How many counties are in North Carolina?

North Carolina has 100 counties — a number unchanged since 1911, when Avery and Hoke became the last two counties created. Every part of the state lies inside exactly one county.

What is the largest county in North Carolina?

By population, Wake County (Raleigh) is the largest, followed by Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) — both above one million residents. By land area, the largest counties are in the eastern Coastal Plain.

What is the smallest county in North Carolina?

Tyrrell County, on the Albemarle Sound, is the least-populous NC county with about 3,200 residents. Chowan County is the smallest by land area at roughly 173 square miles.

How are North Carolina's counties grouped by region?

The three classical regions are the Mountains (the far west, including Buncombe and Watauga), the Piedmont (the central plateau, including Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, and Forsyth), and the Coastal Plain (the east, including New Hanover, Pitt, and the Outer Banks counties).

What is a county seat?

A county seat is the municipality that hosts the county courthouse and the principal county government offices — the Register of Deeds, the Board of Elections, and the County Manager. Each NC county has exactly one seat. See the full list of NC county seats for details.

List of North Carolina counties — all 100, in one directory

Every one of North Carolina's 100 counties in a single sortable, searchable table — with county seat, region, population, and land area. Click any county to open a full reference page with map, neighbors, and sourced demographics.

Last reviewed: June 2026 · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, NC OneMap

Total counties

100

Unchanged since 1911

Mountains

1,149,326 residents

Piedmont

6,601,397 residents

Coastal Plain

2,690,166 residents

100 of 100


Alamance	Graham	Piedmont	171,415	423
Alexander	Taylorsville	Piedmont	36,063	259
Alleghany	Sparta	Mountains	10,888	235
Anson	Wadesboro	Piedmont	22,055	531
Ashe	Jefferson	Mountains	26,577	426
Avery	Newland	Mountains	17,557	247
Beaufort	Washington	Coastal Plain	44,652	827
Bertie	Windsor	Coastal Plain	17,934	699
Bladen	Elizabethtown	Coastal Plain	29,606	874
Brunswick	Bolivia	Coastal Plain	136,693	847
Buncombe	Asheville	Mountains	269,452	656
Burke	Morganton	Mountains	87,570	506
Cabarrus	Concord	Piedmont	225,804	362
Caldwell	Lenoir	Mountains	80,652	472
Camden	Camden	Coastal Plain	10,867	240
Carteret	Beaufort	Coastal Plain	67,686	506
Caswell	Yanceyville	Piedmont	22,736	425
Catawba	Newton	Piedmont	160,610	401
Chatham	Pittsboro	Piedmont	76,285	682
Cherokee	Murphy	Mountains	28,612	455
Chowan	Edenton	Coastal Plain	13,943	173
Clay	Hayesville	Mountains	11,089	215
Cleveland	Shelby	Piedmont	99,519	464
Columbus	Whiteville	Coastal Plain	50,623	937
Craven	New Bern	Coastal Plain	100,720	708
Cumberland	Fayetteville	Coastal Plain	334,728	653
Currituck	Currituck	Coastal Plain	28,100	262
Dare	Manteo	Coastal Plain	36,915	384
Davidson	Lexington	Piedmont	168,930	553
Davie	Mocksville	Piedmont	42,712	264
Duplin	Kenansville	Coastal Plain	49,043	818
Durham	Durham	Piedmont	324,833	286
Edgecombe	Tarboro	Coastal Plain	48,903	504
Forsyth	Winston-Salem	Piedmont	382,590	410
Franklin	Louisburg	Piedmont	68,573	492
Gaston	Gastonia	Piedmont	227,943	356
Gates	Gatesville	Coastal Plain	10,478	341
Graham	Robbinsville	Mountains	8,030	292
Granville	Oxford	Piedmont	60,992	531
Greene	Snow Hill	Coastal Plain	20,456	266
Guilford	Greensboro	Piedmont	541,299	645
Halifax	Halifax	Coastal Plain	48,622	724
Harnett	Lillington	Piedmont	133,568	595
Haywood	Waynesville	Mountains	62,317	553
Henderson	Hendersonville	Mountains	116,281	373
Hertford	Winton	Coastal Plain	21,552	353
Hoke	Raeford	Coastal Plain	52,082	391
Hyde	Swan Quarter	Coastal Plain	4,589	613
Iredell	Statesville	Piedmont	186,693	574
Jackson	Sylva	Mountains	43,109	491
Johnston	Smithfield	Coastal Plain	215,999	791
Jones	Trenton	Coastal Plain	9,172	471
Lee	Sanford	Piedmont	63,285	257
Lenoir	Kinston	Coastal Plain	55,122	400
Lincoln	Lincolnton	Piedmont	86,111	298
Macon	Franklin	Mountains	37,014	515
Madison	Marshall	Mountains	21,193	449
Martin	Williamston	Coastal Plain	22,158	461
McDowell	Marion	Mountains	44,578	442
Mecklenburg	Charlotte	Piedmont	1,115,482	526
Mitchell	Bakersville	Mountains	14,903	221
Montgomery	Troy	Piedmont	25,564	491
Moore	Carthage	Piedmont	99,727	698
Nash	Nashville	Coastal Plain	94,970	540
New Hanover	Wilmington	Coastal Plain	225,702	192
Northampton	Jackson	Coastal Plain	17,471	536
Onslow	Jacksonville	Coastal Plain	204,576	763
Orange	Hillsborough	Piedmont	148,696	398
Pamlico	Bayboro	Coastal Plain	12,276	336
Pasquotank	Elizabeth City	Coastal Plain	40,568	227
Pender	Burgaw	Coastal Plain	60,203	871
Perquimans	Hertford	Coastal Plain	13,005	247
Person	Roxboro	Piedmont	39,097	392
Pitt	Greenville	Coastal Plain	170,243	652
Polk	Columbus	Mountains	19,328	238
Randolph	Asheboro	Piedmont	144,171	787
Richmond	Rockingham	Piedmont	42,946	474
Robeson	Lumberton	Coastal Plain	116,530	949
Rockingham	Wentworth	Piedmont	91,096	566
Rowan	Salisbury	Piedmont	146,875	511
Rutherford	Rutherfordton	Mountains	64,444	564
Sampson	Clinton	Coastal Plain	59,036	945
Scotland	Laurinburg	Coastal Plain	34,782	319
Stanly	Albemarle	Piedmont	62,806	395
Stokes	Danbury	Piedmont	45,591	452
Surry	Dobson	Piedmont	71,219	537
Swain	Bryson City	Mountains	14,117	528
Transylvania	Brevard	Mountains	33,090	379
Tyrrell	Columbia	Coastal Plain	3,245	389
Union	Monroe	Piedmont	238,267	632
Vance	Henderson	Piedmont	42,578	254
Wake	Raleigh	Piedmont	1,129,410	835
Warren	Warrenton	Piedmont	18,642	429
Washington	Plymouth	Coastal Plain	11,003	348
Watauga	Boone	Mountains	54,086	313
Wayne	Goldsboro	Coastal Plain	117,333	553
Wilkes	Wilkesboro	Mountains	65,969	754
Wilson	Wilson	Coastal Plain	78,580	371
Yadkin	Yadkinville	Piedmont	37,214	336
Yancey	Burnsville	Mountains	18,470	312

Population figures from the latest U.S. Census Bureau release (Decennial P1, refreshed against Vintage estimates). Land area from Census cartographic boundary files. See methodology for details.

About North Carolina's counties

North Carolina is divided into exactly 100 counties — a number that has held steady since 1911, when Avery and Hoke were chartered as the state's ninety-ninth and one-hundredth counties. Every square mile of the state, from the Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks, sits inside exactly one of those 100 counties, and the county is the level of government that handles deeds, courts, the sheriff's office, public health, social services, and (in most counties) public schools.

For a quick orientation, North Carolinians group their counties into three regions. The Mountains cover the far west, where Buncombe (Asheville), Watauga (Boone), and Henderson (Hendersonville) anchor a rugged, tourism-heavy economy. The Piedmont runs through the centre of the state and holds the largest metros — Mecklenburg (Charlotte), Wake (Raleigh), Guilford (Greensboro), and Forsyth (Winston-Salem). The Coastal Plain stretches east to the Atlantic, taking in New Hanover (Wilmington), Pitt (Greenville), and the Outer Banks counties of Dare and Currituck.

The directory above lists every NC county. To explore further, open the interactive North Carolina county map, browse the region-by-region breakdown, see the largest counties by population, check the smallest counties, or look up the complete list of NC county seats.

Counties by region

Mountains

23 counties · 1,149,326 residents

Piedmont

37 counties · 6,601,397 residents

Coastal Plain

40 counties · 2,690,166 residents

Frequently asked questions

How many counties are in North Carolina?: North Carolina has 100 counties — a number unchanged since 1911, when Avery and Hoke became the last two counties created. Every part of the state lies inside exactly one county.
What is the largest county in North Carolina?: By population, Wake County (Raleigh) is the largest, followed by Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) — both above one million residents. By land area, the largest counties are in the eastern Coastal Plain.
What is the smallest county in North Carolina?: Tyrrell County, on the Albemarle Sound, is the least-populous NC county with about 3,200 residents. Chowan County is the smallest by land area at roughly 173 square miles.
How are North Carolina's counties grouped by region?: The three classical regions are the Mountains (the far west, including Buncombe and Watauga), the Piedmont (the central plateau, including Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, and Forsyth), and the Coastal Plain (the east, including New Hanover, Pitt, and the Outer Banks counties).
What is a county seat?: A county seat is the municipality that hosts the county courthouse and the principal county government offices — the Register of Deeds, the Board of Elections, and the County Manager. Each NC county has exactly one seat. See the full list of NC county seats for details.