Data / Rankings / Households / Counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina by households

Mecklenburg County had the highest households of 100 counties in 2023, at 455,494. Tyrrell County had the lowest, at 1,426. The median was 20,183 and the figure for North Carolina was 4.19 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest455,494Mecklenburg County
Lowest1,426Tyrrell County
Median20,183100 counties
North Carolina4,186,924History

Map of counties, 2023

Alamance County: 68,441 countAlexander County: 13,895 countAlleghany County: 5,049 countAnson County: 8,314 countAshe County: 11,999 countAvery County: 6,559 countBeaufort County: 19,103 countBertie County: 7,024 countBladen County: 11,635 countBrunswick County: 64,436 countBuncombe County: 102,672 countBurke County: 35,873 countCabarrus County: 80,370 countCaldwell County: 32,766 countCamden County: 3,948 countCarteret County: 31,198 countCaswell County: 8,677 countCatawba County: 65,201 countChatham County: 32,253 countCherokee County: 13,042 countChowan County: 5,989 countClay County: 5,041 countCleveland County: 37,218 countColumbus County: 19,227 countCraven County: 41,472 countCumberland County: 128,118 countCurrituck County: 11,497 countDare County: 16,483 countDavidson County: 68,512 countDavie County: 16,873 countDuplin County: 20,096 countDurham County: 138,502 countEdgecombe County: 19,533 countForsyth County: 155,743 countFranklin County: 27,442 countGaston County: 92,287 countGates County: 4,219 countGraham County: 3,312 countGranville County: 22,176 countGreene County: 6,831 countGuilford County: 215,807 countHalifax County: 20,269 countHarnett County: 48,639 countHaywood County: 26,772 countHenderson County: 50,423 countHertford County: 8,329 countHoke County: 18,763 countHyde County: 2,115 countIredell County: 73,913 countJackson County: 18,164 countJohnston County: 82,293 countJones County: 3,915 countLee County: 24,659 countLenoir County: 22,930 countLincoln County: 35,681 countMcDowell County: 18,445 countMacon County: 18,090 countMadison County: 8,399 countMartin County: 9,361 countMecklenburg County: 455,494 countMitchell County: 6,411 countMontgomery County: 10,075 countMoore County: 42,814 countNash County: 38,123 countNew Hanover County: 102,376 countNorthampton County: 7,597 countOnslow County: 72,516 countOrange County: 56,456 countPamlico County: 5,228 countPasquotank County: 15,394 countPender County: 24,152 countPerquimans County: 5,580 countPerson County: 16,211 countPitt County: 73,404 countPolk County: 8,727 countRandolph County: 56,970 countRichmond County: 16,863 countRobeson County: 42,744 countRockingham County: 39,018 countRowan County: 57,762 countRutherford County: 26,589 countSampson County: 21,321 countScotland County: 12,376 countStanly County: 24,436 countStokes County: 19,374 countSurry County: 29,366 countSwain County: 5,837 countTransylvania County: 14,590 countTyrrell County: 1,426 countUnion County: 82,231 countVance County: 16,081 countWake County: 445,636 countWarren County: 7,930 countWashington County: 4,832 countWatauga County: 21,187 countWayne County: 46,888 countWilkes County: 26,975 countWilson County: 32,860 countYadkin County: 14,893 countYancey County: 8,188 count
  • Under 7,000
  • 7,000 to 15K
  • 15K to 20K
  • 20K to 33K
  • 33K to 67K
  • 67K and over
count, 2023. 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, 2023

