Data / Rankings / Housing units / Counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina by housing units, 2024

Mecklenburg County had the highest housing units of 100 counties in 2024, at 503,071. Tyrrell County had the lowest, at 2,229. The median was 26,366 and the figure for North Carolina was 4.9 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest503,071Mecklenburg County
Lowest2,229Tyrrell County
Median26,366100 counties
North Carolina4,895,668History

Map of counties, 2024

Alamance County: 77,073 countAlexander County: 16,218 countAlleghany County: 7,804 countAnson County: 9,954 countAshe County: 17,218 countAvery County: 14,201 countBeaufort County: 24,526 countBertie County: 8,984 countBladen County: 15,286 countBrunswick County: 99,077 countBuncombe County: 134,483 countBurke County: 40,358 countCabarrus County: 93,691 countCaldwell County: 37,387 countCamden County: 4,301 countCarteret County: 52,181 countCaswell County: 10,521 countCatawba County: 73,133 countChatham County: 35,914 countCherokee County: 18,404 countChowan County: 7,190 countClay County: 7,497 countCleveland County: 44,304 countColumbus County: 23,563 countCraven County: 48,533 countCumberland County: 143,798 countCurrituck County: 17,079 countDare County: 35,278 countDavidson County: 76,396 countDavie County: 19,311 countDuplin County: 23,861 countDurham County: 153,022 countEdgecombe County: 23,281 countForsyth County: 175,631 countFranklin County: 31,767 countGaston County: 101,671 countGates County: 4,827 countGraham County: 5,240 countGranville County: 24,787 countGreene County: 7,939 countGuilford County: 238,032 countHalifax County: 24,872 countHarnett County: 54,902 countHaywood County: 35,560 countHenderson County: 58,044 countHertford County: 9,816 countHoke County: 20,921 countHyde County: 2,952 countIredell County: 84,199 countJackson County: 27,803 countJohnston County: 91,218 countJones County: 4,698 countLee County: 27,166 countLenoir County: 26,879 countLincoln County: 39,504 countMcDowell County: 21,575 countMacon County: 27,216 countMadison County: 11,356 countMartin County: 11,058 countMecklenburg County: 503,071 countMitchell County: 8,697 countMontgomery County: 14,998 countMoore County: 50,280 countNash County: 43,797 countNew Hanover County: 120,050 countNorthampton County: 10,641 countOnslow County: 87,354 countOrange County: 62,858 countPamlico County: 7,322 countPasquotank County: 17,721 countPender County: 31,844 countPerquimans County: 6,967 countPerson County: 18,584 countPitt County: 82,638 countPolk County: 11,042 countRandolph County: 62,901 countRichmond County: 19,893 countRobeson County: 49,111 countRockingham County: 43,868 countRowan County: 64,975 countRutherford County: 32,775 countSampson County: 25,852 countScotland County: 14,441 countStanly County: 28,632 countStokes County: 21,497 countSurry County: 33,747 countSwain County: 8,629 countTransylvania County: 19,266 countTyrrell County: 2,229 countUnion County: 88,851 countVance County: 19,489 countWake County: 496,047 countWarren County: 11,723 countWashington County: 6,040 countWatauga County: 33,355 countWayne County: 53,505 countWilkes County: 31,836 countWilson County: 37,053 countYadkin County: 17,253 countYancey County: 11,376 count
  • Under 10K
  • 10K to 18K
  • 18K to 26K
  • 26K to 40K
  • 40K to 77K
  • 77K and over
count, 2024. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2024

