Data / Rankings / Housing units / Counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina by housing units

Mecklenburg County had the highest housing units of 100 counties in 2021, at 469,298. Tyrrell County had the lowest, at 1,925. The median was 26,002 and the figure for North Carolina was 4.67 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest469,298Mecklenburg County
Lowest1,925Tyrrell County
Median26,002100 counties
North Carolina4,673,933History

Map of counties, 2021

Alamance County: 72,651 countAlexander County: 15,997 countAlleghany County: 7,721 countAnson County: 10,027 countAshe County: 17,006 countAvery County: 13,843 countBeaufort County: 24,292 countBertie County: 9,043 countBladen County: 15,459 countBrunswick County: 87,421 countBuncombe County: 127,905 countBurke County: 39,642 countCabarrus County: 85,725 countCaldwell County: 37,051 countCamden County: 4,122 countCarteret County: 50,642 countCaswell County: 10,483 countCatawba County: 70,279 countChatham County: 33,382 countCherokee County: 17,852 countChowan County: 7,154 countClay County: 7,292 countCleveland County: 43,593 countColumbus County: 23,763 countCraven County: 46,783 countCumberland County: 142,536 countCurrituck County: 15,843 countDare County: 34,210 countDavidson County: 74,413 countDavie County: 18,614 countDuplin County: 23,965 countDurham County: 142,239 countEdgecombe County: 23,293 countForsyth County: 168,778 countFranklin County: 28,972 countGaston County: 97,109 countGates County: 4,816 countGraham County: 5,310 countGranville County: 24,134 countGreene County: 7,898 countGuilford County: 231,383 countHalifax County: 24,859 countHarnett County: 52,562 countHaywood County: 34,868 countHenderson County: 56,313 countHertford County: 9,898 countHoke County: 20,114 countHyde County: 2,980 countIredell County: 78,104 countJackson County: 26,603 countJohnston County: 82,238 countJones County: 4,681 countLee County: 26,291 countLenoir County: 26,696 countLincoln County: 36,796 countMcDowell County: 21,223 countMacon County: 26,767 countMadison County: 10,995 countMartin County: 11,139 countMecklenburg County: 469,298 countMitchell County: 8,663 countMontgomery County: 14,933 countMoore County: 47,876 countNash County: 43,117 countNew Hanover County: 112,388 countNorthampton County: 10,690 countOnslow County: 83,146 countOrange County: 60,314 countPamlico County: 7,197 countPasquotank County: 17,342 countPender County: 29,658 countPerquimans County: 6,896 countPerson County: 18,288 countPitt County: 79,914 countPolk County: 10,873 countRandolph County: 61,983 countRichmond County: 19,767 countRobeson County: 48,916 countRockingham County: 43,464 countRowan County: 62,882 countRutherford County: 32,635 countSampson County: 25,713 countScotland County: 14,445 countStanly County: 27,600 countStokes County: 21,283 countSurry County: 33,486 countSwain County: 8,401 countTransylvania County: 19,035 countTyrrell County: 1,925 countUnion County: 82,994 countVance County: 19,384 countWake County: 454,672 countWarren County: 11,382 countWashington County: 6,090 countWatauga County: 32,602 countWayne County: 52,698 countWilkes County: 31,783 countWilson County: 36,195 countYadkin County: 17,013 countYancey County: 11,224 count
  • Under 10K
  • 10K to 17K
  • 17K to 26K
  • 26K to 37K
  • 37K to 74K
  • 74K and over
count, 2021. 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, 2021