Mecklenburg County: 455,494 countMecklenburg County455,494Wake County: 445,636 countWake County445,636Guilford County: 215,807 countGuilford County215,807Forsyth County: 155,743 countForsyth County155,743Durham County: 138,502 countDurham County138,502Cumberland County: 128,118 countCumberland County128,118Buncombe County: 102,672 countBuncombe County102,672New Hanover County: 102,376 countNew Hanover County102,376Gaston County: 92,287 countGaston County92,287Johnston County: 82,293 countJohnston County82,293Union County: 82,231 countUnion County82,231Cabarrus County: 80,370 countCabarrus County80,370Iredell County: 73,913 countIredell County73,913Pitt County: 73,404 countPitt County73,404Onslow County: 72,516 countOnslow County72,516Davidson County: 68,512 countDavidson County68,512Alamance County: 68,441 countAlamance County68,441Catawba County: 65,201 countCatawba County65,201Brunswick County: 64,436 countBrunswick County64,436Rowan County: 57,762 countRowan County57,762Randolph County: 56,970 countRandolph County56,970Orange County: 56,456 countOrange County56,456Henderson County: 50,423 countHenderson County50,423Harnett County: 48,639 countHarnett County48,639Wayne County: 46,888 countWayne County46,888Moore County: 42,814 countMoore County42,814Robeson County: 42,744 countRobeson County42,744Craven County: 41,472 countCraven County41,472Rockingham County: 39,018 countRockingham County39,018Nash County: 38,123 countNash County38,123Cleveland County: 37,218 countCleveland County37,218Burke County: 35,873 countBurke County35,873Lincoln County: 35,681 countLincoln County35,681Wilson County: 32,860 countWilson County32,860Caldwell County: 32,766 countCaldwell County32,766Chatham County: 32,253 countChatham County32,253Carteret County: 31,198 countCarteret County31,198Surry County: 29,366 countSurry County29,366Franklin County: 27,442 countFranklin County27,442Wilkes County: 26,975 countWilkes County26,975Mecklenburg County: 455,494 countMecklenburg County455,494Wake County: 445,636 countWake County445,636Guilford County: 215,807 countGuilford County215,807Forsyth County: 155,743 countForsyth County155,743Durham County: 138,502 countDurham County138,502Cumberland County: 128,118 countCumberland County128,118Buncombe County: 102,672 countBuncombe County102,672New Hanover County: 102,376 countNew Hanover County102,376Gaston County: 92,287 countGaston County92,287Johnston County: 82,293 countJohnston County82,293Union County: 82,231 countUnion County82,231Cabarrus County: 80,370 countCabarrus County80,370Iredell County: 73,913 countIredell County73,913Pitt County: 73,404 countPitt County73,404Onslow County: 72,516 countOnslow County72,516Davidson County: 68,512 countDavidson County68,512Alamance County: 68,441 countAlamance County68,441Catawba County: 65,201 countCatawba County65,201Brunswick County: 64,436 countBrunswick County64,436Rowan County: 57,762 countRowan County57,762Randolph County: 56,970 countRandolph County56,970Orange County: 56,456 countOrange County56,456Henderson County: 50,423 countHenderson County50,423Harnett County: 48,639 countHarnett County48,639Wayne County: 46,888 countWayne County46,888Moore County: 42,814 countMoore County42,814Robeson County: 42,744 countRobeson County42,744Craven County: 41,472 countCraven County41,472Rockingham County: 39,018 countRockingham County39,018Nash County: 38,123 countNash County38,123Cleveland County: 37,218 countCleveland County37,218Burke County: 35,873 countBurke County35,873Lincoln County: 35,681 countLincoln County35,681Wilson County: 32,860 countWilson County32,860Caldwell County: 32,766 countCaldwell County32,766Chatham County: 32,253 countChatham County32,253Carteret County: 31,198 countCarteret County31,198Surry County: 29,366 countSurry County29,366Franklin County: 27,442 countFranklin County27,442Wilkes County: 26,975 countWilkes County26,975
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023
count		Change on 2022
1Mecklenburg County455,494+2%
2Wake County445,636+3.5%
3Guilford County215,807+1.4%
4Forsyth County155,743+1.7%
5Durham County138,502+2.2%
6Cumberland County128,118+1.1%
7Buncombe County102,672-0.2%
8New Hanover County102,376+2.4%
