North Carolina has 100 counties, stretching from the Appalachian Mountains across the Piedmont to the Atlantic coastal plain and Outer Banks. County boundaries help separate the Charlotte and Raleigh metropolitan areas from the wider regions around them.
Interactive North Carolina county map
View Census county boundaries and click a county on the map to see its name and five-digit FIPS code. The map requires access to the Census TIGERweb service and OpenStreetMap tiles.
Loading county boundaries, population and land area…
Map is for geographic reference only, not property, voting, zoning or school district boundaries.
Complete list of 100 North Carolina counties
The county names and FIPS codes below are available even when the interactive map or Census population data cannot load. Search by county name or by the full five-digit FIPS identifier.
100 of 100 counties shown
| County | FIPS code | ACS population | Land area (sq mi) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alamance County | 37001 | — | — |
| Alexander County | 37003 | — | — |
| Alleghany County | 37005 | — | — |
| Anson County | 37007 | — | — |
| Ashe County | 37009 | — | — |
| Avery County | 37011 | — | — |
| Beaufort County | 37013 | — | — |
| Bertie County | 37015 | — | — |
| Bladen County | 37017 | — | — |
| Brunswick County | 37019 | — | — |
| Buncombe County | 37021 | — | — |
| Burke County | 37023 | — | — |
| Cabarrus County | 37025 | — | — |
| Caldwell County | 37027 | — | — |
| Camden County | 37029 | — | — |
| Carteret County | 37031 | — | — |
| Caswell County | 37033 | — | — |
| Catawba County | 37035 | — | — |
| Chatham County | 37037 | — | — |
| Cherokee County | 37039 | — | — |
| Chowan County | 37041 | — | — |
| Clay County | 37043 | — | — |
| Cleveland County | 37045 | — | — |
| Columbus County | 37047 | — | — |
| Craven County | 37049 | — | — |
| Cumberland County | 37051 | — | — |
| Currituck County | 37053 | — | — |
| Dare County | 37055 | — | — |
| Davidson County | 37057 | — | — |
| Davie County | 37059 | — | — |
| Duplin County | 37061 | — | — |
| Durham County | 37063 | — | — |
| Edgecombe County | 37065 | — | — |
| Forsyth County | 37067 | — | — |
| Franklin County | 37069 | — | — |
| Gaston County | 37071 | — | — |
| Gates County | 37073 | — | — |
| Graham County | 37075 | — | — |
| Granville County | 37077 | — | — |
| Greene County | 37079 | — | — |
| Guilford County | 37081 | — | — |
| Halifax County | 37083 | — | — |
| Harnett County | 37085 | — | — |
| Haywood County | 37087 | — | — |
| Henderson County | 37089 | — | — |
| Hertford County | 37091 | — | — |
| Hoke County | 37093 | — | — |
| Hyde County | 37095 | — | — |
| Iredell County | 37097 | — | — |
| Jackson County | 37099 | — | — |
| Johnston County | 37101 | — | — |
| Jones County | 37103 | — | — |
| Lee County | 37105 | — | — |
| Lenoir County | 37107 | — | — |
| Lincoln County | 37109 | — | — |
| McDowell County | 37111 | — | — |
| Macon County | 37113 | — | — |
| Madison County | 37115 | — | — |
| Martin County | 37117 | — | — |
| Mecklenburg County | 37119 | — | — |
| Mitchell County | 37121 | — | — |
| Montgomery County | 37123 | — | — |
| Moore County | 37125 | — | — |
| Nash County | 37127 | — | — |
| New Hanover County | 37129 | — | — |
| Northampton County | 37131 | — | — |
| Onslow County | 37133 | — | — |
| Orange County | 37135 | — | — |
| Pamlico County | 37137 | — | — |
| Pasquotank County | 37139 | — | — |
| Pender County | 37141 | — | — |
| Perquimans County | 37143 | — | — |
| Person County | 37145 | — | — |
| Pitt County | 37147 | — | — |
| Polk County | 37149 | — | — |
| Randolph County | 37151 | — | — |
| Richmond County | 37153 | — | — |
| Robeson County | 37155 | — | — |
| Rockingham County | 37157 | — | — |
| Rowan County | 37159 | — | — |
| Rutherford County | 37161 | — | — |
| Sampson County | 37163 | — | — |
| Scotland County | 37165 | — | — |
| Stanly County | 37167 | — | — |
| Stokes County | 37169 | — | — |
| Surry County | 37171 | — | — |
| Swain County | 37173 | — | — |
| Transylvania County | 37175 | — | — |
| Tyrrell County | 37177 | — | — |
| Union County | 37179 | — | — |
| Vance County | 37181 | — | — |
| Wake County | 37183 | — | — |
| Warren County | 37185 | — | — |
| Washington County | 37187 | — | — |
| Watauga County | 37189 | — | — |
| Wayne County | 37191 | — | — |
| Wilkes County | 37193 | — | — |
| Wilson County | 37195 | — | — |
| Yadkin County | 37197 | — | — |
| Yancey County | 37199 | — | — |
County codes: U.S. Census Bureau. Population: American Community Survey 2020–2024 five-year estimates, when available. Land area: 2026 Census TIGERweb boundaries. Different data vintages may cause small discrepancies.
North Carolina county geography and FIPS numbers
Coastal counties such as Dare, Carteret, and Brunswick have substantial waterways and barrier-island geography, while western counties have mountainous terrain. County land area, population density, and jurisdiction boundaries should be interpreted in that context.
Each county has a unique five-digit FIPS code. The first two digits are 37 for North Carolina; the remaining three digits identify the county. FIPS is not a ZIP Code, and ZIP Codes can cross county lines. Always keep leading zeroes in other states.
How to find your county
Use the county-name filter or look for your county on the map. You can also use our What County Am I In?, ZIP-to-County Lookup, and County FIPS Code Lookup tools. A county map cannot replace an official address, parcel or legal boundary lookup.
Questions about North Carolina counties
How many counties does North Carolina have?
North Carolina has 100 counties in the Census county list. This page includes a county-by-county table.
Where do the county map and data come from?
The county boundaries and land-area figures use the U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb geographic service. The optional population figures come from 2020–2024 American Community Survey estimates through the Census Reporter API. More details are on our data methodology page.
Why might a value show a dash?
A dash means the third-party Census-related service has not returned a usable value. We leave it blank instead of guessing.
Official data sources
Census county Gazetteer Files · Census TIGERweb mapping services · American Community Survey.