Mecklenburg County: 503,071 countMecklenburg County503,071Wake County: 496,047 countWake County496,047Guilford County: 238,032 countGuilford County238,032Forsyth County: 175,631 countForsyth County175,631Durham County: 153,022 countDurham County153,022Cumberland County: 143,798 countCumberland County143,798Buncombe County: 134,483 countBuncombe County134,483New Hanover County: 120,050 countNew Hanover County120,050Gaston County: 101,671 countGaston County101,671Brunswick County: 99,077 countBrunswick County99,077Cabarrus County: 93,691 countCabarrus County93,691Johnston County: 91,218 countJohnston County91,218Union County: 88,851 countUnion County88,851Onslow County: 87,354 countOnslow County87,354Iredell County: 84,199 countIredell County84,199Pitt County: 82,638 countPitt County82,638Alamance County: 77,073 countAlamance County77,073Davidson County: 76,396 countDavidson County76,396Catawba County: 73,133 countCatawba County73,133Rowan County: 64,975 countRowan County64,975Randolph County: 62,901 countRandolph County62,901Orange County: 62,858 countOrange County62,858Henderson County: 58,044 countHenderson County58,044Harnett County: 54,902 countHarnett County54,902Wayne County: 53,505 countWayne County53,505Carteret County: 52,181 countCarteret County52,181Moore County: 50,280 countMoore County50,280Robeson County: 49,111 countRobeson County49,111Craven County: 48,533 countCraven County48,533Cleveland County: 44,304 countCleveland County44,304Rockingham County: 43,868 countRockingham County43,868Nash County: 43,797 countNash County43,797Burke County: 40,358 countBurke County40,358Lincoln County: 39,504 countLincoln County39,504Caldwell County: 37,387 countCaldwell County37,387Wilson County: 37,053 countWilson County37,053Chatham County: 35,914 countChatham County35,914Haywood County: 35,560 countHaywood County35,560Dare County: 35,278 countDare County35,278Surry County: 33,747 countSurry County33,747Mecklenburg County: 503,071 countMecklenburg County503,071Wake County: 496,047 countWake County496,047Guilford County: 238,032 countGuilford County238,032Forsyth County: 175,631 countForsyth County175,631Durham County: 153,022 countDurham County153,022Cumberland County: 143,798 countCumberland County143,798Buncombe County: 134,483 countBuncombe County134,483New Hanover County: 120,050 countNew Hanover County120,050Gaston County: 101,671 countGaston County101,671Brunswick County: 99,077 countBrunswick County99,077Cabarrus County: 93,691 countCabarrus County93,691Johnston County: 91,218 countJohnston County91,218Union County: 88,851 countUnion County88,851Onslow County: 87,354 countOnslow County87,354Iredell County: 84,199 countIredell County84,199Pitt County: 82,638 countPitt County82,638Alamance County: 77,073 countAlamance County77,073Davidson County: 76,396 countDavidson County76,396Catawba County: 73,133 countCatawba County73,133Rowan County: 64,975 countRowan County64,975Randolph County: 62,901 countRandolph County62,901Orange County: 62,858 countOrange County62,858Henderson County: 58,044 countHenderson County58,044Harnett County: 54,902 countHarnett County54,902Wayne County: 53,505 countWayne County53,505Carteret County: 52,181 countCarteret County52,181Moore County: 50,280 countMoore County50,280Robeson County: 49,111 countRobeson County49,111Craven County: 48,533 countCraven County48,533Cleveland County: 44,304 countCleveland County44,304Rockingham County: 43,868 countRockingham County43,868Nash County: 43,797 countNash County43,797Burke County: 40,358 countBurke County40,358Lincoln County: 39,504 countLincoln County39,504Caldwell County: 37,387 countCaldwell County37,387Wilson County: 37,053 countWilson County37,053Chatham County: 35,914 countChatham County35,914Haywood County: 35,560 countHaywood County35,560Dare County: 35,278 countDare County35,278Surry County: 33,747 countSurry County33,747
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2024
count		Change on 2023
1Mecklenburg County503,071+2.3%
2Wake County496,047+2.9%
3Guilford County238,032+0.9%
4Forsyth County175,631+1.4%
5Durham County153,022+2.6%
6Cumberland County143,798+0.4%
7Buncombe County134,483+1.7%
8New Hanover County120,050+2.4%
9Gaston County101,671+1.6%
10Brunswick County99,077+5.4%
11Cabarrus County93,691+2.6%
12Johnston County91,218+3.3%
13Union County88,851+2.4%
14Onslow County87,354+1.7%
15Iredell County84,199+3%
16Pitt County82,638+1.2%
17Alamance County77,073+2.1%
18Davidson County76,396+1%
19Catawba County73,133+1.5%
20Rowan County64,975+1.1%
21Randolph County62,901+0.6%
22Orange County62,858+1.2%
23Henderson County58,044+1.2%
24Harnett County54,902+1.6%
25Wayne County53,505+0.7%
26Carteret County52,181+1.1%
27Moore County50,280+1.7%
28Robeson County49,111+0.5%
29Craven County48,533+2.4%
30Cleveland County44,304+0.7%
31Rockingham County43,868+0.4%
32Nash County43,797+0.6%
33Burke County40,358+0.7%
34Lincoln County39,504+2.4%
35Caldwell County37,387+0.4%
36Wilson County37,053+1%
37Chatham County35,914+2.6%
38Haywood County35,560+0.7%
39Dare County35,278+1.3%
40Surry County33,747+0.4%
41Watauga County33,355+1%
42Rutherford County32,775+0.3%
43Pender County31,844+2.7%
44Wilkes County31,836+0.3%
45Franklin County31,767+3.2%
46Stanly County28,632+1.2%
47Jackson County27,803+1.5%
48Macon County27,216+0.5%
49Lee County27,166+1.2%
50Lenoir County26,879+0.4%
51Sampson County25,852+0.4%
52Halifax County24,872+0.1%
53Granville County24,787+0.8%
54Beaufort County24,526+0.6%
55Duplin County23,861+0.2%
56Columbus County23,5630%
57Edgecombe County23,281+0.1%
58McDowell County21,575+0.5%
59Stokes County21,497+0.7%
60Hoke County20,921+1.6%
61Richmond County19,893+0.3%
62Vance County19,489+0.3%
63Davie County19,311+1.2%
64Transylvania County19,266+0.6%
65Person County18,584+0.6%
66Cherokee County18,404+1.2%
67Pasquotank County17,721+0.9%
68Yadkin County17,253+0.5%
69Ashe County17,218+0.6%
70Currituck County17,079+2.7%
71Alexander County16,218+0.6%
72Bladen County15,286+0.1%
73Montgomery County14,998+0.5%
74Scotland County14,441+0.1%
75Avery County14,201+1.1%
76Warren County11,723+1.6%
77Yancey County11,376+0.5%
78Madison County11,356+1.4%
79Martin County11,058-0.4%
80Polk County11,042+0.8%
81Northampton County10,641+0.2%
82Caswell County10,521+0.3%
83Anson County9,954+0.2%
84Hertford County9,816-0.2%
85Bertie County8,984-0%
86Mitchell County8,697+0.3%
87Swain County8,629+1.2%
88Greene County7,939+0.4%
89Alleghany County7,804+0.7%
90Clay County7,497+1.2%
91Pamlico County7,322+1.1%
92Chowan County7,190+0.3%
93Perquimans County6,967+0.7%
94Washington County6,040-0.1%
95Graham County5,240-0.1%
96Gates County4,827+0.4%
97Jones County4,698+0.5%
98Camden County4,301+1.8%
99Hyde County2,952-6.8%
100Tyrrell County2,229+11.2%

Other periods

About this ranking

All housing units, occupied and vacant: houses, apartments, mobile homes and rooms intended as separate living quarters. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

A survey estimate averaged over five years, not a count on one date.

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 B25001: total housing units. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25001.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 B25001: total housing units (Counties in North Carolina by housing units, 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25001.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units, Counties in North Carolina by housing units, 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25001.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/north-carolina-counties. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units. Counties in North Carolina by housing units, 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25001.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/north-carolina-counties.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units, Counties in North Carolina by housing units, 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25001.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/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 B25001: total housing units: Counties in North Carolina by housing units, 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25001.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/north-carolina-counties. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units: Counties in North Carolina by housing units, 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-b25001.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/north-carolina-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/north-carolina-counties.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest housing units?

Mecklenburg County, with 503,071 in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest housing units?

Tyrrell County, with 2,229 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 B25001: total housing units. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Housing units: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings