Data / Rankings / Households / Counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina by households, 2024

Mecklenburg County had the highest households of 100 counties in 2024, at 466,527. Tyrrell County had the lowest, at 1,547. The median was 20,585 and the figure for North Carolina was 4.28 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest466,527Mecklenburg County
Lowest1,547Tyrrell County
Median20,585100 counties
North Carolina4,282,345History

Map of counties, 2024

Alamance County: 70,062 countAlexander County: 14,126 countAlleghany County: 5,177 countAnson County: 8,548 countAshe County: 12,201 countAvery County: 6,791 countBeaufort County: 19,385 countBertie County: 7,143 countBladen County: 11,824 countBrunswick County: 69,124 countBuncombe County: 101,855 countBurke County: 36,306 countCabarrus County: 84,246 countCaldwell County: 32,919 countCamden County: 4,011 countCarteret County: 31,977 countCaswell County: 8,830 countCatawba County: 66,227 countChatham County: 33,004 countCherokee County: 13,241 countChowan County: 6,134 countClay County: 5,081 countCleveland County: 38,850 countColumbus County: 20,048 countCraven County: 42,871 countCumberland County: 129,758 countCurrituck County: 11,845 countDare County: 16,836 countDavidson County: 69,846 countDavie County: 17,270 countDuplin County: 20,787 countDurham County: 141,847 countEdgecombe County: 19,652 countForsyth County: 159,925 countFranklin County: 28,529 countGaston County: 93,576 countGates County: 4,192 countGraham County: 3,524 countGranville County: 22,474 countGreene County: 6,912 countGuilford County: 219,718 countHalifax County: 20,383 countHarnett County: 49,845 countHaywood County: 27,123 countHenderson County: 51,067 countHertford County: 8,285 countHoke County: 19,258 countHyde County: 1,939 countIredell County: 76,344 countJackson County: 18,430 countJohnston County: 85,591 countJones County: 4,125 countLee County: 25,145 countLenoir County: 23,351 countLincoln County: 36,811 countMcDowell County: 18,638 countMacon County: 18,406 countMadison County: 8,342 countMartin County: 9,502 countMecklenburg County: 466,527 countMitchell County: 6,587 countMontgomery County: 10,643 countMoore County: 44,013 countNash County: 38,797 countNew Hanover County: 104,856 countNorthampton County: 7,857 countOnslow County: 75,265 countOrange County: 57,342 countPamlico County: 5,456 countPasquotank County: 15,785 countPender County: 25,291 countPerquimans County: 5,614 countPerson County: 16,063 countPitt County: 74,533 countPolk County: 8,976 countRandolph County: 57,721 countRichmond County: 17,026 countRobeson County: 43,134 countRockingham County: 39,606 countRowan County: 58,899 countRutherford County: 26,642 countSampson County: 21,607 countScotland County: 12,580 countStanly County: 25,240 countStokes County: 19,546 countSurry County: 29,869 countSwain County: 6,013 countTransylvania County: 14,584 countTyrrell County: 1,547 countUnion County: 84,237 countVance County: 16,147 countWake County: 460,175 countWarren County: 8,147 countWashington County: 4,744 countWatauga County: 21,198 countWayne County: 47,507 countWilkes County: 27,107 countWilson County: 33,068 countYadkin County: 15,009 countYancey County: 8,130 count
  • Under 8,000
  • 8,000 to 15K
  • 15K to 21K
  • 21K to 33K
  • 33K to 69K
  • 69K and over
count, 2024. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households). Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2024

