Data / Rankings / Population / Cities in North Carolina

Cities in North Carolina by population

Charlotte, NC had the highest population of 93 cities in 2023, at 918,270. Zebulon, NC had the lowest, at 9,428. The median was 21,164 and the figure for North Carolina was 10.87 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest918,270Charlotte, NC
Lowest9,428Zebulon, NC
Median21,16493 cities
North Carolina10,871,849History

Top 40 cities, 2023

Charlotte, NC: 918,270 personsCharlotte, NC918,270Raleigh, NC: 490,503 personsRaleigh, NC490,503Greensboro, NC: 303,093 personsGreensboro, NC303,093Durham, NC: 295,264 personsDurham, NC295,264Winston-Salem, NC: 253,320 personsWinston-Salem, NC253,320Fayetteville, NC: 209,625 personsFayetteville, NC209,625Cary, NC: 180,693 personsCary, NC180,693Wilmington, NC: 123,607 personsWilmington, NC123,607High Point, NC: 117,337 personsHigh Point, NC117,337Concord, NC: 110,403 personsConcord, NC110,403Asheville, NC: 95,173 personsAsheville, NC95,173Greenville, NC: 93,708 personsGreenville, NC93,708Gastonia, NC: 84,411 personsGastonia, NC84,411Apex, NC: 72,600 personsApex, NC72,600Jacksonville, NC: 71,041 personsJacksonville, NC71,041Huntersville, NC: 65,163 personsHuntersville, NC65,163Chapel Hill, NC: 62,929 personsChapel Hill, NC62,929Burlington, NC: 60,288 personsBurlington, NC60,288Kannapolis, NC: 59,565 personsKannapolis, NC59,565Rocky Mount, NC: 54,952 personsRocky Mount, NC54,952Wake Forest, NC: 54,265 personsWake Forest, NC54,265Mooresville, NC: 53,840 personsMooresville, NC53,840Wilson, NC: 49,145 personsWilson, NC49,145Holly Springs, NC: 46,407 personsHolly Springs, NC46,407Hickory, NC: 44,617 personsHickory, NC44,617Fuquay-Varina, NC: 43,955 personsFuquay-Varina, NC43,955Indian Trail, NC: 43,089 personsIndian Trail, NC43,089Monroe, NC: 37,990 personsMonroe, NC37,990Salisbury, NC: 36,181 personsSalisbury, NC36,181Garner, NC: 35,647 personsGarner, NC35,647Goldsboro, NC: 34,574 personsGoldsboro, NC34,574New Bern, NC: 33,784 personsNew Bern, NC33,784Cornelius, NC: 33,371 personsCornelius, NC33,371Sanford, NC: 32,206 personsSanford, NC32,206Morrisville, NC: 31,999 personsMorrisville, NC31,999Leland, NC: 31,379 personsLeland, NC31,379Matthews, NC: 31,167 personsMatthews, NC31,167Statesville, NC: 30,255 personsStatesville, NC30,255Clayton, NC: 30,247 personsClayton, NC30,247Kernersville, NC: 28,084 personsKernersville, NC28,084Charlotte, NC: 918,270 personsCharlotte, NC918,270Raleigh, NC: 490,503 personsRaleigh, NC490,503Greensboro, NC: 303,093 personsGreensboro, NC303,093Durham, NC: 295,264 personsDurham, NC295,264Winston-Salem, NC: 253,320 personsWinston-Salem, NC253,320Fayetteville, NC: 209,625 personsFayetteville, NC209,625Cary, NC: 180,693 personsCary, NC180,693Wilmington, NC: 123,607 personsWilmington, NC123,607High Point, NC: 117,337 personsHigh Point, NC117,337Concord, NC: 110,403 personsConcord, NC110,403Asheville, NC: 95,173 personsAsheville, NC95,173Greenville, NC: 93,708 personsGreenville, NC93,708Gastonia, NC: 84,411 personsGastonia, NC84,411Apex, NC: 72,600 personsApex, NC72,600Jacksonville, NC: 71,041 personsJacksonville, NC71,041Huntersville, NC: 65,163 personsHuntersville, NC65,163Chapel Hill, NC: 62,929 personsChapel Hill, NC62,929Burlington, NC: 60,288 personsBurlington, NC60,288Kannapolis, NC: 59,565 personsKannapolis, NC59,565Rocky Mount, NC: 54,952 personsRocky Mount, NC54,952Wake Forest, NC: 54,265 personsWake Forest, NC54,265Mooresville, NC: 53,840 personsMooresville, NC53,840Wilson, NC: 49,145 personsWilson, NC49,145Holly Springs, NC: 46,407 personsHolly Springs, NC46,407Hickory, NC: 44,617 personsHickory, NC44,617Fuquay-Varina, NC: 43,955 personsFuquay-Varina, NC43,955Indian Trail, NC: 43,089 personsIndian Trail, NC43,089Monroe, NC: 37,990 personsMonroe, NC37,990Salisbury, NC: 36,181 personsSalisbury, NC36,181Garner, NC: 35,647 personsGarner, NC35,647Goldsboro, NC: 34,574 personsGoldsboro, NC34,574New Bern, NC: 33,784 personsNew Bern, NC33,784Cornelius, NC: 33,371 personsCornelius, NC33,371Sanford, NC: 32,206 personsSanford, NC32,206Morrisville, NC: 31,999 personsMorrisville, NC31,999Leland, NC: 31,379 personsLeland, NC31,379Matthews, NC: 31,167 personsMatthews, NC31,167Statesville, NC: 30,255 personsStatesville, NC30,255Clayton, NC: 30,247 personsClayton, NC30,247Kernersville, NC: 28,084 personsKernersville, NC28,084
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