9Gaston County92,287+2.1%
10Johnston County82,293+3.7%
11Union County82,231+2.4%
12Cabarrus County80,370+4.5%
13Iredell County73,913+2.2%
14Pitt County73,404+1.7%
15Onslow County72,516+2.1%
16Davidson County68,512+1.2%
17Alamance County68,441+1.6%
18Catawba County65,201+1.2%
19Brunswick County64,436+5.8%
20Rowan County57,762+2%
21Randolph County56,970+1.9%
22Orange County56,456+1.7%
23Henderson County50,423+1.9%
24Harnett County48,639+1.6%
25Wayne County46,888-0.1%
26Moore County42,814+2.5%
27Robeson County42,744+0.6%
28Craven County41,472+1.1%
29Rockingham County39,018+0.8%
30Nash County38,123+0.9%
31Cleveland County37,218+1.8%
32Burke County35,873+1.9%
33Lincoln County35,681+2.2%
34Wilson County32,860+1.8%
35Caldwell County32,766+2%
36Chatham County32,253+3.6%
37Carteret County31,198+2.6%
38Surry County29,366+1.3%
39Franklin County27,442+3.7%
40Wilkes County26,975-1%
41Haywood County26,772+1.1%
42Rutherford County26,589+1.2%
43Lee County24,659+2.5%
44Stanly County24,436+2.8%
45Pender County24,152+3.8%
46Lenoir County22,930+1.2%
47Granville County22,176+3.1%
48Sampson County21,321-0.3%
49Watauga County21,187-0%
50Halifax County20,269+0.6%
51Duplin County20,096-1%
52Edgecombe County19,533+0.9%
53Stokes County19,374+2%
54Columbus County19,227+0.2%
55Beaufort County19,103+0.7%
56Hoke County18,763+1.5%
57McDowell County18,445+1.4%
58Jackson County18,164+2.4%
59Macon County18,090+4%
60Davie County16,873+2.5%
61Richmond County16,863+1.6%
62Dare County16,483+2.5%
63Person County16,211+0.4%
64Vance County16,081-0.3%
65Pasquotank County15,394-0.2%
66Yadkin County14,893+0.3%
67Transylvania County14,590+1.7%
68Alexander County13,895+1%
69Cherokee County13,042+2.2%
70Scotland County12,376+1.2%
71Ashe County11,999+1.5%
72Bladen County11,635+2.2%
73Currituck County11,497+3.5%
74Montgomery County10,075+6%
75Martin County9,361+0.3%
76Polk County8,727+2.2%
77Caswell County8,677+2%
78Madison County8,399-0.6%
79Hertford County8,329-0.3%
80Anson County8,314+0.6%
81Yancey County8,188+4.2%
82Warren County7,930+3.2%
83Northampton County7,597+1.8%
84Bertie County7,024+0.6%
85Greene County6,831+0.6%
86Avery County6,559+1.2%
87Mitchell County6,411-1%
88Chowan County5,989-3.7%
89Swain County5,837+2.7%
90Perquimans County5,580+0.2%
91Pamlico County5,228+1.9%
92Alleghany County5,049+2.3%
93Clay County5,041+3%
94Washington County4,832-1.3%
95Gates County4,219+1.8%
96Camden County3,948+2%
97Jones County3,915+2.6%
98Graham County3,312+4.2%
99Hyde County2,115+5.6%
100Tyrrell County1,426+5.6%

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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25003.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households), Counties in North Carolina by households, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/north-carolina-counties?period=2023. 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, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/north-carolina-counties?period=2023.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households), Counties in North Carolina by households, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/north-carolina-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: occupied housing units (households): Counties in North Carolina by households, 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/north-carolina-counties?period=2023. 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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, 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-b25003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/north-carolina-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/households/north-carolina-counties?period=2023.
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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest households?

Mecklenburg County, with 455,494 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest households?

Tyrrell County, with 1,426 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 B25003: occupied housing units (households). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Households: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings