Costa Rican Population in North Carolina by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Costa Rican population in North Carolina totals 6,709. Lincoln County contains the largest Costa Rican community with 1,173 residents, followed by Mecklenburg County (774), Wake County (608), and others contributing to this statewide total. This demographic analysis ranks all counties in North Carolina by their Costa Rican populations, offering insights into local community distribution and broader settlement trends.

Top 5 counties with the largest Costa Rican population in North Carolina

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  • 1
    Lincoln County
    Costa Rican population in Lincoln County is 1,173
    1.30% of Lincoln County population is Costa Rican
  • 2
    Mecklenburg County
    Costa Rican population in Mecklenburg County is 774
    0.07% of Mecklenburg County population is Costa Rican
  • 3
    Wake County
    Costa Rican population in Wake County is 608
    0.05% of Wake County population is Costa Rican
  • 4
    Catawba County
    Costa Rican population in Catawba County is 427
    0.26% of Catawba County population is Costa Rican
  • 5
    Durham County
    Costa Rican population in Durham County is 387
    0.12% of Durham County population is Costa Rican

Overview of Costa Rican population in North Carolina

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate North Carolina contains 6,709 Costa Rican residents (0.063% of 10.6 million total state population), positioning the state at the 89th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Costa Rican population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate North Carolina's Costa Rican population of 0.063% exceeds the national average of 0.055% by a factor of 1.2.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show North Carolina hosts 6,709 Costa Rican residents, representing 3.7% of the nation's total Costa Rican population of 181,635, establishing the state as a significant demographic concentration center within national boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data indicates North Carolina's density of 0.14 Costa Rican Americans per square mile exceeds the national average of 0.051 per square mile by more than double, establishing the state as a significant concentration center for Costa Rican demographic communities.
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98 Counties in North Carolina Ranked by Costa Rican Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Costa Rican population in North Carolina distributed across multiple counties, led by Lincoln County, Mecklenburg County, Wake County, and Catawba County, while several other counties recorded no residents identified as Americans of at least partial Costa Rican descent. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
counties in North Carolina ranked by Costa Rican population count
Rank by Costa Rican Population
County
Costa Rican Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total North Carolina Costa Rican Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Lincoln County 1,173 1.30% 17.48%
2 Mecklenburg County 774 0.07% 11.54%
3 Wake County 608 0.05% 9.06%
4 Catawba County 427 0.26% 6.36%
5 Durham County 387 0.12% 5.77%
6 Franklin County 360 0.50% 5.37%
7 Harnett County 286 0.21% 4.26%
8 233 0.10% 3.47%
9 200 0.11% 2.98%
10 190 0.08% 2.83%
11 181 0.07% 2.70%
12 161 0.03% 2.40%
13 145 0.14% 2.16%
14 142 0.10% 2.12%
15 131 0.06% 1.95%
16 112 0.17% 1.67%
17 111 0.03% 1.65%
18 102 0.07% 1.52%
19 93 0.08% 1.39%
20 86 0.06% 1.28%
21 83 0.22% 1.24%
22 77 0.04% 1.15%
23 75 0.03% 1.12%
24 62 0.14% 0.92%
25 59 1.75% 0.88%
26 55 0.01% 0.82%
27 54 0.03% 0.80%
28 45 0.04% 0.67%
29 34 0.05% 0.51%
30 32 0.01% 0.48%
30 32 0.03% 0.48%
31 31 0.03% 0.46%
32 22 0.05% 0.33%
32 22 0.01% 0.33%
33 20 0.10% 0.30%
34 17 0.01% 0.25%
35 14 0.04% 0.21%
35 14 0.02% 0.21%
36 12 0.02% 0.18%
37 11 0.06% 0.16%
37 11 0.03% 0.16%
38 9 0.01% 0.13%
39 5 0.02% 0.07%
40 4 0.01% 0.06%
40 4 0.01% 0.06%
41 3 0.01% 0.04%
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks county in North Carolina by their Costa Rican population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Costa Rican population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Costa Rican ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Costa Rican alone, while others identify as Costa Rican along with another race (such as Costa Rican and German).
  • We’ve used the “Costa Rican alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Costa Rican population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Costa Rican alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Costa Rican .
  2. % of Total North Carolina Costa Rican Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Costa Rican population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Costa Rican populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • County that don’t have any reported Costa Rican population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Costa Rican populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.