North Carolina County Map

Written and Fact-checked by Whereig Editors | Updated On: March 19, 2026 13:10 ET

The U.S. state of North Carolina is divided into 100 Counties. Explore the North Carolina County Map, all Counties list along with their County Seats in alphabetical order and their population, areas and the date of formation.

About North Carolina County Map: The map showing the county boundary, all counties boundary, state capital and neighbouring states.

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About Counties of North Carolina

North Carolina is one of the fifty states of United States which is in the South-eastern part of the country. North Carolina shares borders with Virginia in north, the Atlantic Ocean in east, Georgia and South Carolina in south and Tennessee in west. North Carolina ranks as 28th biggest state by area and 9th most populous state in United States. The capital city of the state is Raleigh. One may be aware of the fact that North Carolina is a dominant in producing sweet potatoes, dry beans,, tobacco, pigs, chickens and turkeys. North Carolina is nick named as Old North State and Tar Heel State.

North Carolina Counties are 100 in number. The state has seventh highest number of counties in the entire country. North Carolina has a number of cities. The largest city of North Carolina is Charlotte. It is in fact the metropolitan city and most populated area in North Carolina. Among North Carolina Counties the biggest county by area is Robeson with 949.22 square miles. Sampson ranks as the second largest county in terms of its size which has got 944.74 square miles. Clay County is the smallest county by size. Off all the North Carolina Counties, Orange county is considered and ranks 1st in terms of having Highest Per Capita Income. It is the wealthiest county in North Carolina. County called Wake earns second highest Per Capita Income.

The local government of North Carolina consists of 100 counties, 552 cities, towns and villages and 318 special districts according a study conducted by U.S Census Bureau in the year 2017. North Carolina Counties have two types of local government. They are County government and Municipalities. Cities, towns and villages come under municipalities. The local government is created based on the constitution of North Carolina and sometimes the local governance bodies are created by direct state.

The U.S. state of North Carolina has 100 Counties. This is list of North Carolina Counties and County Seats in alphabetical order along with check their population, areas and the date of formation.

List of Counties in North Carolina with County Seats

S.N	County	County Seat	Population	Area	Formed
1	Alamance County	Graham	171,415	435 sq mi	1849
2	Alexander County	Taylorsville	36,444	263 sq mi	1847
3	Alleghany County	Sparta	10,888	236 sq mi	1859
4	Anson County	Wadesboro	22,055	537 sq mi	1750
5	Ashe County	Jefferson	26,577	427 sq mi	1799
6	Avery County	Newland	17,806	247 sq mi	1911
7	Beaufort County	Washington	44,652	959 sq mi	1712
8	Bertie County	Windsor	17,934	741 sq mi	1722
9	Bladen County	Elizabethtown	29,606	887 sq mi	1734
10	Brunswick County	Bolivia	136,693	860 sq mi	1764
11	Buncombe County	Asheville	269,452	660 sq mi	1791
12	Burke County	Morganton	87,570	515 sq mi	1777
13	Cabarrus County	Concord	225,804	365 sq mi	1792
14	Caldwell County	Lenoir	80,652	474 sq mi	1841
15	Camden County	Camden	10,355	306 sq mi	1777
16	Carteret County	Beaufort	67,686	1,341 sq mi	1722
17	Caswell County	Yanceyville	22,736	428 sq mi	1777
18	Catawba County	Newton	160,610	414 sq mi	1842
19	Chatham County	Pittsboro	76,285	709 sq mi	1771
20	Cherokee County	Murphy	28,549	497 sq mi	1839
21	Chowan County	Edenton	13,708	233 sq mi	1668
22	Clay County	Hayesville	11,089	221 sq mi	1861
23	Cleveland County	Shelby	98,780	469 sq mi	1841
24	Columbus County	Whiteville	50,623	954 sq mi	1808
25	Craven County	New Bern	100,720	774 sq mi	1705
26	Cumberland County	Fayetteville	334,728	658 sq mi	1754
27	Currituck County	Currituck	28,100	526 sq mi	1668
28	Dare County	Manteo	36,915	1,562 sq mi	1870
29	Davidson County	Lexington	168,930	567 sq mi	1822
30	Davie County	Mocksville	42,712	267 sq mi	1836
31	Duplin County	Kenansville	49,867	819 sq mi	1750
32	Durham County	Durham	324,833	298 sq mi	1881
33	Edgecombe County	Tarboro	48,900	507 sq mi	1741
34	Forsyth County	Winston-Salem	382,590	413 sq mi	1849
35	Franklin County	Louisburg	68,573	495 sq mi	1779
36	Gaston County	Gastonia	227,943	364 sq mi	1846
37	Gates County	Gatesville	10,478	346 sq mi	1779
38	Graham County	Robbinsville	8,030	302 sq mi	1872
39	Granville County	Oxford	60,992	537 sq mi	1746
40	Greene County	Snow Hill	20,451	266 sq mi	1799
41	Guilford County	Greensboro	541,299	658 sq mi	1771
42	Halifax County	Halifax	48,272	731 sq mi	1758
43	Harnett County	Lillington	133,568	601 sq mi	1855
44	Haywood County	Waynesville	62,089	555 sq mi	1808
45	Henderson County	Hendersonville	116,829	375 sq mi	1838
46	Hertford County	Winton	21,552	360 sq mi	1759
47	Hoke County	Raeford	52,082	392 sq mi	1911
48	Hyde County	Swan Quarter	4,937	1,424 sq mi	1712
49	Iredell County	Statesville	186,693	597 sq mi	1788
50	Jackson County	Sylva	43,109	494 sq mi	1851
51	Johnston County	Smithfield	215,999	791 sq mi	1746
52	Jones County	Trenton	9,172	473 sq mi	1779
53	Lee County	Sanford	63,285	259 sq mi	1907
54	Lenoir County	Kinston	55,122	401 sq mi	1791
55	Lincoln County	Lincolnton	86,810	304 sq mi	1779
56	Macon County	Franklin	37,014	519 sq mi	1828
57	Madison County	Marshall	21,193	451 sq mi	1851
58	Martin County	Williamston	23,642	461 sq mi	1774
59	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte	1,115,482	546 sq mi	1762
60	Mitchell County	Bakersville	14,903	222 sq mi	1861
61	Montgomery County	Troy	26,422	502 sq mi	1779
62	Moore County	Carthage	99,727	706 sq mi	1785
63	Nash County	Nashville	94,970	542 sq mi	1777
64	New Hanover County	Wilmington	225,702	328 sq mi	1729
65	Northampton County	Jackson	17,471	537 sq mi	1741
66	Onslow County	Jacksonville	204,576	763 sq mi	1734
67	Orange County	Hillsborough	148,696	401 sq mi	1752
68	Pamlico County	Bayboro	12,451	566 sq mi	1872
69	Pasquotank County	Elizabeth City	39,805	289 sq mi	1668
70	Pender County	Burgaw	63,060	933 sq mi	1875
71	Perquimans County	Hertford	13,191	247 sq mi	1668
72	Person County	Roxboro	39,097	404 sq mi	1792
73	Pitt County	Greenville	171,296	656 sq mi	1760
74	Polk County	Columbus	20,451	239 sq mi	1855
75	Randolph County	Asheboro	144,171	790 sq mi	1779
76	Richmond County	Rockingham	42,946	474 sq mi	1779
77	Robeson County	Lumberton	116,530	951 sq mi	1787
78	Rockingham County	Wentworth	91,096	573 sq mi	1785
79	Rowan County	Salisbury	146,875	524 sq mi	1753
80	Rutherford County	Rutherfordton	64,444	566 sq mi	1779
81	Sampson County	Clinton	59,036	945 sq mi	1784
82	Scotland County	Laurinburg	34,174	319 sq mi	1899
83	Stanly County	Albemarle	62,504	404 sq mi	1841
84	Stokes County	Danbury	44,520	456 sq mi	1789
85	Surry County	Dobson	71,359	537 sq mi	1771
86	Swain County	Bryson City	14,372	541 sq mi	1871
87	Transylvania County	Brevard	33,090	381 sq mi	1861
88	Tyrrell County	Columbia	3,245	594 sq mi	1729
89	Union County	Monroe	238,267	640 sq mi	1842
90	Vance County	Henderson	42,578	270 sq mi	1881
91	Wake County	Raleigh	1,129,410	857 sq mi	1771
92	Warren County	Warrenton	18,642	444 sq mi	1779
93	Washington County	Plymouth	11,003	424 sq mi	1799
94	Watauga County	Boone	54,086	313 sq mi	1849
95	Wayne County	Goldsboro	117,333	553 sq mi	1779
96	Wilkes County	Wilkesboro	65,969	757 sq mi	1777
97	Wilson County	Wilson	78,784	373 sq mi	1855
98	Yadkin County	Yadkinville	37,214	336 sq mi	1850
99	Yancey County	Burnsville	18,948	313 sq mi	1833
100	North Carolina (Total)	-	10,439,388	-	-

North Carolina County Facts

Continent	North America
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Total Counties	100
Government	County government
Largest City	Charlotte
Subdivisions	Cities, towns, villages, unincorporated communities
Total Area	53,819 sq mi (139,391 sq km)
Largest County (Area)	Dare County (1,562 sq mi)
Smallest County (Area)	Clay County (221 sq mi)
Most Populous County	Mecklenburg County (Population: 1,115,482 as per 2020 Census)
Least Populous County	Tyrrell County (Population: 3,245 as per 2020 Census)
Population	10,439,388 (2020 Census)
Highest Point	Mount Mitchell - 6,684 ft (2,037 m)
Lowest Point	Atlantic Ocean – Sea level
Major Rivers	Cape Fear River, Neuse River, Roanoke River, Yadkin River, Catawba River
Important Highways	Interstate 40, I-85, I-95, I-77, I-26
Time Zone	Eastern Time Zone (UTC -5 / UTC -4 DST)
Postal Abbreviation	NC
FIPS Code	37
Famous For	Appalachian Mountains, Outer Banks, research and technology hubs
Major Counties	Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, Forsyth, Durham
Top Attractions	Great Smoky Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway, Outer Banks, Biltmore Estate, Cape Hatteras
Official Website	nc.gov

Top 10 Largest Cities in North Carolina by Population (2020 Census)

City	County	Population (2020)	Area
Charlotte	Mecklenburg	874,579	308.6 sq mi (799 sq km)
Raleigh	Wake	467,665	147.6 sq mi (382 sq km)
Greensboro	Guilford	299,035	137.0 sq mi (355 sq km)
Durham	Durham	283,506	115.3 sq mi (299 sq km)
Winston-Salem	Forsyth	249,545	133.7 sq mi (346 sq km)
Fayetteville	Cumberland	208,501	148.8 sq mi (385 sq km)
Cary	Wake	174,721	60.4 sq mi (156 sq km)
Wilmington	New Hanover	115,451	52.6 sq mi (136 sq km)
High Point	Guilford	114,059	56.2 sq mi (146 sq km)
Concord	Cabarrus	105,240	64.9 sq mi (168 sq km)

US Counties Map by State

North Carolina County Map - List of Counties in North Carolina with Seats