USStateMap

North Carolina County Map

North Carolina has 100 counties. Wake County, whose seat is Raleigh, the state capital, is the most populous with 1,129,410 residents in 2020, just ahead of Mecklenburg County (Charlotte). Robeson County is the largest by land area at 947.3 sq mi.

County map of North Carolina showing all 100 counties

Counties are switched on when the interactive map loads. Hover over a county to see its name, or untick Show counties to hide the county lines.

100counties
Wakemost populous: 1,129,410
Robesonlargest: 947.3 sq mi
Chowansmallest: 172.7 sq mi

List of North Carolina counties

All 100 counties in alphabetical order. Click a column heading to sort by seat, population or land area.

CountyCounty seatPopulation (2020)Land area (sq mi)
Alamance CountyGraham171,415423.5
Alexander CountyTaylorsville36,444260.0
Alleghany CountySparta10,888234.8
Anson CountyWadesboro22,055531.5
Ashe CountyJefferson26,577426.3
Avery CountyNewland17,806247.3
Beaufort CountyWashington44,652832.7
Bertie CountyWindsor17,934699.2
Bladen CountyElizabethtown29,606875.0
Brunswick CountyBolivia136,693850.1
Buncombe CountyAsheville269,452656.5
Burke CountyMorganton87,570506.2
Cabarrus CountyConcord225,804361.2
Caldwell CountyLenoir80,652471.9
Camden CountyCamden10,355240.3
Carteret CountyBeaufort67,686507.6
Caswell CountyYanceyville22,736425.4
Catawba CountyNewton160,610401.4
Chatham CountyPittsboro76,285681.7
Cherokee CountyMurphy28,774455.5
Chowan CountyEdenton13,708172.7
Clay CountyHayesville11,089215.0
Cleveland CountyShelby99,519464.2
Columbus CountyWhiteville50,623938.1
Craven CountyNew Bern100,720706.6
Cumberland CountyFayetteville334,728652.6
Currituck CountyCurrituck28,100261.9
Dare CountyManteo36,915383.2
Davidson CountyLexington168,930553.2
Davie CountyMocksville42,712263.7
Duplin CountyKenansville48,715814.7
Durham CountyDurham324,833286.5
Edgecombe CountyTarboro48,900505.4
Forsyth CountyWinston-Salem382,590407.9
Franklin CountyLouisburg68,573491.8
Gaston CountyGastonia227,943355.8
Gates CountyGatesville10,478340.6
Graham CountyRobbinsville8,030292.0
Granville CountyOxford60,992532.0
Greene CountySnow Hill20,451266.7
Guilford CountyGreensboro541,299645.9
Halifax CountyHalifax48,622723.7
Harnett CountyLillington133,568594.9
Haywood CountyWaynesville62,089553.6
Henderson CountyHendersonville116,281372.9
Hertford CountyWinton21,552353.2
Hoke CountyRaeford52,082390.2
Hyde CountySwan Quarter4,589612.3
Iredell CountyStatesville186,693574.4
Jackson CountySylva43,109491.1
Johnston CountySmithfield215,999792.0
Jones CountyTrenton9,172471.4
Lee CountySanford63,285255.1
Lenoir CountyKinston55,122399.1
Lincoln CountyLincolnton86,810295.8
Macon CountyFranklin37,014515.6
Madison CountyMarshall21,193449.6
Martin CountyWilliamston22,031456.4
McDowell CountyMarion44,578440.0
Mecklenburg CountyCharlotte1,115,482523.6
Mitchell CountyBakersville14,903221.3
Montgomery CountyTroy25,751491.5
Moore CountyCarthage99,727697.7
Nash CountyNashville94,970540.4
New Hanover CountyWilmington225,702192.3
Northampton CountyJackson17,471536.7
Onslow CountyJacksonville204,576762.1
Orange CountyHillsborough148,696397.6
Pamlico CountyBayboro12,276336.5
Pasquotank CountyElizabeth City40,568226.9
Pender CountyBurgaw60,203871.3
Perquimans CountyHertford13,005247.2
Person CountyRoxboro39,097392.3
Pitt CountyGreenville170,243652.4
Polk CountyColumbus19,328237.7
Randolph CountyAsheboro144,171782.3
Richmond CountyRockingham42,946473.7
Robeson CountyLumberton116,530947.3
Rockingham CountyWentworth91,096565.6
Rowan CountySalisbury146,875511.6
Rutherford CountyRutherfordton64,444565.4
Sampson CountyClinton59,036945.9
Scotland CountyLaurinburg34,174319.1
Stanly CountyAlbemarle62,504395.1
Stokes CountyDanbury44,520449.3
Surry CountyDobson71,359532.6
Swain CountyBryson City14,117527.7
Transylvania CountyBrevard32,986378.4
Tyrrell CountyColumbia3,245390.8
Union CountyMonroe238,267632.7
Vance CountyHenderson42,578252.4
Wake CountyRaleigh1,129,410834.6
Warren CountyWarrenton18,642429.4
Washington CountyPlymouth11,003346.5
Watauga CountyBoone54,086312.4
Wayne CountyGoldsboro117,333553.9
Wilkes CountyWilkesboro65,969753.7
Wilson CountyWilson78,784367.6
Yadkin CountyYadkinville37,214334.9
Yancey CountyBurnsville18,470312.6

