The U.S. state of North Carolina is divided into 100 counties. North Carolina ranks 28th in size by area, but has the seventh-highest number of counties in the country.

Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, King Charles II rewarded eight persons on March 24, 1663, for their faithful support of his efforts to regain the throne of England. He gave the eight grantees, called Lords Proprietor, the land called Carolina, in honor of King Charles I, his father. The Province of Carolina, from 1663 to 1729, was a North American English (1663–1707), then British (from 1707 union with Scotland) colony. In 1729, the Province of North Carolina became a separate entity from the Province of South Carolina.

The establishment of North Carolina counties stretches over 240 years, beginning in 1668 with the creation of Albemarle County and ending with the 1911 creation of Avery and Hoke counties. Six counties have been divided or abolished altogether, the last being Dobbs County in 1791.

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS), which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify states and counties, is provided with each entry. North Carolina's FIPS code is 37, which when combined with the county code is written as 37.

List County FIPS code County seat OriginEtymology (2025) AreaMap

Racial / Ethnic Profile of counties in North Carolina (2020 Census) Racial / Ethnic Profile of counties in North Carolina (2020 Census) Following is a table of counties in Georgia by race/ethnicity. The majority racial/ethnic group is coded per the key below.

Majority minority with no dominant groupMajority WhiteMajority BlackMajority HispanicMajority Asian

