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North Carolina is a state located in the Southern United States. According to the 2020 United States census, North Carolina is the 9th-most populous state with inhabitants, while the 28th-largest by land area spanning of land. North Carolina is divided into 100 counties and contains 551 municipalities consisting of cities, towns, or villages. The three different terms have no legal distinction.
Most populous municipalities
<gallery widths=180>
File:Uptown Charlotte 2018 taking by DJI Phantom 4 pro.jpg|Charlotte, most populous city in North Carolina
File:Raleigh Skyline.jpg|Raleigh, capital city of North Carolina
File:Greensboro Skyline.jpg|Greensboro
File:SKYL038 Durham Overcast Skyline DiscoverDurham.jpg|Durham
File:Winston-Salem Skyline2.jpg|Winston-Salem
File:Fayetteville, NC Downtown Skyline.jpg|Fayetteville
File:Cary, North Carolina. Cary, NC.jpg|Cary
File:BRIDGE 2024-05-07 Cape Fear Memorial Bridge Press Conf-831-155 (cropped).jpg|Wilmington
File:HighPoint,NC.jpg|High Point
File:Downtown Concord NC 5.jpg|Concord
File:Asheville at dusk (cropped).jpg|Asheville
File:Greenville sunrise.jpg|Greenville
</gallery>
Below is a list of the 50 most populous municipalities in North Carolina according to the 2020 census and 2025 census estimate.
{| class="sortable wikitable static-row-numbers"
|-
!Name
! (2025)
!Population (2020)
!Change
!Type
!County
|- style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Charlotte†
|
| City
| Mecklenburg
|- style="background:#ccf"
| Raleigh‡
|
| City
| Wake (seat), Durham
|- style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Greensboro†
|
| City
| Guilford
|- style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Durham†
|
| City
| Durham (seat), Wake, Orange
|- style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Winston-Salem†
|
| City
| Forsyth
|- style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Fayetteville†
|
| City
| Cumberland
|-
| Cary
|
| Town
| Wake, Chatham, Durham
|- style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Wilmington†
|
| City
| New Hanover
|-
| High Point
|
| City
| Guilford, Randolph, Davidson, Forsyth
|- style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Concord†
|
| City
| Cabarrus
|- style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Greenville†
|
| City
| Pitt
|- style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Asheville†
|
| City
| Buncombe
|- style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Gastonia†
|
| City
| Gaston
|-
| Apex
|
| Town
| Wake
|- style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Jacksonville†
|
| City
| Onslow
|-
| Huntersville
|
| Town
| Mecklenburg
|-
| Chapel Hill
|
| Town
| Orange, Durham
|-
| Kannapolis
|
| City
| Cabarrus, Rowan
|-
| Burlington
|
| City
| Alamance
|-
| Wake Forest
|
| Town
| Wake, Franklin
|-
| Mooresville
|
| Town
| Iredell
|-
| Rocky Mount
|
| City
| Edgecombe, Nash
|-
| Holly Springs
|
| Town
| Wake
|-style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Wilson†
|
| City
| Wilson
|-
| Fuquay-Varina
|
| Town
| Wake
|-
| Hickory
|
| City
| Catawba, Burke, Caldwell
|-
| Indian Trail
|
| Town
| Union
|- style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Monroe†
|
| City
| Union
|-
| Garner
|
| Town
| Wake
|- style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Salisbury†
|
| City
| Rowan
|-
| Leland
|
| Town
| Brunswick
|-
| Cornelius
|
| Town
| Mecklenburg
|- style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Goldsboro†
|
| City
| Wayne
|- style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| New Bern†
|
| City
| Craven
|- style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Sanford†
|
| City
| Lee
|-
| Matthews
|
| Town
| Mecklenburg
|-
| Clayton
|
| Town
| Johnston, Wake
|-
| Morrisville
|
| Town
| Wake, Durham
|-style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Statesville†
|
| City
| Iredell
|-
| Mint Hill
|
| Town
| Mecklenburg, Union
|-
| Kernersville
|
| Town
| Forsyth, Guilford
|- style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Asheboro†
|
| City
| Randolph
|-
| Thomasville
|
| City
| Davidson, Randolph
|-style="background:#c5f0cd;"
| Shelby†
|
| City
| Cleveland
|-
| Knightdale
|
| Town
| Wake
|-
| Waxhaw
|
| Town
| Union
|-
| Clemmons
|
| Village
| Forsyth
|-
| Mebane
|
| City
| Alamance, Orange
|-
| Carrboro
|
| Town
| Orange
|-
| Harrisburg
|
| Town
| Cabarrus
|}
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y
Z
- Zebulon – town, Wake County
See also
- North Carolina statistical areas
- List of counties in North Carolina
- List of census-designated places in North Carolina
- List of unincorporated communities in North Carolina
References
External links
- North Carolina League of Municipalities