Data / Rankings / Households / Counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina by households

Mecklenburg County had the highest households of 100 counties in 2021, at 435,562. Tyrrell County had the lowest, at 1,415. The median was 19,938 and the figure for North Carolina was 4.03 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest435,562Mecklenburg County
Lowest1,415Tyrrell County
Median19,938100 counties
North Carolina4,034,684History

Map of counties, 2021

Alamance County: 66,311 countAlexander County: 13,496 countAlleghany County: 4,772 countAnson County: 8,381 countAshe County: 11,723 countAvery County: 6,378 countBeaufort County: 18,579 countBertie County: 7,188 countBladen County: 11,492 countBrunswick County: 57,812 countBuncombe County: 103,575 countBurke County: 34,376 countCabarrus County: 74,967 countCaldwell County: 31,840 countCamden County: 3,792 countCarteret County: 30,069 countCaswell County: 8,595 countCatawba County: 63,386 countChatham County: 30,128 countCherokee County: 12,371 countChowan County: 6,270 countClay County: 5,152 countCleveland County: 36,665 countColumbus County: 19,230 countCraven County: 40,420 countCumberland County: 125,158 countCurrituck County: 10,702 countDare County: 15,832 countDavidson County: 66,986 countDavie County: 16,319 countDuplin County: 19,827 countDurham County: 132,762 countEdgecombe County: 19,259 countForsyth County: 150,651 countFranklin County: 25,473 countGaston County: 88,710 countGates County: 4,139 countGraham County: 3,150 countGranville County: 21,132 countGreene County: 6,779 countGuilford County: 209,602 countHalifax County: 20,049 countHarnett County: 47,075 countHaywood County: 26,399 countHenderson County: 48,519 countHertford County: 8,243 countHoke County: 17,705 countHyde County: 2,000 countIredell County: 70,654 countJackson County: 16,901 countJohnston County: 76,121 countJones County: 3,779 countLee County: 23,782 countLenoir County: 22,767 countLincoln County: 33,863 countMcDowell County: 18,209 countMacon County: 17,161 countMadison County: 8,280 countMartin County: 9,262 countMecklenburg County: 435,562 countMitchell County: 6,438 countMontgomery County: 9,112 countMoore County: 40,595 countNash County: 37,477 countNew Hanover County: 97,852 countNorthampton County: 7,397 countOnslow County: 69,246 countOrange County: 54,783 countPamlico County: 5,120 countPasquotank County: 15,061 countPender County: 22,653 countPerquimans County: 5,733 countPerson County: 15,927 countPitt County: 71,134 countPolk County: 8,596 countRandolph County: 55,757 countRichmond County: 16,292 countRobeson County: 42,241 countRockingham County: 37,926 countRowan County: 55,485 countRutherford County: 25,925 countSampson County: 21,281 countScotland County: 12,214 countStanly County: 23,633 countStokes County: 18,777 countSurry County: 28,603 countSwain County: 5,505 countTransylvania County: 14,113 countTyrrell County: 1,415 countUnion County: 78,473 countVance County: 16,063 countWake County: 422,144 countWarren County: 7,737 countWashington County: 4,938 countWatauga County: 20,805 countWayne County: 46,761 countWilkes County: 27,265 countWilson County: 31,980 countYadkin County: 14,829 countYancey County: 7,618 count
  • Under 7,000
  • 7,000 to 14K
  • 14K to 20K
  • 20K to 32K
  • 32K to 65K
  • 65K and over
count, 2021. 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, 2021

Mecklenburg County: 435,562 countMecklenburg County435,562Wake County: 422,144 countWake County422,144Guilford County: 209,602 countGuilford County209,602Forsyth County: 150,651 countForsyth County150,651Durham County: 132,762 countDurham County132,762Cumberland County: 125,158 countCumberland County125,158Buncombe County: 103,575 countBuncombe County103,575New Hanover County: 97,852 countNew Hanover County97,852Gaston County: 88,710 countGaston County88,710Union County: 78,473 countUnion County78,473Johnston County: 76,121 countJohnston County76,121Cabarrus County: 74,967 countCabarrus County74,967Pitt County: 71,134 countPitt County71,134Iredell County: 70,654 countIredell County70,654Onslow County: 69,246 countOnslow County69,246Davidson County: 66,986 countDavidson County66,986Alamance County: 66,311 countAlamance County66,311Catawba County: 63,386 countCatawba County63,386Brunswick County: 57,812 countBrunswick County57,812Randolph County: 55,757 countRandolph County55,757Rowan County: 55,485 countRowan County55,485Orange County: 54,783 countOrange County54,783Henderson County: 48,519 countHenderson County48,519Harnett County: 47,075 countHarnett County47,075Wayne County: 46,761 countWayne County46,761Robeson County: 42,241 countRobeson County42,241Moore County: 40,595 countMoore County40,595Craven County: 40,420 countCraven County40,420Rockingham County: 37,926 countRockingham County37,926Nash County: 37,477 countNash County37,477Cleveland County: 36,665 countCleveland County36,665Burke County: 34,376 countBurke County34,376Lincoln County: 33,863 countLincoln County33,863Wilson County: 31,980 countWilson County31,980Caldwell County: 31,840 countCaldwell County31,840Chatham County: 30,128 countChatham County30,128Carteret County: 30,069 countCarteret County30,069Surry County: 28,603 countSurry County28,603Wilkes County: 27,265 countWilkes County27,265Haywood County: 26,399 countHaywood County26,399Mecklenburg County: 435,562 countMecklenburg County435,562Wake County: 422,144 countWake County422,144Guilford County: 209,602 countGuilford County209,602Forsyth County: 150,651 countForsyth County150,651Durham County: 132,762 countDurham County132,762Cumberland County: 125,158 countCumberland County125,158Buncombe County: 103,575 countBuncombe County103,575New Hanover County: 97,852 countNew Hanover County97,852Gaston County: 88,710 countGaston County88,710Union County: 78,473 countUnion County78,473Johnston County: 76,121 countJohnston County76,121Cabarrus County: 74,967 countCabarrus County74,967Pitt County: 71,134 countPitt County71,134Iredell County: 70,654 countIredell County70,654Onslow County: 69,246 countOnslow County69,246Davidson County: 66,986 countDavidson County66,986Alamance County: 66,311 countAlamance County66,311Catawba County: 63,386 countCatawba County63,386Brunswick County: 57,812 countBrunswick County57,812Randolph County: 55,757 countRandolph County55,757Rowan County: 55,485 countRowan County55,485Orange County: 54,783 countOrange County54,783Henderson County: 48,519 countHenderson County48,519Harnett County: 47,075 countHarnett County47,075Wayne County: 46,761 countWayne County46,761Robeson County: 42,241 countRobeson County42,241Moore County: 40,595 countMoore County40,595Craven County: 40,420 countCraven County40,420Rockingham County: 37,926 countRockingham County37,926Nash County: 37,477 countNash County37,477Cleveland County: 36,665 countCleveland County36,665Burke County: 34,376 countBurke County34,376Lincoln County: 33,863 countLincoln County33,863Wilson County: 31,980 countWilson County31,980Caldwell County: 31,840 countCaldwell County31,840Chatham County: 30,128 countChatham County30,128Carteret County: 30,069 countCarteret County30,069Surry County: 28,603 countSurry County28,603Wilkes County: 27,265 countWilkes County27,265Haywood County: 26,399 countHaywood County26,399
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021
count
1Mecklenburg County435,562
2Wake County422,144
3Guilford County209,602
4Forsyth County150,651
5Durham County132,762
6Cumberland County125,158
7Buncombe County103,575
8New Hanover County97,852
9Gaston County88,710
10Union County78,473
11Johnston County76,121
12Cabarrus County74,967
13Pitt County71,134
14Iredell County70,654
15Onslow County69,246
16Davidson County66,986
17Alamance County66,311
18Catawba County63,386
19Brunswick County57,812
20Randolph County55,757
21Rowan County55,485
22Orange County54,783
23Henderson County48,519
24Harnett County47,075
25Wayne County46,761
26Robeson County42,241
27Moore County40,595
28Craven County40,420
29Rockingham County37,926
30Nash County37,477
31Cleveland County36,665
32Burke County34,376
33Lincoln County33,863
34Wilson County31,980
35Caldwell County31,840
36Chatham County30,128
37Carteret County30,069
38Surry County28,603
39Wilkes County27,265
40Haywood County26,399
41Rutherford County25,925
42Franklin County25,473
43Lee County23,782
44Stanly County23,633
45Lenoir County22,767
46Pender County22,653
47Sampson County21,281
48Granville County21,132
49Watauga County20,805
50Halifax County20,049
51Duplin County19,827
52Edgecombe County19,259
53Columbus County19,230
54Stokes County18,777
55Beaufort County18,579
56McDowell County18,209
57Hoke County17,705
58Macon County17,161
59Jackson County16,901
60Davie County16,319
61Richmond County16,292
62Vance County16,063
63Person County15,927
64Dare County15,832
65Pasquotank County15,061
66Yadkin County14,829
67Transylvania County14,113
68Alexander County13,496
69Cherokee County12,371
70Scotland County12,214
71Ashe County11,723
72Bladen County11,492
73Currituck County10,702
74Martin County9,262
75Montgomery County9,112
76Polk County8,596
77Caswell County8,595
78Anson County8,381
79Madison County8,280
80Hertford County8,243
81Warren County7,737
82Yancey County7,618
83Northampton County7,397
84Bertie County7,188
85Greene County6,779
86Mitchell County6,438
87Avery County6,378
88Chowan County6,270
89Perquimans County5,733
90Swain County5,505
91Clay County5,152
92Pamlico County5,120
93Washington County4,938
94Alleghany County4,772
95Gates County4,139
96Camden County3,792
97Jones County3,779
98Graham County3,150
99Hyde County2,000
100Tyrrell County1,415

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/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-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, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25003.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households), Counties in North Carolina by households, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/north-carolina-counties?period=2021. 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, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/north-carolina-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households), Counties in North Carolina by households, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/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 B25003: occupied housing units (households): Counties in North Carolina by households, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/north-carolina-counties?period=2021. 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/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-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, 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-b25003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/north-carolina-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/north-carolina-counties?period=2021.
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/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest households?

Mecklenburg County, with 435,562 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest households?

Tyrrell County, with 1,415 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 B25003: occupied housing units (households). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Households: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings