Indian Population in North Carolina by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, North Carolina is home to 130,646 Indian residents. Wake County contains the largest Indian community with 54,110 individuals, followed by Mecklenburg County (29,397), Cabarrus County (7,893), and several other counties contributing to this statewide total. The remaining difference may reflect Indian populations in lower-population counties not listed above or minor reporting adjustments in the census data. This demographic breakdown ranks all counties in North Carolina by their Indian population, offering insights into community patterns across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest Indian population in North Carolina

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  • 1
    Wake County
    Indian population in Wake County is 54,110
    4.70% of Wake County population is Indian
  • 2
    Mecklenburg County
    Indian population in Mecklenburg County is 29,397
    2.60% of Mecklenburg County population is Indian
  • 3
    Cabarrus County
    Indian population in Cabarrus County is 7,893
    3.41% of Cabarrus County population is Indian
  • 4
    Guilford County
    Indian population in Guilford County is 7,000
    1.29% of Guilford County population is Indian
  • 5
    Union County
    Indian population in Union County is 6,061
    2.47% of Union County population is Indian

Overview of Indian population in North Carolina

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey documents North Carolina with 130,646 Indian residents (1.2% of 10.6 million total state population), ranking the state at the 77th percentile nationally among U.S. jurisdictions for Indian demographic representation.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show North Carolina's Indian demographic representation of 1.2% remains below the national average of 1.5%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show North Carolina hosts 130,646 Indian residents, representing 2.7% of the nation's total Indian population of 4.9 million, 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 show North Carolina maintains 2.7 Indian Americans per square mile compared to the national average of 1.4, indicating higher demographic concentration relative to national averages.
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98 Counties in North Carolina Ranked by Indian Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Indian population in North Carolina distributed across multiple counties, led by Wake County, Mecklenburg County, Cabarrus County, and Guilford County, while several other counties recorded no residents identified as Americans of Indian birth or 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 Indian population count
Rank by Indian Population
County
Indian Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total North Carolina Indian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Wake County 54,110 4.70% 41.42%
2 Mecklenburg County 29,397 2.60% 22.50%
3 Cabarrus County 7,893 3.41% 6.04%
4 Guilford County 7,000 1.29% 5.36%
5 Union County 6,061 2.47% 4.64%
6 Durham County 4,826 1.47% 3.69%
7 Orange County 2,861 1.94% 2.19%
8 2,589 0.67% 1.98%
9 2,064 1.08% 1.58%
10 1,530 0.45% 1.17%
11 1,030 0.38% 0.79%
12 884 0.38% 0.68%
13 851 0.49% 0.65%
14 816 0.47% 0.62%
15 654 0.31% 0.50%
16 615 0.36% 0.47%
17 554 0.71% 0.42%
18 509 0.22% 0.39%
19 498 0.42% 0.38%
20 399 0.27% 0.31%
21 374 0.39% 0.29%
22 323 0.28% 0.25%
23 313 0.14% 0.24%
24 291 0.20% 0.22%
25 279 0.19% 0.21%
26 241 0.23% 0.18%
27 237 0.30% 0.18%
28 216 0.18% 0.17%
29 207 0.15% 0.16%
30 184 0.30% 0.14%
31 173 0.25% 0.13%
32 133 0.31% 0.10%
33 126 0.13% 0.10%
33 126 0.20% 0.10%
34 123 0.08% 0.09%
35 122 0.22% 0.09%
36 118 0.12% 0.09%
37 115 0.13% 0.09%
38 114 0.27% 0.09%
39 108 0.15% 0.08%
40 101 0.28% 0.08%
41 96 0.20% 0.07%
42 85 0.25% 0.07%
43 79 0.16% 0.06%
43 79 0.19% 0.06%
44 78 0.16% 0.06%
45 73 0.17% 0.06%
46 71 0.13% 0.05%
47 68 0.31% 0.05%
48 65 0.13% 0.05%
49 61 0.09% 0.05%
50 56 0.27% 0.04%
51 51 0.29% 0.04%
51 51 0.27% 0.04%
52 44 0.11% 0.03%
53 40 0.06% 0.03%
54 39 0.06% 0.03%
55 38 0.06% 0.03%
56 36 0.04% 0.03%
57 30 0.17% 0.02%
57 30 0.32% 0.02%
58 29 0.07% 0.02%
59 24 0.12% 0.02%
60 23 0.29% 0.02%
60 23 0.06% 0.02%
60 23 0.04% 0.02%
60 23 0.07% 0.02%
61 22 0.04% 0.02%
62 21 0.08% 0.02%
63 19 0.04% 0.01%
64 17 0.08% 0.01%
64 17 0.13% 0.01%
65 15 0.10% 0.01%
66 10 0.01% 0.01%
66 10 0.02% 0.01%
67 7 0.02% 0.01%
68 6 0.01% 0.00%
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
69 0 - -
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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 Indian population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Indian 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 Indian 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 Indian alone, while others identify as Indian along with another race (such as Indian and German).
  • We’ve used the “Indian alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Indian population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Indian 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 Indian .
  2. % of Total North Carolina Indian Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Indian 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 Indian 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 Indian 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 Indian populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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