Most populous counties

The five largest counties by 2020 population hold 33.6% of North Carolina’s 10,439,388 residents:

  1. Wake County (seat: Raleigh): 1,129,410 people, 10.8% of the state
  2. Mecklenburg County (seat: Charlotte): 1,115,482 people, 10.7% of the state
  3. Guilford County (seat: Greensboro): 541,299 people, 5.2% of the state
  4. Forsyth County (seat: Winston-Salem): 382,590 people, 3.7% of the state
  5. Cumberland County (seat: Fayetteville): 334,728 people, 3.2% of the state

The least populous county is Tyrrell County, with 3,245 people.

Largest and smallest counties

By land area, the largest counties are Robeson County (947.3 sq mi), Sampson County (945.9 sq mi) and Columbus County (938.1 sq mi). The smallest are Chowan County (172.7 sq mi), New Hanover County (192.3 sq mi) and Clay County (215.0 sq mi). Areas exclude water.

How counties work in North Carolina

All 100 counties have a county government, led by an elected board of county commissioners, and a county seat. In the 2020 Census, Wake County passed Mecklenburg County by 13,928 people; the two counties together hold 21.5% of the state’s population.

Land area and total area differ most on the coast. Dare County, which includes much of the Outer Banks, has 383.2 sq mi of land but 1,541.7 sq mi in total once sounds and ocean waters are counted.

Printable North Carolina county maps

Download the labeled county map for reference or the blank version for coloring and geography practice; both are SVG files that print sharply at any size.

Labeled county map of North Carolina
Labeled SVGBlank SVGState outline PNG

Frequently asked questions

How many counties are in North Carolina?

100. The least populous is Tyrrell County, with 3,245 people in 2020.

What is the largest county in North Carolina?

By land area, Robeson County (947.3 sq mi), narrowly ahead of Sampson County (945.9 sq mi). By total area including water, it is Dare County.

What is the most populous county in North Carolina?

Wake County, with 1,129,410 people in 2020, followed by Mecklenburg County with 1,115,482.

What county is Charlotte in?

Charlotte, the largest city, is the seat of Mecklenburg County. Raleigh, the capital, is the seat of Wake County.

More maps

Back to the North Carolina state map. County maps of neighboring states: Virginia county map · Tennessee county map · Georgia county map · South Carolina county map.

Browse all 50 state maps.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Census, 2020 Gazetteer, boundaries); county seats: Wikipedia and Wikidata county lists. Last reviewed October 2026.