+ Racial and ethnic composition of counties in North Carolina (2020 Census)(NH = Non-Hispanic) County Locationof County Total Population White alone (NH) % Black orAfrican American alone (NH) % Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) % Asian alone (NH) % Pacific Islander alone (NH) % Other race alone (NH) % Mixed race orMultiracial (NH) % Hispanic or Latino(any race) %Alamance171,415102,48759.79%33,55519.58%5840.34%2,8111.64%860.05%7620.44%6,4273.75%24,70314.41%Alexander36,44430,89384.77%1,9195.27%1110.30%3901.07%10.00%830.23%1,2113.32%1,8365.04%Alleghany10,8889,18684.37%1030.95%350.32%150.14%60.06%40.04%2512.31%1,28811.83%Anson22,05510,59348.03%9,83844.61%890.40%2211.00%40.02%380.17%6072.75%6653.02%Ashe26,57724,02890.41%1250.47%480.18%1020.38%120.05%430.16%7002.63%1,5195.72%Avery17,80615,54987.32%6493.64%580.33%560.31%10.01%440.25%4622.59%9875.54%Beaufort44,65229,43165.91%10,19522.83%900.20%1640.37%160.04%1220.27%1,2012.69%3,4337.69%Bertie17,9346,29835.12%10,67459.52%570.32%630.35%00.00%490.27%4632.58%3301.84%Bladen29,60615,83053.47%9,50532.11%7012.37%470.16%80.03%670.23%9023.05%2,5468.60%Brunswick136,693110,71681.00%11,3928.33%7430.54%8900.65%750.05%3660.27%5,0913.72%7,4205.43%Buncombe269,452214,86279.74%15,0175.57%7270.27%3,2741.22%4670.17%1,3820.51%11,8014.38%21,9228.14%Burke87,57068,66478.41%4,7625.44%2380.27%3,1503.60%640.07%2400.27%3,2683.73%7,1848.20%Cabarrus225,804133,78159.25%41,68718.46%5980.26%11,9335.29%1220.05%1,1080.49%9,3124.12%27,26312.07%Caldwell80,65267,86884.15%3,8434.76%1960.24%5270.65%150.02%2380.30%3,0423.77%4,9236.10%Camden10,3558,20079.19%1,04910.13%400.39%1181.14%10.01%530.51%5545.35%3403.28%Carteret67,68657,53885.01%3,2084.74%2520.37%5840.86%630.09%2520.37%2,6703.94%3,1194.61%Caswell22,73614,03661.74%6,80429.93%650.29%610.27%130.06%570.25%6983.07%1,0024.41%Catawba160,610116,12072.30%12,6287.86%3790.24%6,9374.32%780.05%5390.34%6,5524.08%17,37710.82%Chatham76,28553,08769.59%7,76810.18%1730.23%1,6162.12%240.03%3080.40%2,9373.85%10,37213.60%Cherokee28,77425,36688.16%3731.30%4171.45%1580.55%00.00%660.23%1,4955.20%8993.12%Chowan13,7088,26860.32%4,37631.92%430.31%390.28%10.01%180.13%4333.16%5303.87%Clay11,08910,04490.58%600.54%440.40%400.36%70.06%230.21%4333.91%4383.95%Cleveland99,51970,16370.50%20,03420.13%2220.22%8540.86%230.02%3270.33%3,8573.88%4,0394.06%Columbus50,62330,01959.30%14,50328.65%1,6703.30%1560.31%100.02%1430.28%1,5092.98%2,6135.16%Craven100,72064,93364.47%19,90319.76%3180.32%3,0593.04%1500.15%4460.44%4,7164.68%7,1957.14%Cumberland334,728133,20139.79%124,17337.10%4,6471.39%8,9432.67%1,3570.41%2,2060.66%20,7036.19%39,49811.80%Currituck28,10023,50583.65%1,3774.90%980.35%2650.94%220.08%1090.39%1,5065.36%1,2184.33%Dare36,91531,92186.47%6781.84%990.27%2600.70%100.03%1400.38%1,2533.39%2,5546.92%Davidson168,930129,48776.65%15,8399.38%6650.39%2,4401.44%430.03%4910.29%6,0633.59%13,9028.23%Davie42,71234,80981.50%2,4135.65%960.22%2770.65%50.01%1240.29%1,6133.78%3,3757.90%Duplin48,71524,94551.21%11,43723.48%1540.32%1550.32%40.01%1200.25%1,0872.23%10,81322.20%Durham324,833133,76841.18%109,22533.62%7040.22%16,7075.14%830.03%1,8090.56%12,4333.83%50,10415.42%Edgecombe48,90017,34035.46%27,29955.83%1280.26%1120.23%90.02%1380.28%1,1682.39%2,7065.53%Forsyth382,590208,12654.40%93,73824.50%9780.26%9,1792.40%2330.06%1,6230.42%14