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 2022, at 481,307. Tyrrell County had the lowest, at 1,845. The median was 26,123 and the figure for North Carolina was 4.74 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest481,307Mecklenburg County
Lowest1,845Tyrrell County
Median26,123100 counties
North Carolina4,739,881History

Map of counties, 2022

Alamance County: 74,055 countAlexander County: 16,035 countAlleghany County: 7,726 countAnson County: 9,963 countAshe County: 17,026 countAvery County: 13,915 countBeaufort County: 24,299 countBertie County: 9,008 countBladen County: 15,348 countBrunswick County: 90,454 countBuncombe County: 130,081 countBurke County: 39,773 countCabarrus County: 88,031 countCaldwell County: 37,125 countCamden County: 4,170 countCarteret County: 51,096 countCaswell County: 10,493 countCatawba County: 71,047 countChatham County: 34,190 countCherokee County: 18,006 countChowan County: 7,162 countClay County: 7,320 countCleveland County: 43,782 countColumbus County: 23,641 countCraven County: 47,051 countCumberland County: 142,702 countCurrituck County: 16,219 countDare County: 34,493 countDavidson County: 74,958 countDavie County: 18,845 countDuplin County: 23,865 countDurham County: 145,518 countEdgecombe County: 23,229 countForsyth County: 171,040 countFranklin County: 29,764 countGaston County: 98,616 countGates County: 4,819 countGraham County: 5,272 countGranville County: 24,344 countGreene County: 7,889 countGuilford County: 233,332 countHalifax County: 24,847 countHarnett County: 53,252 countHaywood County: 35,051 countHenderson County: 56,744 countHertford County: 9,864 countHoke County: 20,322 countHyde County: 2,939 countIredell County: 79,853 countJackson County: 26,967 countJohnston County: 85,278 countJones County: 4,669 countLee County: 26,560 countLenoir County: 26,681 countLincoln County: 37,715 countMcDowell County: 21,328 countMacon County: 26,929 countMadison County: 11,092 countMartin County: 11,108 countMecklenburg County: 481,307 countMitchell County: 8,665 countMontgomery County: 14,926 countMoore County: 48,595 countNash County: 43,320 countNew Hanover County: 114,625 countNorthampton County: 10,652 countOnslow County: 84,531 countOrange County: 61,213 countPamlico County: 7,206 countPasquotank County: 17,445 countPender County: 30,283 countPerquimans County: 6,906 countPerson County: 18,372 countPitt County: 80,763 countPolk County: 10,881 countRandolph County: 62,249 countRichmond County: 19,768 countRobeson County: 48,811 countRockingham County: 43,586 countRowan County: 63,508 countRutherford County: 32,640 countSampson County: 25,685 countScotland County: 14,422 countStanly County: 27,802 countStokes County: 21,285 countSurry County: 33,549 countSwain County: 8,451 countTransylvania County: 19,072 countTyrrell County: 1,845 countUnion County: 84,798 countVance County: 19,392 countWake County: 466,760 countWarren County: 11,438 countWashington County: 6,061 countWatauga County: 32,783 countWayne County: 52,882 countWilkes County: 31,743 countWilson County: 36,429 countYadkin County: 17,065 countYancey County: 11,266 count
  • Under 10K
  • 10K to 17K
  • 17K to 26K
  • 26K to 38K
  • 38K to 75K
  • 75K and over
count, 2022. 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, 2022

Mecklenburg County: 481,307 countMecklenburg County481,307Wake County: 466,760 countWake County466,760Guilford County: 233,332 countGuilford County233,332Forsyth County: 171,040 countForsyth County171,040Durham County: 145,518 countDurham County145,518Cumberland County: 142,702 countCumberland County142,702Buncombe County: 130,081 countBuncombe County130,081New Hanover County: 114,625 countNew Hanover County114,625Gaston County: 98,616 countGaston County98,616Brunswick County: 90,454 countBrunswick County90,454Cabarrus County: 88,031 countCabarrus County88,031Johnston County: 85,278 countJohnston County85,278Union County: 84,798 countUnion County84,798Onslow County: 84,531 countOnslow County84,531Pitt County: 80,763 countPitt County80,763Iredell County: 79,853 countIredell County79,853Davidson County: 74,958 countDavidson County74,958Alamance County: 74,055 countAlamance County74,055Catawba County: 71,047 countCatawba County71,047Rowan County: 63,508 countRowan County63,508Randolph County: 62,249 countRandolph County62,249Orange County: 61,213 countOrange County61,213Henderson County: 56,744 countHenderson County56,744Harnett County: 53,252 countHarnett County53,252Wayne County: 52,882 countWayne County52,882Carteret County: 51,096 countCarteret County51,096Robeson County: 48,811 countRobeson County48,811Moore County: 48,595 countMoore County48,595Craven County: 47,051 countCraven County47,051Cleveland County: 43,782 countCleveland County43,782Rockingham County: 43,586 countRockingham County43,586Nash County: 43,320 countNash County43,320Burke County: 39,773 countBurke County39,773Lincoln County: 37,715 countLincoln County37,715Caldwell County: 37,125 countCaldwell County37,125Wilson County: 36,429 countWilson County36,429Haywood County: 35,051 countHaywood County35,051Dare County: 34,493 countDare County34,493Chatham County: 34,190 countChatham County34,190Surry County: 33,549 countSurry County33,549Mecklenburg County: 481,307 countMecklenburg County481,307Wake County: 466,760 countWake County466,760Guilford County: 233,332 countGuilford County233,332Forsyth County: 171,040 countForsyth County171,040Durham County: 145,518 countDurham County145,518Cumberland County: 142,702 countCumberland County142,702Buncombe County: 130,081 countBuncombe County130,081New Hanover County: 114,625 countNew Hanover County114,625Gaston County: 98,616 countGaston County98,616Brunswick County: 90,454 countBrunswick County90,454Cabarrus County: 88,031 countCabarrus County88,031Johnston County: 85,278 countJohnston County85,278Union County: 84,798 countUnion County84,798Onslow County: 84,531 countOnslow County84,531Pitt County: 80,763 countPitt County80,763Iredell County: 79,853 countIredell County79,853Davidson County: 74,958 countDavidson County74,958Alamance County: 74,055 countAlamance County74,055Catawba County: 71,047 countCatawba County71,047Rowan County: 63,508 countRowan County63,508Randolph County: 62,249 countRandolph County62,249Orange County: 61,213 countOrange County61,213Henderson County: 56,744 countHenderson County56,744Harnett County: 53,252 countHarnett County53,252Wayne County: 52,882 countWayne County52,882Carteret County: 51,096 countCarteret County51,096Robeson County: 48,811 countRobeson County48,811Moore County: 48,595 countMoore County48,595Craven County: 47,051 countCraven County47,051Cleveland County: 43,782 countCleveland County43,782Rockingham County: 43,586 countRockingham County43,586Nash County: 43,320 countNash County43,320Burke County: 39,773 countBurke County39,773Lincoln County: 37,715 countLincoln County37,715Caldwell County: 37,125 countCaldwell County37,125Wilson County: 36,429 countWilson County36,429Haywood County: 35,051 countHaywood County35,051Dare County: 34,493 countDare County34,493Chatham County: 34,190 countChatham County34,190Surry County: 33,549 countSurry County33,549
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2022
count		Change on 2021
1Mecklenburg County481,307+2.6%
2Wake County466,760+2.7%
3Guilford County233,332+0.8%
4Forsyth County171,040+1.3%
5Durham County145,518+2.3%
6Cumberland County142,702+0.1%
7Buncombe County130,081+1.7%
8New Hanover County114,625+2%
9Gaston County98,616+1.6%
10Brunswick County90,454+3.5%
11Cabarrus County88,031+2.7%
12Johnston County85,278+3.7%
13Union County84,798+2.2%
14Onslow County84,531+1.7%
15Pitt County80,763+1.1%
16Iredell County79,853+2.2%
17Davidson County74,958+0.7%
18Alamance County74,055+1.9%
19Catawba County71,047+1.1%
20Rowan County63,508+1%
21Randolph County62,249+0.4%
22Orange County61,213+1.5%
23Henderson County56,744+0.8%
24Harnett County53,252+1.3%
25Wayne County52,882+0.3%
26Carteret County51,096+0.9%
27Robeson County48,811-0.2%
28Moore County48,595+1.5%
29Craven County47,051+0.6%
30Cleveland County43,782+0.4%
31Rockingham County43,586+0.3%
32Nash County43,320+0.5%
33Burke County39,773+0.3%
34Lincoln County37,715+2.5%
35Caldwell County37,125+0.2%
36Wilson County36,429+0.6%
37Haywood County35,051+0.5%
38Dare County34,493+0.8%
39Chatham County34,190+2.4%
40Surry County33,549+0.2%
41Watauga County32,783+0.6%
42Rutherford County32,6400%
43Wilkes County31,743-0.1%
44Pender County30,283+2.1%
45Franklin County29,764+2.7%
46Stanly County27,802+0.7%
47Jackson County26,967+1.4%
48Macon County26,929+0.6%
49Lenoir County26,681-0.1%
50Lee County26,560+1%
51Sampson County25,685-0.1%
52Halifax County24,847-0%
53Granville County24,344+0.9%
54Beaufort County24,2990%
55Duplin County23,865-0.4%
56Columbus County23,641-0.5%
57Edgecombe County23,229-0.3%
58McDowell County21,328+0.5%
59Stokes County21,2850%
60Hoke County20,322+1%
61Richmond County19,7680%
62Vance County19,3920%
63Transylvania County19,072+0.2%
64Davie County18,845+1.2%
65Person County18,372+0.5%
66Cherokee County18,006+0.9%
67Pasquotank County17,445+0.6%
68Yadkin County17,065+0.3%
69Ashe County17,026+0.1%
70Currituck County16,219+2.4%
71Alexander County16,035+0.2%
72Bladen County15,348-0.7%
73Montgomery County14,926-0%
74Scotland County14,422-0.2%
75Avery County13,915+0.5%
76Warren County11,438+0.5%
77Yancey County11,266+0.4%
78Martin County11,108-0.3%
79Madison County11,092+0.9%
80Polk County10,881+0.1%
81Northampton County10,652-0.4%
82Caswell County10,493+0.1%
83Anson County9,963-0.6%
84Hertford County9,864-0.3%
85Bertie County9,008-0.4%
86Mitchell County8,6650%
87Swain County8,451+0.6%
88Greene County7,889-0.1%
89Alleghany County7,726+0.1%
90Clay County7,320+0.4%
91Pamlico County7,206+0.1%
92Chowan County7,162+0.1%
93Perquimans County6,906+0.1%
94Washington County6,061-0.5%
95Graham County5,272-0.7%
96Gates County4,819+0.1%
97Jones County4,669-0.3%
98Camden County4,170+1.2%
99Hyde County2,939-1.4%
100Tyrrell County1,845-4.2%

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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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, 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25001.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units, Counties in North Carolina by housing units, 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25001.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/north-carolina-counties?period=2022. 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, 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25001.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/north-carolina-counties?period=2022.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units, Counties in North Carolina by housing units, 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25001.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/north-carolina-counties?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2022,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25001: total housing units: Counties in North Carolina by housing units, 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25001.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/north-carolina-counties?period=2022. 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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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, 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25001.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/north-carolina-counties?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-units/north-carolina-counties?period=2022.
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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest housing units?

Mecklenburg County, with 481,307 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest housing units?

Tyrrell County, with 1,845 in 2022.

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