Mecklenburg County: 466,527 countMecklenburg County466,527Wake County: 460,175 countWake County460,175Guilford County: 219,718 countGuilford County219,718Forsyth County: 159,925 countForsyth County159,925Durham County: 141,847 countDurham County141,847Cumberland County: 129,758 countCumberland County129,758New Hanover County: 104,856 countNew Hanover County104,856Buncombe County: 101,855 countBuncombe County101,855Gaston County: 93,576 countGaston County93,576Johnston County: 85,591 countJohnston County85,591Cabarrus County: 84,246 countCabarrus County84,246Union County: 84,237 countUnion County84,237Iredell County: 76,344 countIredell County76,344Onslow County: 75,265 countOnslow County75,265Pitt County: 74,533 countPitt County74,533Alamance County: 70,062 countAlamance County70,062Davidson County: 69,846 countDavidson County69,846Brunswick County: 69,124 countBrunswick County69,124Catawba County: 66,227 countCatawba County66,227Rowan County: 58,899 countRowan County58,899Randolph County: 57,721 countRandolph County57,721Orange County: 57,342 countOrange County57,342Henderson County: 51,067 countHenderson County51,067Harnett County: 49,845 countHarnett County49,845Wayne County: 47,507 countWayne County47,507Moore County: 44,013 countMoore County44,013Robeson County: 43,134 countRobeson County43,134Craven County: 42,871 countCraven County42,871Rockingham County: 39,606 countRockingham County39,606Cleveland County: 38,850 countCleveland County38,850Nash County: 38,797 countNash County38,797Lincoln County: 36,811 countLincoln County36,811Burke County: 36,306 countBurke County36,306Wilson County: 33,068 countWilson County33,068Chatham County: 33,004 countChatham County33,004Caldwell County: 32,919 countCaldwell County32,919Carteret County: 31,977 countCarteret County31,977Surry County: 29,869 countSurry County29,869Franklin County: 28,529 countFranklin County28,529Haywood County: 27,123 countHaywood County27,123Mecklenburg County: 466,527 countMecklenburg County466,527Wake County: 460,175 countWake County460,175Guilford County: 219,718 countGuilford County219,718Forsyth County: 159,925 countForsyth County159,925Durham County: 141,847 countDurham County141,847Cumberland County: 129,758 countCumberland County129,758New Hanover County: 104,856 countNew Hanover County104,856Buncombe County: 101,855 countBuncombe County101,855Gaston County: 93,576 countGaston County93,576Johnston County: 85,591 countJohnston County85,591Cabarrus County: 84,246 countCabarrus County84,246Union County: 84,237 countUnion County84,237Iredell County: 76,344 countIredell County76,344Onslow County: 75,265 countOnslow County75,265Pitt County: 74,533 countPitt County74,533Alamance County: 70,062 countAlamance County70,062Davidson County: 69,846 countDavidson County69,846Brunswick County: 69,124 countBrunswick County69,124Catawba County: 66,227 countCatawba County66,227Rowan County: 58,899 countRowan County58,899Randolph County: 57,721 countRandolph County57,721Orange County: 57,342 countOrange County57,342Henderson County: 51,067 countHenderson County51,067Harnett County: 49,845 countHarnett County49,845Wayne County: 47,507 countWayne County47,507Moore County: 44,013 countMoore County44,013Robeson County: 43,134 countRobeson County43,134Craven County: 42,871 countCraven County42,871Rockingham County: 39,606 countRockingham County39,606Cleveland County: 38,850 countCleveland County38,850Nash County: 38,797 countNash County38,797Lincoln County: 36,811 countLincoln County36,811Burke County: 36,306 countBurke County36,306Wilson County: 33,068 countWilson County33,068Chatham County: 33,004 countChatham County33,004Caldwell County: 32,919 countCaldwell County32,919Carteret County: 31,977 countCarteret County31,977Surry County: 29,869 countSurry County29,869Franklin County: 28,529 countFranklin County28,529Haywood County: 27,123 countHaywood County27,123
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2024
count		Change on 2023
1Mecklenburg County466,527+2.4%
2Wake County460,175+3.3%
3Guilford County219,718+1.8%
4Forsyth County159,925+2.7%
5Durham County141,847+2.4%
6Cumberland County129,758+1.3%
7New Hanover County104,856+2.4%
8Buncombe County101,855-0.8%
9Gaston County93,576+1.4%
10Johnston County85,591+4%
11Cabarrus County84,246+4.8%
12Union County84,237+2.4%
13Iredell County76,344+3.3%
14Onslow County75,265+3.8%
15Pitt County74,533+1.5%
16Alamance County70,062+2.4%