,0253.67%54,68814.29%Franklin68,57342,28561.66%15,78523.02%2590.38%4520.66%170.02%2770.40%2,5363.70%6,96210.15%Gaston227,943153,65367.41%39,76217.44%7530.33%3,5091.54%590.03%8440.37%9,2954.08%20,0688.80%Gates10,4786,70563.99%3,02228.84%640.61%210.20%100.10%290.28%4264.07%2011.92%Graham8,0306,88585.74%460.57%5707.10%200.25%40.05%40.05%2823.51%2192.73%Granville60,99233,61055.11%18,31530.03%2050.34%3660.60%240.04%2070.34%2,0543.37%6,21110.18%Greene20,4519,64447.16%7,20635.24%950.46%370.18%00.00%780.38%4552.22%2,93614.36%Guilford541,299255,64047.23%179,42333.15%1,9180.35%28,7195.31%2160.04%2,8500.53%20,3813.77%52,1529.63%Halifax48,62219,07039.22%24,73750.88%1,5933.28%2810.58%110.02%1420.29%1,3342.74%1,4542.99%Harnett133,56877,87658.30%26,76920.04%9780.73%1,4081.05%2420.18%7070.53%6,6895.01%18,89914.15%Haywood62,08955,68589.69%6561.06%3080.50%3600.58%10.00%1560.25%2,0943.37%2,8294.56%Henderson116,28191,74778.90%3,2992.84%2840.24%1,2961.11%2410.21%4000.34%4,0153.45%14,99912.90%Hertford21,5526,72131.19%12,21556.68%1880.87%1130.52%30.01%990.46%6342.94%1,5797.33%Hoke52,08219,66737.76%16,38531.46%3,8037.30%7161.37%1890.36%3360.65%3,2996.33%7,68714.76%Hyde4,5892,92863.80%1,15225.10%70.15%70.15%20.04%150.33%1312.85%3477.56%Iredell186,693136,39373.06%21,25511.39%4370.23%4,7182.53%580.03%6560.35%7,3993.96%15,7778.45%Jackson43,10932,80076.09%7361.71%3,8498.93%4971.15%100.02%1050.24%1,8204.22%3,2927.64%Johnston215,999136,46463.18%33,04115.30%8800.41%1,8310.85%710.03%9130.42%8,3993.89%34,40015.93%Jones9,1725,78763.09%2,56427.95%420.46%320.35%00.00%350.38%3183.47%3944.30%Lee63,28536,05556.97%10,70116.91%2310.36%6431.02%430.07%2270.36%2,2633.58%13,12220.73%Lenoir55,12226,58248.22%22,03439.97%1340.24%3320.60%220.04%1350.24%1,5182.75%4,3657.92%Lincoln86,81071,66182.55%4,4055.07%2370.27%6920.80%150.02%2080.24%3,1803.66%6,4127.39%McDowell44,57837,78884.77%1,7073.83%1360.31%3880.87%00.00%1290.29%1,4833.33%2,9476.61%Macon37,01431,53585.20%2520.68%1670.45%2500.68%60.02%1030.28%1,2033.25%3,4989.45%Madison21,19319,23390.75%1970.93%560.26%840.40%10.00%730.34%8013.78%7483.53%Martin22,03111,52852.33%8,86840.25%690.31%980.44%10.00%640.29%5082.31%8954.06%Mecklenburg1,115,482498,68344.71%324,83229.12%2,7300.24%71,5836.42%5310.05%6,8890.62%40,3123.61%169,92215.23%Mitchell14,90313,51490.68%500.34%300.20%520.35%10.01%300.20%5253.52%7014.70%Montgomery25,75116,50464.09%4,19216.28%760.30%3911.52%20.01%470.18%6152.39%3,92415.24%Moore99,72775,39175.60%10,54510.57%6880.69%1,2371.24%590.06%3510.35%4,0914.10%7,3657.39%Nash94,97046,31748.77%36,67938.62%6150.65%9040.95%280.03%4070.43%2,6982.84%7,3227.71%New Hanover225,702167,15074.06%26,97411.95%6780.30%3,4681.54%1480.07%9920.44%8,9923.98%17,3007.66%Northampton17,4716,83539.12%9,64955.23%430.25%270.15%40.02%760.43%4842.77%3532.02%Onslow204,576129,49963.30%26,93913.17%1,0190.50%4,5082.20%7770.38%1,1480.56%13,0456.38%27,64113.51%Orange148,69696,53764.92%15,57110.47%3340.22%12,6158.48%430.03%7980.54%6,9864.70%15,81210.63%Pamlico12,2769,10474.16%2,05516.74%580.47%500.41%50.04%510.42%4573.72%4964.04%Pasquotank40,56821,57753.19%14,31635.29%1500.37%4581.13%280.07%1780.44%1,6244.00%2,2375.51%Pender60,20344,41873.78%7,54412.53%1950.32%3190.53%230.04%2430.40%2,4794.12%4,9828.27%Perquimans13,0059,33371.76%2,68620.65%350.27%360.28%70.05%410.32%5584.29%3092.38%Person