Durham, NC15.3Chapel Hill, NC: 14.9 %Chapel Hill, NC14.9Sanford, NC: 14.5 %Sanford, NC14.5High Point, NC: 14.2 %High Point, NC14.2Weddington, NC: 13.9 %Weddington, NC13.9Matthews, NC: 13.9 %Matthews, NC13.9Mint Hill, NC: 13.6 %Mint Hill, NC13.6Raleigh, NC: 13.6 %Raleigh, NC13.6Graham, NC: 13.6 %Graham, NC13.6Lexington, NC: 12.8 %Lexington, NC12.8Greensboro, NC: 12.7 %Greensboro, NC12.7Indian Trail, NC: 12.7 %Indian Trail, NC12.7Concord, NC: 12.5 %Concord, NC12.5Burlington, NC: 12.4 %Burlington, NC12.4Morganton, NC: 12.4 %Morganton, NC12.4Knightdale, NC: 12 %Knightdale, NC12Asheboro, NC: 11.4 %Asheboro, NC11.4Statesville, NC: 11.4 %Statesville, NC11.4Winston-Salem, NC: 10.7 %Winston-Salem, NC10.7Stallings, NC: 10.5 %Stallings, NC10.5Wendell, NC: 10.4 %Wendell, NC10.4Newton, NC: 10.3 %Newton, NC10.3Huntersville, NC: 9.9 %Huntersville, NC9.9Summerfield, NC: 9.9 %Summerfield, NC9.9Holly Springs, NC: 9.8 %Holly Springs, NC9.8Clayton, NC: 9.5 %Clayton, NC9.5Thomasville, NC: 9.4 %Thomasville, NC9.4Mebane, NC: 9.3 %Mebane, NC9.3Rolesville, NC: 9.2 %Rolesville, NC9.2Hickory, NC: 9 %Hickory, NC9
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Morrisville, NC35.3+0.3 pts
2Cary, NC23.7+0.9 pts
3Charlotte, NC18.1+0.7 pts
4Monroe, NC17.8+1.2 pts
5Zebulon, NC17.6+0.4 pts
6Pineville, NC17.4+1.9 pts
7Apex, NC17.3+1.5 pts
8Waxhaw, NC16.3+2.9 pts
9Harrisburg, NC15.8+2.5 pts
10Carrboro, NC15.3+0.9 pts
11Durham, NC15.3+0.5 pts
12Chapel Hill, NC14.9-1.1 pts
13Sanford, NC14.5+0.2 pts
14High Point, NC14.2+1.5 pts
15Weddington, NC13.9-0.7 pts
16Matthews, NC13.9+1.4 pts
17Mint Hill, NC13.6+3 pts
18Raleigh, NC13.6+0.6 pts
19Graham, NC13.6+3.7 pts
20Lexington, NC12.8+1.9 pts
21Greensboro, NC12.7+0.4 pts
22Indian Trail, NC12.7+0.7 pts
23Concord, NC12.5+1.3 pts
24Burlington, NC12.4+0.6 pts
25Morganton, NC12.4+2.4 pts
26Knightdale, NC12+2.5 pts
27Asheboro, NC11.4-0.8 pts
28Statesville, NC11.4+1.7 pts
29Winston-Salem, NC10.7+0.3 pts
30Stallings, NC10.5+1 pts
31Wendell, NC10.4+3.4 pts
32Newton, NC10.3+1.4 pts
33Huntersville, NC9.9+0.5 pts
34Summerfield, NC9.9+2.6 pts
35Holly Springs, NC9.80 pts
36Clayton, NC9.5+0.2 pts
37Thomasville, NC9.4+0.7 pts
38Mebane, NC9.3+1.8 pts
39Rolesville, NC9.2+2.8 pts
40Hickory, NC90 pts
41Lincolnton, NC8.8+1 pts
42Mooresville, NC8.8-0.7 pts
43Smithfield, NC8.8-0.2 pts
44Clemmons, NC8.5-0.8 pts
45Cornelius, NC8.5-0.3 pts
46Garner, NC8+0.1 pts
47Wake Forest, NC7.8+0.8 pts
48Asheville, NC7.70 pts
49Fayetteville, NC7.6-0.2 pts
50Lumberton, NC7.6+0.4 pts
51Kannapolis, NC7.6+0.7 pts
52Lenoir, NC7.5+2.1 pts
53Gastonia, NC7.4+0.8 pts
54Hope Mills, NC7.1+0.3 pts
55Spring Lake, NC7.1+0.6 pts
56Fuquay-Varina, NC6.9+0.5 pts
57Winterville, NC6.8+0.8 pts
58Albemarle, NC6.6+1.8 pts
59Kernersville, NC6.4+0.2 pts
60Hendersonville, NC6.4+1.6 pts
61Salisbury, NC6.4+0.7 pts
62Henderson, NC6.1-0.3 pts
62Wilson, NC6.1-0.1 pts
64Jacksonville, NC6+0.4 pts
65Archdale, NC5.9-0.4 pts
66Mount Holly, NC5.9-0.1 pts
67Wilmington, NC5.7+0.7 pts
68New Bern, NC5.40 pts
69Waynesville, NC5.3+1.6 pts
70Belmont, NC5.3+0.3 pts
71Mount Airy, NC5+0.9 pts
72Boone, NC5+1.7 pts
73Davidson, NC4.9-0.9 pts
74Aberdeen, NC4.9-0.5 pts
75Leland, NC4.8+0.7 pts
76Southern Pines, NC4.8-0.4 pts
77Greenville, NC4.70 pts
78Kings Mountain, NC4.7+1.7 pts
79Pinehurst, NC4.6-0.5 pts
80Laurinburg, NC4.3+1 pts
81Morehead City, NC4.3+0.8 pts
82Havelock, NC4.1-0.2 pts
83Goldsboro, NC4-0.5 pts
84Roanoke Rapids, NC3.80 pts
85Tarboro, NC3.7+0.2 pts
86Kinston, NC3.7+0.1 pts
87Lewisville, NC3.6+1 pts
88Elon, NC3.6-0.4 pts
89Elizabeth City, NC3.5+0.3 pts
90Rocky Mount, NC3.2+0.2 pts
91Eden, NC3.1-0.1 pts
92Shelby, NC2.9-0.4 pts
93Reidsville, NC2.3-1.3 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People born outside the country where they live, as a percentage of the total population.

More on how it is measured
  • United States: people who were not US citizens at birth, including naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, temporary migrants and unauthorized immigrants; American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.
  • EU countries: residents on 1 January whose country of birth is not the reporting country (Eurostat).
  • England and Wales: usual residents born outside the United Kingdom, Census 2021.

Based on place of birth, not nationality: a naturalized citizen counts as foreign born. In the United States people born in Puerto Rico, the US island areas or abroad to American parents count as native; in the EU everyone born outside the reporting country counts as foreign born, including people born in another EU country or abroad to national parents. Not comparable with foreign_population_share, which counts foreign nationals in Spain and the EU.

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

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b05002.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 B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in North Carolina by foreign-born share of the population, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b05002.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in North Carolina by foreign-born share of the population, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b05002.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/north-carolina-cities?period=2023. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in North Carolina by foreign-born share of the population, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b05002.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/north-carolina-cities?period=2023.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in North Carolina by foreign-born share of the population, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b05002.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/north-carolina-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_north_carolina_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in North Carolina by foreign-born share of the population, 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b05002.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/north-carolina-cities?period=2023. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b05002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in North Carolina by foreign-born share of the population, 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b05002.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/north-carolina-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/north-carolina-cities?period=2023.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b05002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Cities in North Carolina by foreign-born share of the population using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"foreign_born_share","level":"municipality","within":"North Carolina","limit":10}
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Questions

Which city has the highest foreign-born share of the population?

Morrisville, NC, with 35.3% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest foreign-born share of the population?

Reidsville, NC, with 2.3% in 2023.

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 B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Foreign-born population share: other rankings

Cities in North Carolina: more rankings