RankCities2023
persons		Change on 2022
1Charlotte, NC918,270+2.3%
2Raleigh, NC490,503+3.2%
3Greensboro, NC303,093+0.8%
4Durham, NC295,264+1.6%
5Winston-Salem, NC253,320+0.8%
6Fayetteville, NC209,625-0.8%
7Cary, NC180,693+0.3%
8Wilmington, NC123,607+1.8%
9High Point, NC117,337+1.5%
10Concord, NC110,403+1.5%
11Asheville, NC95,173+1.3%
12Greenville, NC93,708+1.1%
13Gastonia, NC84,411+2.1%
14Apex, NC72,600+2.2%
15Jacksonville, NC71,041+0.6%
16Huntersville, NC65,163+2.1%
17Chapel Hill, NC62,929+1.2%
18Burlington, NC60,288+1.2%
19Kannapolis, NC59,565+3.2%
20Rocky Mount, NC54,952+0.4%
21Wake Forest, NC54,265+3.8%
22Mooresville, NC53,840+2.1%
23Wilson, NC49,145+0.9%
24Holly Springs, NC46,407+1.3%
25Hickory, NC44,617+1%
26Fuquay-Varina, NC43,955+8%
27Indian Trail, NC43,089+2.9%
28Monroe, NC37,990+5.2%
29Salisbury, NC36,181+1.6%
30Garner, NC35,647+5.2%
31Goldsboro, NC34,574+1.3%
32New Bern, NC33,784+3.8%
33Cornelius, NC33,371+2.1%
34Sanford, NC32,206+2.9%
35Morrisville, NC31,999+1.2%
36Leland, NC31,379+6.6%
37Matthews, NC31,167+2%
38Statesville, NC30,255+1.7%
39Clayton, NC30,247+2.8%
40Kernersville, NC28,084+1%
41Mint Hill, NC28,034+2.1%
42Asheboro, NC27,815+0.9%
43Thomasville, NC27,409+0.6%
44Waxhaw, NC23,155+2.6%
45Clemmons, NC22,200+1.5%
46Shelby, NC22,074+1%
47Carrboro, NC21,164-0.4%
48Knightdale, NC20,418+3.4%
49Boone, NC20,352+1.3%
50Mebane, NC20,279+2.8%
51Harrisburg, NC19,972+1.7%
52Lexington, NC19,764+0.6%
53Kinston, NC19,451+0.7%
54Elizabeth City, NC19,175+0.9%
55Lumberton, NC18,979+0.8%
56Pinehurst, NC18,428-0%
57Mount Holly, NC18,427+1.6%
58Graham, NC18,403+2.2%
59Lenoir, NC18,297+0.4%
60Hope Mills, NC18,039+1%
61Morganton, NC17,721-0.2%
62Havelock, NC17,444-1.9%
63Stallings, NC17,275+2.9%
64Albemarle, NC17,015+1.8%
65Southern Pines, NC16,800+1.4%
66Davidson, NC15,941+1.5%
67Belmont, NC15,858+2.5%
68Hendersonville, NC15,541+0.9%
69Eden, NC15,372-0.1%
70Laurinburg, NC14,9590%
71Henderson, NC14,9400%
72Roanoke Rapids, NC14,667-1.1%
73Reidsville, NC14,600+0.2%
74Wendell, NC14,444+16.1%
75Weddington, NC14,125+2.9%
76Lewisville, NC14,041+1.6%
77Newton, NC13,427+0.9%
78Smithfield, NC12,476+2.8%
79Lincolnton, NC12,138+2.7%
80Archdale, NC12,125+1.1%
81Kings Mountain, NC11,962+1.5%
82Rolesville, NC11,361+6.6%
83Pineville, NC11,251+2.2%
84Spring Lake, NC11,222-0.6%
85Elon, NC11,170+1.6%
86Summerfield, NC11,169+0.9%
87Tarboro, NC10,926+1.8%
88Winterville, NC10,822+0.9%
89Waynesville, NC10,638+0.4%
90Mount Airy, NC10,621-0.2%
91Morehead City, NC9,902+0.4%
92Aberdeen, NC9,516+2%
93Zebulon, NC9,428+9.2%

Other periods

About this ranking

Resident population.

More on how it is measured
  • 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, 2023) [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, 2023. 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=2023. 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, 2023. 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=2023.

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, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/north-carolina-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_north_carolina_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  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=2023. 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, 2023
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=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/north-carolina-cities?period=2023.
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.
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Questions

Which city has the highest population?

Charlotte, NC, with 918,270 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest population?

Zebulon, NC, with 9,428 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, Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Population: other rankings

Cities in North Carolina: more rankings