39,09725,13264.28%9,87925.27%2400.61%1240.32%80.02%1210.31%1,3983.58%2,1955.61%Pitt170,24386,83751.01%59,81335.13%4940.29%3,0561.79%940.06%7520.44%6,2293.66%12,9687.62%Polk19,32816,71686.49%6893.56%510.26%600.31%70.04%410.21%7383.82%1,0265.31%Randolph144,171108,35475.16%8,5925.96%6660.46%2,1581.50%100.01%4120.29%4,9283.42%19,05113.21%Richmond42,94623,61054.98%12,77029.73%9942.31%3600.84%70.02%1670.39%1,9664.58%3,0727.15%Robeson116,53029,15925.02%26,21822.50%43,53637.36%8970.77%630.05%4110.35%4,4893.85%11,75710.09%Rockingham91,09664,21870.49%16,61118.23%2820.31%4930.54%290.03%2870.32%3,0903.39%6,0866.68%Rowan146,875100,13568.18%22,73015.48%4440.30%1,5051.02%710.05%5350.36%5,5153.75%15,94010.85%Rutherford64,44452,02680.73%5,8369.06%1520.24%3430.53%230.04%2100.33%2,5683.98%3,2865.10%Sampson59,03629,72950.36%13,94423.62%1,0021.70%2160.37%180.03%1560.26%1,7222.92%12,24920.75%Scotland34,17414,24741.69%13,09438.32%3,70510.84%3390.99%150.04%1120.33%1,5564.55%1,1063.24%Stanly62,50448,64577.83%7,00011.20%2100.34%1,1401.82%90.01%1310.21%2,2833.65%3,0864.94%Stokes44,52039,60988.97%1,6193.64%1400.31%1580.35%110.02%770.17%1,4503.26%1,4563.27%Surry71,35957,77180.96%2,4133.38%1300.18%3700.52%110.02%1480.21%2,0202.83%8,49611.91%Swain14,1178,54160.50%1020.72%4,03028.55%530.38%100.07%440.31%7455.28%5924.19%Transylvania32,98628,54286.53%1,0273.11%1020.31%1730.52%220.07%1150.35%1,3073.96%1,6985.15%Tyrrell3,2451,87957.90%93428.78%50.15%431.33%00.00%130.40%993.05%2728.38%Union238,267161,11367.62%26,50011.12%6410.27%9,5163.99%900.04%1,1990.50%9,0983.82%30,11012.64%Vance42,57816,24338.15%21,08149.51%910.21%2840.67%90.02%1100.26%1,0432.45%3,7178.73%Wake1,129,410645,02057.11%204,53518.11%2,7600.24%96,6658.56%4530.04%6,2100.55%45,5264.03%128,24111.35%Warren18,6427,20938.67%9,04948.54%9535.11%620.33%40.02%650.35%5613.01%7393.96%Washington11,0034,95845.06%5,35048.62%150.14%370.34%30.03%360.33%2332.12%3713.37%Watauga54,08644,98683.18%2,1013.88%820.15%9381.73%110.02%4380.81%2,0093.71%3,5216.51%Wayne117,33360,19951.31%35,32930.11%3350.29%1,5421.31%710.06%4540.39%4,4763.81%14,92712.72%Wilkes65,96956,31685.37%2,5803.91%860.13%3240.49%50.01%1310.20%1,8732.84%4,6547.05%Wilson78,78436,10645.83%29,84237.88%2390.30%9001.14%100.01%2570.33%2,4063.05%9,02411.45%Yadkin37,21430,35781.57%1,0712.88%630.17%1420.38%00.00%870.23%1,1122.99%4,38211.78%Yancey18,47016,62590.01%1040.56%570.31%400.22%10.01%400.22%5873.18%1,0165.50%

Historic counties CountyCreatedAbolishedFateAlbemarle County16641738Partitioned into Bertie County, Chowan County, Currituck County, Pasquotank County, Perquimans County, and Tyrrell CountyBath County16961738Partitioned into Beaufort County, Bladen County, Carteret County, Craven County, Hyde County, New Hanover County, and Onslow CountyBute County17641779Created from the eastern part of Granville County. Partitioned into Franklin County and Warren CountyClarendon County16641667Damaged by a hurricane in August 1667 and subsequently abandoned & abolishedDobbs County17581791Partitioned into Greene County and Lenoir CountyTryon County17681779Partitioned into Lincoln County and Rutherford County

For several months in 1784, Cumberland County was known as Fayette County and sent representatives to the North Carolina General Assembly of April 1784 under this name.

Proposed counties