Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 population estimates and 2024 Gazetteer. Rankings among the 50 states.
Historical data
Pick an indicator to see its long-run evolution.
Population
1850–2024U.S. Census (decennial), 1850–2020 + estimates.
Population pyramid
North Carolina's civilian population by sex and five-year age group. Choose a year to see how the age structure has changed.
Tap an age group in the pyramid to see its detail.
Under 15
1,927,882 (17.6%)
15 to 64
7,047,991 (64.4%)
65 and older
1,974,069 (18.0%)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SC-EST2020 and SC-EST2024 age and sex estimates (civilian population, July 1).
Age, sex and longevity
The main indicators describing North Carolina's age structure, sex distribution and life expectancy.
| Median age | 39.2 years | |
| Female | 51.3% | |
| Male | 48.7% | |
| Under 18 | 21.7% | |
| 65 and older | 17.5% | |
| Life expectancy | 76.1 years |
Population, households and density
How many people and households live in North Carolina, how concentrated they are and how the population is changing.
| Total population | 10.98 M | 9th in the U.S. |
| Density | 79 /km² | 15th in the U.S. |
| Households | 4.3 M | |
| Urban population | 66.7% | |
| Largest metro | Charlotte (2.80 M) | |
| Growth | +1.0%/yr | 2020–2024 |
Race, ethnicity and origin
North Carolina has a large Black population rooted in the eastern Coastal Plain and Piedmont, the largest American Indian population east of the Mississippi, and fast Hispanic and Asian growth around Charlotte and the Triangle.
| White (non-Hispanic) | 60.5% | |
| Black or African American | 20.5% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 11.0% | ≈ 1.21 M |
| Asian | 3.5% | |
| Two or more races | 2.9% | |
| Native American | 1.2% | Largest east of the Mississippi |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | |
| Mexican origin | ≈ 6.2% | Largest Hispanic subgroup |
| Indian origin | ≈ 1.1% | Largest Asian subgroup |
| German & English ancestry | ≈ 18% |