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North Carolina: largest cities

Ranked from official statistics; every city opens its own guide.

In short: North Carolina: Charlotte has the most residents (903,844) among the 100 largest places.
Charlotte (903,844 residents)Raleigh (481,031 residents)Greensboro (301,198 residents)Durham (291,467 residents)Winston-Salem (252,037 residents)Fayetteville (210,815 residents)Cary (179,306 residents)Wilmington (120,805 residents)High Point (116,245 residents)Concord (108,719 residents)Asheville (94,535 residents)Greenville (92,857 residents)Gastonia (82,884 residents)Jacksonville (71,279 residents)Apex (70,630 residents)Huntersville (63,969 residents)Chapel Hill (61,607 residents)Burlington (59,610 residents)Kannapolis (57,890 residents)Rocky Mount (54,297 residents)Wake Forest (52,844 residents)Mooresville (52,381 residents)Wilson (48,370 residents)Holly Springs (45,248 residents)Hickory (44,258 residents)Indian Trail (42,036 residents)Fuquay-Varina (40,485 residents)Monroe (36,759 residents)Salisbury (35,825 residents)Garner (34,473 residents)Goldsboro (34,383 residents)Cornelius (32,783 residents)New Bern (32,734 residents)Sanford (31,478 residents)Morrisville (31,422 residents)Matthews (30,577 residents)Statesville (29,894 residents)Leland (29,607 residents)Clayton (29,320 residents)Kernersville (27,830 residents)Asheboro (27,580 residents)Mint Hill (27,556 residents)Thomasville (27,321 residents)Waxhaw (22,275 residents)Shelby (22,100 residents)Clemmons (21,871 residents)Carrboro (21,204 residents)Knightdale (20,214 residents)Boone (20,032 residents)Lexington (19,690 residents)Harrisburg (19,633 residents)Mebane (19,538 residents)Kinston (19,505 residents)Elizabeth City (18,871 residents)Lumberton (18,859 residents)Lenoir (18,299 residents)Pinehurst (18,256 residents)Mount Holly (18,208 residents)Graham (18,048 residents)Hope Mills (17,939 residents)Havelock (17,691 residents)Morganton (17,646 residents)Stallings (16,886 residents)Albemarle (16,762 residents)Southern Pines (16,420 residents)Murraysville (16,339 residents)Davidson (15,660 residents)Belmont (15,546 residents)Hendersonville (15,408 residents)Eden (15,356 residents)Laurinburg (15,087 residents)Henderson (14,885 residents)Roanoke Rapids (14,856 residents)Reidsville (14,585 residents)Piney Green (14,078 residents)Anderson Creek (13,927 residents)Lewisville (13,828 residents)Weddington (13,805 residents)Newton (13,333 residents)Wendell (13,064 residents)Myrtle Grove (12,637 residents)Lake Norman of Iredell (12,494 residents)Smithfield (12,116 residents)Archdale (12,087 residents)Kings Mountain (12,039 residents)Lincolnton (11,783 residents)Spring Lake (11,573 residents)Spout Springs (11,242 residents)Summerfield (11,116 residents)Pineville (11,055 residents)Elon (11,032 residents)Tarboro (10,770 residents)Rolesville (10,766 residents)Winterville (10,725 residents)Mount Airy (10,633 residents)Waynesville (10,502 residents)Lake Norman of Catawba (9,906 residents)Morehead City (9,806 residents)Washington (9,726 residents)Hillsborough (9,724 residents)
Map of North Carolina: the 100 largest cities

Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.

Open the sortable tables of all 100 cities →

By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.

Charlotte#1
903,844population
100cities ranked
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Ranking

CITY (100 largest of North Carolina) Official statistics Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year (via Census Reporter) · Data: ACS 2020–2024

Among the 100 largest places in North Carolina, Charlotte has the most residents (903,844), followed by Raleigh and Greensboro. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.

What the ranking shows

Across the 100 places in North Carolina that we cover, the median is 19,690 and the average 53,616; the figure runs from 903,844 (Charlotte) to 9,724 (Hillsborough). That is a spread of 92.9 times between the two ends.

How to use it

The first five are Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham, Winston-Salem. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: size brings more employers and services but also longer commutes and more competition for housing. Use the Compare tab on each city page to see how two places differ across income, rent, commute and education, and check the county page for the local job market.

Sort:
# ⇅City ⇅County ⇅Population ⇅Median household income ⇅Median rent ⇅
1CharlotteMecklenburg County903,844$82,068$1,612
2RaleighWake County481,031$85,395$1,572
3GreensboroGuilford County301,198$61,515$1,172
4DurhamDurham County291,467$81,619$1,508
5Winston-SalemForsyth County252,037$59,268$1,087
6FayettevilleCumberland County210,815$58,407$1,250
7CaryWake County179,306$134,905$1,738
8WilmingtonNew Hanover County120,805$66,738$1,395
9High PointGuilford County116,245$64,561$1,116
10ConcordCabarrus County108,719$86,921$1,451
11AshevilleBuncombe County94,535$71,102$1,402
12GreenvillePitt County92,857$49,748$1,007
13GastoniaGaston County82,884$64,059$1,204
14JacksonvilleOnslow County71,279$57,697$1,321
15ApexWake County70,630$144,135$1,902
16HuntersvilleMecklenburg County63,969$120,516$1,834
17Chapel HillOrange County61,607$85,989$1,613
18BurlingtonAlamance County59,610$56,880$1,051
19KannapolisCabarrus County57,890$73,836$1,319
20Rocky MountNash County54,297$55,534$957
21Wake ForestWake County52,844$123,802$1,596
22MooresvilleIredell County52,381$89,647$1,626
23WilsonWilson County48,370$52,485$971
24Holly SpringsWake County45,248$135,578$2,021
25HickoryCatawba County44,258$64,576$1,063
26Indian TrailUnion County42,036$108,483$2,077
27Fuquay-VarinaWake County40,485$115,497$1,720
28MonroeUnion County36,759$72,540$1,246
29SalisburyRowan County35,825$53,716$1,071
30GarnerWake County34,473$78,756$1,549
31GoldsboroWayne County34,383$48,540$971
32CorneliusMecklenburg County32,783$113,767$1,722
33New BernCraven County32,734$61,031$1,081
34SanfordLee County31,478$57,586$1,052
35MorrisvilleWake County31,422$125,396$1,858
36MatthewsMecklenburg County30,577$108,611$1,764
37StatesvilleIredell County29,894$52,880$1,000
38LelandBrunswick County29,607$91,977$1,735
39ClaytonJohnston County29,320$78,822$1,661
40KernersvilleForsyth County27,830$71,918$1,082
41AsheboroRandolph County27,580$47,197$906
42Mint HillMecklenburg County27,556$100,860$1,528
43ThomasvilleDavidson County27,321$60,935$879
44WaxhawUnion County22,275$131,894$1,840
45ShelbyCleveland County22,100$48,376$945
46ClemmonsForsyth County21,871$87,655$1,269
47CarrboroOrange County21,204$85,743$1,470
48KnightdaleWake County20,214$103,220$1,674
49BooneWatauga County20,032$30,065$1,111
50LexingtonDavidson County19,690$43,128$893
51HarrisburgCabarrus County19,633$148,254$2,640
52MebaneAlamance County19,538$83,174$1,283
53KinstonLenoir County19,505$36,878$867
54Elizabeth CityPasquotank County18,871$52,141$1,117
55LumbertonRobeson County18,859$42,877$866
56LenoirCaldwell County18,299$49,910$664
57PinehurstMoore County18,256$109,802$1,664
58Mount HollyGaston County18,208$79,385$1,256
59GrahamAlamance County18,048$56,239$1,071
60Hope MillsCumberland County17,939$65,774$1,141
61HavelockCraven County17,691$58,408$1,280
62MorgantonBurke County17,646$51,355$944
63StallingsUnion County16,886$115,974$1,882
64AlbemarleStanly County16,762$46,881$880
65Southern PinesMoore County16,420$88,535$1,354
66Murraysville (unincorporated)New Hanover County16,339$81,167$1,777
67DavidsonMecklenburg County15,660$166,556$1,652
68BelmontGaston County15,546$94,883$1,365
69HendersonvilleHenderson County15,408$53,449$1,332
70EdenRockingham County15,356$47,260$799
71LaurinburgScotland County15,087$42,170$774
72HendersonVance County14,885$39,969$848
73Roanoke RapidsHalifax County14,856$53,690$858
74ReidsvilleRockingham County14,585$42,921$822
75Piney Green (unincorporated)Onslow County14,078$72,177$1,202
76Anderson Creek (unincorporated)Harnett County13,927$87,287$1,251
77LewisvilleForsyth County13,828$100,917$1,095
78WeddingtonUnion County13,805$190,766$1,927
79NewtonCatawba County13,333$62,015$1,091
80WendellWake County13,064$95,787$1,457
81Myrtle Grove (unincorporated)New Hanover County12,637$113,463$1,463
82Lake Norman of Iredell (unincorporated)Iredell County12,494$173,542$1,327
83SmithfieldJohnston County12,116$43,270$658
84ArchdaleRandolph County12,087$64,757$1,034
85Kings MountainCleveland County12,039$49,564$959
86LincolntonLincoln County11,783$46,320$965
87Spring LakeCumberland County11,573$51,958$1,351
88Spout Springs (unincorporated)Harnett County11,242$92,402$2,010
89SummerfieldGuilford County11,116$160,275$1,521
90PinevilleMecklenburg County11,055$69,354$1,552
91ElonAlamance County11,032$84,773$2,080
92TarboroEdgecombe County10,770$49,796$843
93RolesvilleWake County10,766$149,565$1,085
94WintervillePitt County10,725$83,193$1,534
95Mount AirySurry County10,633$40,275$725
96WaynesvilleHaywood County10,502$54,923$1,070
97Lake Norman of Catawba (unincorporated)Catawba County9,906$112,656$1,319
98Morehead CityCarteret County9,806$56,233$1,134
99WashingtonBeaufort County9,726$40,186$856
100HillsboroughOrange County9,724$98,163$1,368

Other rankings for North Carolina

Cities With the Cheapest Rent · Cities With the Highest Household Income · Cities Where Rent Takes the Smallest Share of Income · Cities With the Lowest Unemployment · Cities in the Highest-Paying Counties · Most College-Educated Cities · Cities With the Most Homeowners · Cities With the Most Remote Work · Cities With the Shortest Commutes

Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. Figures describe the city itself.

FAQ

Which North Carolina city has the most residents?

Charlotte, with 903,844 (among the 100 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).

How many cities are ranked?

The 100 largest places in North Carolina by population.

Sources

Sources

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