Mecklenburg County: 469,298 countMecklenburg County469,298Wake County: 454,672 countWake County454,672Guilford County: 231,383 countGuilford County231,383Forsyth County: 168,778 countForsyth County168,778Cumberland County: 142,536 countCumberland County142,536Durham County: 142,239 countDurham County142,239Buncombe County: 127,905 countBuncombe County127,905New Hanover County: 112,388 countNew Hanover County112,388Gaston County: 97,109 countGaston County97,109Brunswick County: 87,421 countBrunswick County87,421Cabarrus County: 85,725 countCabarrus County85,725Onslow County: 83,146 countOnslow County83,146Union County: 82,994 countUnion County82,994Johnston County: 82,238 countJohnston County82,238Pitt County: 79,914 countPitt County79,914Iredell County: 78,104 countIredell County78,104Davidson County: 74,413 countDavidson County74,413Alamance County: 72,651 countAlamance County72,651Catawba County: 70,279 countCatawba County70,279Rowan County: 62,882 countRowan County62,882Randolph County: 61,983 countRandolph County61,983Orange County: 60,314 countOrange County60,314Henderson County: 56,313 countHenderson County56,313Wayne County: 52,698 countWayne County52,698Harnett County: 52,562 countHarnett County52,562Carteret County: 50,642 countCarteret County50,642Robeson County: 48,916 countRobeson County48,916Moore County: 47,876 countMoore County47,876Craven County: 46,783 countCraven County46,783Cleveland County: 43,593 countCleveland County43,593Rockingham County: 43,464 countRockingham County43,464Nash County: 43,117 countNash County43,117Burke County: 39,642 countBurke County39,642Caldwell County: 37,051 countCaldwell County37,051Lincoln County: 36,796 countLincoln County36,796Wilson County: 36,195 countWilson County36,195Haywood County: 34,868 countHaywood County34,868Dare County: 34,210 countDare County34,210Surry County: 33,486 countSurry County33,486Chatham County: 33,382 countChatham County33,382Mecklenburg County: 469,298 countMecklenburg County469,298Wake County: 454,672 countWake County454,672Guilford County: 231,383 countGuilford County231,383Forsyth County: 168,778 countForsyth County168,778Cumberland County: 142,536 countCumberland County142,536Durham County: 142,239 countDurham County142,239Buncombe County: 127,905 countBuncombe County127,905New Hanover County: 112,388 countNew Hanover County112,388Gaston County: 97,109 countGaston County97,109Brunswick County: 87,421 countBrunswick County87,421Cabarrus County: 85,725 countCabarrus County85,725Onslow County: 83,146 countOnslow County83,146Union County: 82,994 countUnion County82,994Johnston County: 82,238 countJohnston County82,238Pitt County: 79,914 countPitt County79,914Iredell County: 78,104 countIredell County78,104Davidson County: 74,413 countDavidson County74,413Alamance County: 72,651 countAlamance County72,651Catawba County: 70,279 countCatawba County70,279Rowan County: 62,882 countRowan County62,882Randolph County: 61,983 countRandolph County61,983Orange County: 60,314 countOrange County60,314Henderson County: 56,313 countHenderson County56,313Wayne County: 52,698 countWayne County52,698Harnett County: 52,562 countHarnett County52,562Carteret County: 50,642 countCarteret County50,642Robeson County: 48,916 countRobeson County48,916Moore County: 47,876 countMoore County47,876Craven County: 46,783 countCraven County46,783Cleveland County: 43,593 countCleveland County43,593Rockingham County: 43,464 countRockingham County43,464Nash County: 43,117 countNash County43,117Burke County: 39,642 countBurke County39,642Caldwell County: 37,051 countCaldwell County37,051Lincoln County: 36,796 countLincoln County36,796Wilson County: 36,195 countWilson County36,195Haywood County: 34,868 countHaywood County34,868Dare County: 34,210 countDare County34,210Surry County: 33,486 countSurry County33,486Chatham County: 33,382 countChatham County33,382
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021
count
1Mecklenburg County469,298
2Wake County454,672
3Guilford County231,383
4Forsyth County168,778
5Cumberland County142,536
6Durham County142,239
7Buncombe County127,905
8New Hanover County112,388
9Gaston County97,109
10Brunswick County87,421
11Cabarrus County85,725
12Onslow County83,146
13Union County82,994
14Johnston County82,238
15Pitt County79,914
16Iredell County78,104
17Davidson County74,413
18Alamance County72,651
19Catawba County70,279
20Rowan County62,882
21Randolph County61,983
22Orange County60,314
23Henderson County56,313
24Wayne County52,698
25Harnett County52,562
26Carteret County50,642
27Robeson County48,916
28Moore County47,876
29Craven County46,783
30Cleveland County43,593
31Rockingham County43,464
32Nash County43,117
33Burke County39,642
34Caldwell County37,051
35Lincoln County36,796
36Wilson County36,195
37Haywood County34,868
38Dare County34,210
39Surry County33,486
40Chatham County33,382
41Rutherford County32,635
42Watauga County32,602
43Wilkes County31,783
44Pender County29,658
45Franklin County28,972
46Stanly County27,600
47Macon County26,767
48Lenoir County26,696
49Jackson County26,603
50Lee County26,291
51Sampson County25,713
52Halifax County24,859
53Beaufort County24,292
54Granville County24,134
55Duplin County23,965
56Columbus County23,763
57Edgecombe County23,293
58Stokes County21,283
59McDowell County21,223
60Hoke County20,114
61Richmond County19,767
62Vance County19,384
63Transylvania County19,035
64Davie County18,614
65Person County18,288
66Cherokee County17,852
67Pasquotank County17,342
68Yadkin County17,013
69Ashe County17,006
70Alexander County15,997
71Currituck County15,843
72Bladen County15,459
73Montgomery County14,933
74Scotland County14,445
75Avery County13,843
76Warren County11,382
77Yancey County11,224
78Martin County11,139
79Madison County10,995
80Polk County10,873
81Northampton County10,690
82Caswell County10,483
83Anson County10,027
84Hertford County9,898
85Bertie County9,043
86Mitchell County8,663
87Swain County8,401
88Greene County7,898
89Alleghany County7,721
90Clay County7,292
91Pamlico County7,197
92Chowan County7,154
93Perquimans County6,896
94Washington County6,090
95Graham County5,310
96Gates County4,816
97Jones County4,681
98Camden County4,122
99Hyde County2,980
100Tyrrell County1,925

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/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-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, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25001.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units, Counties in North Carolina by housing units, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25001.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/north-carolina-counties?period=2021. 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, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25001.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/north-carolina-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units, Counties in North Carolina by housing units, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25001.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/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 B25001: total housing units: Counties in North Carolina by housing units, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25001.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/north-carolina-counties?period=2021. 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/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-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, 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-b25001.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/north-carolina-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/north-carolina-counties?period=2021.
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/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest housing units?

Mecklenburg County, with 469,298 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest housing units?

Tyrrell County, with 1,925 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 B25001: total housing units. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Housing units: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings