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North Carolina: county data, all 100 of them.

10,730,404 residents across 100 county-equivalents, 257,080 business establishments, and 10,490 SBA approvals worth $7.62 bn. Every figure on this page is those counties summed, and every county has its own page.

32 state-level values · 100 county pages · underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency

How many people live in North Carolina?

  • Population10,730,404
  • Households4,282,345
  • Average household size2.51
  • County-equivalents100
  • People per square mile221

North Carolina has 10,730,404 residents in 4,282,345 households across 100 county-equivalents, every one of which has its own data page below.

US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.

What is the North Carolina economy?

  • Combined county product, 2024$844.21 bn
  • County product per resident$78,674
  • Covered employment4,658,302
  • Average annual pay$66,360

The average annual pay of $66,360 is weighted by each county's covered employment, not averaged across counties, so a large labour market counts for more than a small one.

US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.

How many businesses are in North Carolina?

  • Business establishments257,080
  • Establishments per 1,000 residents24.0
  • Employment at those establishments4,127,093
  • Annual payroll$250.32 bn

US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.

Building permits in North Carolina

  • Housing units permitted95,163
  • Permitted construction value$24.31 bn
  • Units permitted per 1,000 households22.2

US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.

SBA loans in North Carolina (7(a) and 504)

  • 7(a) approvals recorded8,885
  • 7(a) approval dollars$6.24 bn
  • Average 7(a) approval$702,701
  • 504 approvals recorded1,605
  • 504 approval dollars$1.37 bn
  • Average 504 approval$855,918
  • Counties with a 7(a) record100 of 100

US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.

SBA loan default and charge-off rates in North Carolina

  • 7(a) charge-off rate over resolved loans5.90 percent
  • Resolved 7(a) loans behind that rate1,551
  • 7(a) loans charged off91
  • 504 charge-off rate over resolved loans2.00 percent
  • Resolved 504 loans behind that rate562
  • 504 loans charged off11

Of the 1,551 North Carolina 7(a) loans that have reached a final outcome, 5.90 percent were charged off. The rate is taken over resolved loans only, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed.

Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.

US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.

How large is North Carolina?

  • Land area48,622 sq mi
  • County-equivalents100
  • People per square mile221

US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.

The largest counties in North Carolina.

North Carolina county-equivalents by population, with the figures a site search compares them on
GeographyPopulationMedian incomeEstablishmentsCounty GDPSBA approvals
Wake County1,178,653$105,76833,873$128.43 bn1,660
Mecklenburg County1,154,681$87,00536,472$186.11 bn1,836
Guilford County547,940$68,64214,306$46.94 bn517
Forsyth County389,977$67,1659,141$34.37 bn300
Cumberland County338,545$61,2915,947$24.44 bn203
Durham County332,353$82,3168,282$53.29 bn370
Buncombe County274,360$74,4369,863$21.26 bn414
Union County250,958$102,9005,732$13.11 bn338
Cabarrus County236,133$89,0055,279$12.96 bn257
New Hanover County235,229$75,1668,710$21.04 bn432

Counties

All 100 North Carolina county-equivalents.

North Carolina counties: population, income, establishments and SBA activity
GeographyPopulationMedian incomeEstablishmentsCounty GDPSBA approvalsLand area, sq mi
Alamance County176,893$65,6513,652$9.01 bn113424
Alexander County36,412$65,354598$1.20 bn20260
Alleghany County11,174$47,172257$420.0 m7235
Anson County22,289$47,302380$1.17 bn9531
Ashe County26,950$56,866571$1.07 bn14426
Avery County17,680$61,428539$890.3 m6247
Beaufort County44,499$58,3571,138$2.37 bn34827
Bertie County17,170$48,750277$797.9 m7699
Bladen County29,566$42,422540$1.86 bn6874
Brunswick County152,568$77,0243,093$8.08 bn132847
Buncombe County274,360$74,4369,863$21.26 bn414657
Burke County87,795$58,5921,540$3.72 bn52507
Cabarrus County236,133$89,0055,279$12.96 bn257362
Caldwell County80,536$56,4251,414$3.31 bn33472
Camden County10,927$91,078124$226.1 m5241
Carteret County69,148$72,3222,249$3.74 bn73506
Caswell County22,404$59,755242$531.3 m10425
Catawba County163,573$67,8644,349$12.40 bn148399
Chatham County80,151$94,3171,719$2.92 bn87682
Cherokee County29,562$53,628649$1.18 bn14455
Chowan County13,836$53,864372$723.0 m8172
Clay County11,610$56,971252$328.2 m6215
Cleveland County100,991$58,5342,028$6.03 bn52464
Columbus County50,140$49,442997$1.92 bn17937
Craven County102,612$65,8732,224$6.91 bn67709
Cumberland County338,545$61,2915,947$24.44 bn203652
Currituck County30,601$93,511766$1.15 bn30262
Dare County37,875$88,9942,079$3.09 bn88383
Davidson County172,954$64,1722,994$7.13 bn91553
Davie County44,122$75,057877$1.97 bn23264
Duplin County49,335$55,148870$2.91 bn22816
Durham County332,353$82,3168,282$53.29 bn370286
Edgecombe County48,736$51,265702$1.99 bn7505
Forsyth County389,977$67,1659,141$34.37 bn300408
Franklin County74,386$74,2401,228$2.88 bn55492
Gaston County234,881$67,4784,594$11.26 bn210356
Gates County10,376$66,333115$240.0 m4340
Graham County8,072$49,684164$329.9 m6292
Granville County60,877$71,111962$4.94 bn32532
Greene County20,486$53,244271$626.3 m12266
Guilford County547,940$68,64214,306$46.94 bn517646
Halifax County47,675$45,590934$1.94 bn23724
Harnett County139,150$71,2871,960$3.97 bn77595
Haywood County62,662$61,9121,546$2.60 bn66554
Henderson County118,484$68,1873,085$6.37 bn134373
Hertford County19,908$45,537459$1.08 bn3353
Hoke County53,835$64,912491$1.64 bn19391
Hyde County4,592$53,713150$230.7 m8613
Iredell County196,544$81,4195,405$13.55 bn254574
Jackson County43,771$55,8151,113$2.19 bn29491
Johnston County234,263$83,3844,151$11.57 bn161791
Jones County9,302$59,641125$306.6 m3471
Lee County65,816$65,3871,460$4.26 bn60255
Lenoir County54,919$45,1431,220$3.63 bn16401
Lincoln County92,716$80,0162,081$4.74 bn91298
Macon County37,941$59,0611,282$2.13 bn37516
Madison County21,867$58,531402$632.1 m24450
Martin County21,644$48,578426$808.0 m4461
McDowell County44,817$57,168822$2.77 bn17441
Mecklenburg County1,154,681$87,00536,472$186.11 bn1,836524
Mitchell County14,992$57,602371$681.3 m5221
Montgomery County26,007$57,766503$1.47 bn10492
Moore County104,876$86,0802,516$5.74 bn91698
Nash County96,216$62,4262,114$7.18 bn75540
New Hanover County235,229$75,1668,710$21.04 bn432192
Northampton County16,931$50,086255$738.9 m1537
Onslow County207,906$68,1483,080$12.50 bn149763
Orange County149,678$90,0893,491$13.07 bn128398
Pamlico County12,390$59,717261$378.0 m4337
Pasquotank County40,834$66,589931$2.21 bn45227
Pender County65,550$80,3961,499$2.52 bn60870
Perquimans County13,244$67,917184$391.6 m2247
Person County39,542$63,300725$2.10 bn25392
Pitt County177,193$58,1883,817$12.53 bn140652
Polk County19,891$67,758504$734.5 m20238
Randolph County146,348$61,0222,651$5.99 bn77783
Richmond County42,344$44,883814$2.62 bn31474
Robeson County116,902$41,9781,787$5.04 bn44949
Rockingham County92,131$57,0531,632$3.85 bn45566
Rowan County149,875$65,7252,908$7.89 bn88511
Rutherford County64,930$51,4101,289$2.49 bn44564
Sampson County59,470$52,4321,014$2.55 bn23945
Scotland County33,590$45,730624$1.56 bn17319
Stanly County64,651$60,7041,459$2.78 bn56395
Stokes County45,139$62,969674$1.76 bn22449
Surry County71,425$55,6561,661$3.54 bn95532
Swain County14,013$52,349382$916.3 m16528
Transylvania County33,691$66,1841,011$2.39 bn28379
Tyrrell County3,423$41,68571$125.7 m1389
Union County250,958$102,9005,732$13.11 bn338632
Vance County42,322$50,465880$1.69 bn26254
Wake County1,178,653$105,76833,873$128.43 bn1,660835
Warren County18,795$50,638291$407.3 m6428
Washington County10,812$41,813221$355.7 m6348
Watauga County55,123$51,6931,740$3.19 bn53313
Wayne County118,652$59,7332,195$6.77 bn57553
Wilkes County65,935$51,7211,157$3.23 bn67754
Wilson County79,290$56,4231,818$5.17 bn49368
Yadkin County37,574$62,932650$1.33 bn18335
Yancey County18,797$58,709357$605.1 m13313

The register

Every source behind these 100 pages.

SourcePeriod coveredLicence
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates2020-2024 5-yearUS Census Bureau, public domain
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024US Census Bureau, public domain
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2CAGDP2, through 2024US Bureau of Economic Analysis, public domain
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001US EPA, public domain
FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status BookCommunity Status Book, as retrievedFEMA OpenFEMA, public domain
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA releaseFY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30FOIA release, public domain
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA releaseFY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30FOIA release, public domain
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary verticesTIGER county boundariesUS Census Bureau, public domain
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns2023US Census Bureau, public domain
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages2024 annual averagesUS BLS, public domain
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey2024 annualUS Census Bureau, public domain
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows2021 to 2022 filing yearsIRS SOI, public domain

A North Carolina statutory guide is in preparation.

How a county page is built →