Cities in North Carolina by population

Charlotte, NC had the highest population of 93 cities in 2022, at 898,017. Zebulon, NC had the lowest, at 8,634. The median was 21,250 and the figure for North Carolina was 10.71 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest898,017Charlotte, NC

Lowest8,634Zebulon, NC

Median21,25093 cities

North Carolina10,705,768History

Top 40 cities, 2022

persons. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2022 persons	Change on 2021
1	Charlotte, NC	898,017	+1.8%
2	Raleigh, NC	475,226	+0.7%
3	Greensboro, NC	300,706	+0.9%
4	Durham, NC	290,678	+1.4%
5	Winston-Salem, NC	251,395	+0.4%
6	Fayetteville, NC	211,271	-0.4%
7	Cary, NC	180,126	+1.8%
8	Wilmington, NC	121,400	+2.9%
9	High Point, NC	115,625	+0.5%
10	Concord, NC	108,747	+1.6%
11	Asheville, NC	93,951	-0.3%
12	Greenville, NC	92,705	+1.1%
13	Gastonia, NC	82,682	+1.6%
14	Apex, NC	71,054	+4%
15	Jacksonville, NC	70,597	+0.3%
16	Huntersville, NC	63,812	+3%
17	Chapel Hill, NC	62,176	+0.7%
18	Burlington, NC	59,574	+0.5%
19	Kannapolis, NC	57,699	+2.4%
20	Rocky Mount, NC	54,710	+0.4%
21	Mooresville, NC	52,756	+2%
22	Wake Forest, NC	52,293	+2.7%
23	Wilson, NC	48,683	-0%
24	Holly Springs, NC	45,813	+5.4%
25	Hickory, NC	44,178	+0.8%
26	Indian Trail, NC	41,869	+1.7%
27	Fuquay-Varina, NC	40,716	+10.6%
28	Monroe, NC	36,106	+2.9%
29	Salisbury, NC	35,597	+1.4%
30	Goldsboro, NC	34,134	-0.1%
31	Garner, NC	33,890	+5.3%
32	Cornelius, NC	32,686	+3.1%
33	New Bern, NC	32,552	+2.3%
34	Morrisville, NC	31,621	+0.6%
35	Sanford, NC	31,312	+2.5%
36	Matthews, NC	30,541	+3.2%
37	Statesville, NC	29,761	+1.8%
38	Leland, NC	29,435	+7.6%
39	Clayton, NC	29,426	+3.8%
40	Kernersville, NC	27,810	+3.5%
41	Asheboro, NC	27,571	+0.6%
42	Mint Hill, NC	27,467	+3%
43	Thomasville, NC	27,257	+0.3%
44	Waxhaw, NC	22,559	+3.9%
45	Shelby, NC	21,866	-0.2%
46	Clemmons, NC	21,865	+1.6%
47	Carrboro, NC	21,250	+0.3%
48	Boone, NC	20,096	-0.1%
49	Knightdale, NC	19,748	+0.7%
50	Mebane, NC	19,718	+4.7%
51	Lexington, NC	19,641	+0.5%
52	Harrisburg, NC	19,633	+1.6%
53	Kinston, NC	19,323	-1%
54	Elizabeth City, NC	19,006	+0.2%
55	Lumberton, NC	18,820	-0.2%
56	Pinehurst, NC	18,437	+1.8%
57	Lenoir, NC	18,225	-0.5%
58	Mount Holly, NC	18,137	+0.9%
59	Graham, NC	18,011	+4.2%
60	Hope Mills, NC	17,859	-0.3%
61	Havelock, NC	17,775	-1%
62	Morganton, NC	17,760	+1.9%
63	Stallings, NC	16,791	+1.7%
64	Albemarle, NC	16,712	+1.4%
65	Southern Pines, NC	16,570	+2.8%
66	Davidson, NC	15,702	+2.9%
67	Belmont, NC	15,475	+1%
68	Hendersonville, NC	15,399	+0.8%
69	Eden, NC	15,389	+0.5%
70	Laurinburg, NC	14,954	-0.1%
71	Henderson, NC	14,933	0%
72	Roanoke Rapids, NC	14,835	-1.6%
73	Reidsville, NC	14,570	+0.2%
74	Lewisville, NC	13,824	+1.5%
75	Weddington, NC	13,729	+1.7%
76	Newton, NC	13,307	+0.8%
77	Wendell, NC	12,443	+7.4%
78	Smithfield, NC	12,132	+2.9%
79	Archdale, NC	11,997	+0.3%
80	Lincolnton, NC	11,821	+3.3%
81	Kings Mountain, NC	11,790	+2.7%
82	Spring Lake, NC	11,285	-2%
83	Summerfield, NC	11,072	+0.8%
84	Pineville, NC	11,012	+2.9%
85	Elon, NC	10,993	+2%
86	Tarboro, NC	10,737	+1.8%
87	Winterville, NC	10,729	+0.7%
88	Rolesville, NC	10,662	+4.3%
89	Mount Airy, NC	10,640	+0.2%
90	Waynesville, NC	10,597	+3.1%
91	Morehead City, NC	9,866	+1.4%
92	Aberdeen, NC	9,331	+2.3%
93	Zebulon, NC	8,634	+8.4%

Other periods

About this ranking

Resident population. Spain and the EU: 1 January, with Spanish figures from the official municipal register (Padrón). Norway: Statistics Norway, 1 January. Iceland and its municipalities: Statistics Iceland, 1 January. United States: Census Bureau population estimates for 1 July. United Kingdom regions and local authorities: Office for National Statistics estimates for 30 June. Other countries and the World: World Bank mid-year estimates, which count all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. UN World Population Prospects estimates for 1 July cover the years before 1960 and the areas the World Bank does not publish, such as Taiwan.

The World Bank series exists for every country, so use it (through compare) to rank countries on one basis.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. 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). Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals) (Cities in North Carolina by population, 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/

MLA 9

Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals), Cities in North Carolina by population, 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 14 May 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/north-carolina-cities?period=2022. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). Cities in North Carolina by population, 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/north-carolina-cities?period=2022.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals), Cities in North Carolina by population, 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/north-carolina-cities?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_north_carolina_2022,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals): Cities in North Carolina by population, 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/north-carolina-cities?period=2022. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals): Cities in North Carolina by population, 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/14
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/north-carolina-cities?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/north-carolina-cities?period=2022.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Rank Cities in North Carolina by population using official data, and cite the source.

rank_places {"indicator":"population","level":"municipality","within":"North Carolina","limit":10}
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Questions

Which city has the highest population?

Charlotte, NC, with 898,017 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest population?

Zebulon, NC, with 8,634 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, Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). Retrieved 2026-10-12.