2025

Counties in North Carolina ranked by White Population

This list ranks the 98 counties in North Carolina based on their White population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in these counties over the past five years.
Updated Feb 10, 2025

Top 5 counties with the largest White population in North Carolina

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  • 1
    Wake County
    White population in Wake County is 767,983
    61.33% of Wake County population is White
  • 2
    Mecklenburg County
    White population in Mecklenburg County is 613,167
    49.66% of Mecklenburg County population is White
  • 3
    Guilford County
    White population in Guilford County is 300,241
    51.24% of Guilford County population is White
  • 4
    Forsyth County
    White population in Forsyth County is 251,415
    59.89% of Forsyth County population is White
  • 5
    Buncombe County
    White population in Buncombe County is 246,957
    84.02% of Buncombe County population is White

List of 98 counties in North Carolina by White Population

View Methodology
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Rank by White Population
County
White Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total North Carolina White Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Wake County 767,983 61.33% 10.45%
2 Mecklenburg County 613,167 49.66% 8.35%
3 Guilford County 300,241 51.24% 4.09%
4 Forsyth County 251,415 59.89% 3.42%
5 Buncombe County 246,957 84.02% 3.36%
6 New Hanover County 191,568 77.92% 2.61%
7 Union County 190,006 72.05% 2.59%
8 177,365 71.46% 2.41%
9 176,721 46.96% 2.41%
10 174,167 48.33% 2.37%
11 169,066 70.89% 2.30%
12 166,340 68.15% 2.26%
13 160,398 63.92% 2.18%
14 155,850 76.19% 2.12%
15 147,404 79.96% 2.01%
16 133,575 76.56% 1.82%
17 128,370 82.12% 1.75%
18 125,011 80.86% 1.70%
19 120,269 64.29% 1.64%
20 115,298 72.42% 1.57%
21 113,362 71.79% 1.54%
22 105,581 84.69% 1.44%
23 98,558 54.43% 1.34%
24 95,487 64.65% 1.30%
25 86,727 78.06% 1.18%
26 81,761 85.27% 1.11%
27 78,182 73.61% 1.06%
28 76,236 58.42% 1.04%
29 74,665 81.42% 1.02%
30 74,580 68.61% 1.02%
31 73,467 86.70% 1.00%
32 71,775 73.54% 0.98%
33 65,205 85.94% 0.89%
34 63,009 86.15% 0.86%
35 62,331 73.93% 0.85%
36 60,988 87.45% 0.83%
37 60,611 92.15% 0.82%
38 57,388 83.68% 0.78%
39 53,216 80.87% 0.72%
40 51,768 90.33% 0.70%
41 51,278 76.53% 0.70%
42 49,546 49.61% 0.67%
43 49,471 64.34% 0.67%
44 47,946 67.62% 0.65%
45 42,395 90.62% 0.58%
46 41,324 88.82% 0.56%
47 40,058 84.82% 0.55%
48 39,926 48.14% 0.54%
49 38,453 58.30% 0.52%
50 37,046 80.03% 0.50%
51 34,732 88.76% 0.47%
52 34,717 87.77% 0.47%
53 34,335 86.48% 0.47%
54 33,908 54.67% 0.46%
55 33,351 87.51% 0.45%
56 33,112 70.09% 0.45%
57 32,093 26.46% 0.44%
58 31,880 60.35% 0.43%
59 31,422 89.32% 0.43%
60 31,335 59.86% 0.43%
61 29,745 51.46% 0.40%
62 28,033 66.74% 0.38%
63 27,836 91.50% 0.38%
64 26,152 94.14% 0.36%
65 25,869 44.08% 0.35%
66 25,797 58.06% 0.35%
67 24,411 55.93% 0.33%
68 21,057 91.13% 0.29%
69 19,983 39.23% 0.27%
70 19,945 39.44% 0.27%
71 19,363 68.96% 0.26%
72 18,588 40.89% 0.25%
73 18,464 88.13% 0.25%
74 17,968 92.60% 0.24%
75 16,812 55.45% 0.23%
76 16,241 88.59% 0.22%
77 15,911 43.24% 0.22%
78 14,984 62.14% 0.20%
79 14,363 92.32% 0.20%
80 12,283 53.48% 0.17%
81 11,948 51.59% 0.16%
82 10,792 92.94% 0.15%
83 10,780 91.82% 0.15%
84 10,517 46.14% 0.14%
85 9,814 71.24% 0.13%
86 9,805 75.71% 0.13%
87 9,563 62.96% 0.13%
88 9,412 80.53% 0.13%
89 8,821 61.30% 0.12%
90 8,097 40.76% 0.11%
91 7,727 36.57% 0.11%
92 7,396 40.93% 0.10%
93 7,008 85.46% 0.10%
94 6,980 64.15% 0.10%
95 6,528 65.31% 0.09%
96 6,398 35.45% 0.09%
97 5,455 48.36% 0.07%
98 2,046 58.08% 0.03%

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 counties in North Carolina by their White population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census Defines White Population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their race, meaning individuals can choose one or more racial categories when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as White, whether alone or in combination with another race.
Here are a few important things to know about how race is reported:
  • Some people identify as White alone, while others identify as White along with another race (such as White and White).
  • Hispanic / Latino origin is reported separately from race, so someone can be both Hispanic and White .
  • We’ve used the “White alone or in combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the White population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as White alone or in combination in counties. 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 White .
  2. % of Total North Carolina White Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. White 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 White 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.
  • Counties that don’t have any reported White 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 White populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.