17Davidson County69,846+1.9%
18Brunswick County69,124+7.3%
19Catawba County66,227+1.6%
20Rowan County58,899+2%
21Randolph County57,721+1.3%
22Orange County57,342+1.6%
23Henderson County51,067+1.3%
24Harnett County49,845+2.5%
25Wayne County47,507+1.3%
26Moore County44,013+2.8%
27Robeson County43,134+0.9%
28Craven County42,871+3.4%
29Rockingham County39,606+1.5%
30Cleveland County38,850+4.4%
31Nash County38,797+1.8%
32Lincoln County36,811+3.2%
33Burke County36,306+1.2%
34Wilson County33,068+0.6%
35Chatham County33,004+2.3%
36Caldwell County32,919+0.5%
37Carteret County31,977+2.5%
38Surry County29,869+1.7%
39Franklin County28,529+4%
40Haywood County27,123+1.3%
41Wilkes County27,107+0.5%
42Rutherford County26,642+0.2%
43Pender County25,291+4.7%
44Stanly County25,240+3.3%
45Lee County25,145+2%
46Lenoir County23,351+1.8%
47Granville County22,474+1.3%
48Sampson County21,607+1.3%
49Watauga County21,198+0.1%
50Duplin County20,787+3.4%
51Halifax County20,383+0.6%
52Columbus County20,048+4.3%
53Edgecombe County19,652+0.6%
54Stokes County19,546+0.9%
55Beaufort County19,385+1.5%
56Hoke County19,258+2.6%
57McDowell County18,638+1%
58Jackson County18,430+1.5%
59Macon County18,406+1.7%
60Davie County17,270+2.4%
61Richmond County17,026+1%
62Dare County16,836+2.1%
63Vance County16,147+0.4%
64Person County16,063-0.9%
65Pasquotank County15,785+2.5%
66Yadkin County15,009+0.8%
67Transylvania County14,584-0%
68Alexander County14,126+1.7%
69Cherokee County13,241+1.5%
70Scotland County12,580+1.6%
71Ashe County12,201+1.7%
72Currituck County11,845+3%
73Bladen County11,824+1.6%
74Montgomery County10,643+5.6%
75Martin County9,502+1.5%
76Polk County8,976+2.9%
77Caswell County8,830+1.8%
78Anson County8,548+2.8%
79Madison County8,342-0.7%
80Hertford County8,285-0.5%
81Warren County8,147+2.7%
82Yancey County8,130-0.7%
83Northampton County7,857+3.4%
84Bertie County7,143+1.7%
85Greene County6,912+1.2%
86Avery County6,791+3.5%
87Mitchell County6,587+2.7%
88Chowan County6,134+2.4%
89Swain County6,013+3%
90Perquimans County5,614+0.6%
91Pamlico County5,456+4.4%
92Alleghany County5,177+2.5%
93Clay County5,081+0.8%
94Washington County4,744-1.8%
95Gates County4,192-0.6%
96Jones County4,125+5.4%
97Camden County4,011+1.6%
98Graham County3,524+6.4%
99Hyde County1,939-8.3%
100Tyrrell County1,547+8.5%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of households, which equals the number of occupied housing units. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

People living in group quarters, such as college dormitories, nursing homes and prisons, are not in households.

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 B25003: occupied housing units (households). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25003.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 B25003: occupied housing units (households) (Counties in North Carolina by households, 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25003.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households), Counties in North Carolina by households, 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/north-carolina-counties. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households). Counties in North Carolina by households, 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/north-carolina-counties.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households), Counties in North Carolina by households, 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/north-carolina-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2024,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households): Counties in North Carolina by households, 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/north-carolina-counties. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households): Counties in North Carolina by households, 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/north-carolina-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/north-carolina-counties.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest households?

Mecklenburg County, with 466,527 in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest households?

Tyrrell County, with 1,547 in 2024.

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 B25003: occupied housing units (households). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Households: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings