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

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, North Carolina is home to 23,778 Jamaican residents. Mecklenburg County contains the largest Jamaican community with 4,567 individuals, followed by Cumberland County (3,413), Wake County (2,086), and several other counties contributing to this statewide total. The remaining difference may reflect Jamaican 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 Jamaican population, offering insights into community patterns across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest Jamaican population in North Carolina

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  • 1
    Mecklenburg County
    Jamaican population in Mecklenburg County is 4,567
    0.40% of Mecklenburg County population is Jamaican
  • 2
    Cumberland County
    Jamaican population in Cumberland County is 3,413
    1.01% of Cumberland County population is Jamaican
  • 3
    Wake County
    Jamaican population in Wake County is 2,086
    0.18% of Wake County population is Jamaican
  • 4
    Durham County
    Jamaican population in Durham County is 1,825
    0.55% of Durham County population is Jamaican
  • 5
    Guilford County
    Jamaican population in Guilford County is 1,710
    0.31% of Guilford County population is Jamaican

Overview of Jamaican population in North Carolina

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate North Carolina contains 23,778 Jamaican residents (0.22% of 10.6 million total state population), positioning the state at the 79th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Jamaican population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show North Carolina's Jamaican demographic representation of 0.22% remains below the national average of 0.37%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey document North Carolina's 23,778 Jamaican residents constitute 1.9% of the nation's total Jamaican population of 1.2 million, providing the state with a measurable but modest share of the national demographic community.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data show North Carolina maintains 0.49 Jamaican Americans per square mile compared to the national average of 0.35, indicating higher demographic concentration relative to national averages.
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98 Counties in North Carolina Ranked by Jamaican Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Jamaican population in North Carolina distributed across multiple counties, led by Mecklenburg County, Cumberland County, Wake County, and Durham County, while several other counties recorded no residents identified as Americans of Jamaican 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 Jamaican population count
Rank by Jamaican Population
County
Jamaican Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total North Carolina Jamaican Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Mecklenburg County 4,567 0.40% 19.21%
2 Cumberland County 3,413 1.01% 14.35%
3 Wake County 2,086 0.18% 8.77%
4 Durham County 1,825 0.55% 7.68%
5 Guilford County 1,710 0.31% 7.19%
6 Forsyth County 1,103 0.29% 4.64%
7 Buncombe County 944 0.35% 3.97%
8 882 0.51% 3.71%
9 691 0.51% 2.91%
10 630 0.27% 2.65%
11 584 0.28% 2.46%
12 473 0.19% 1.99%
13 434 1.02% 1.83%
14 375 0.25% 1.58%
15 356 0.19% 1.50%
16 306 0.13% 1.29%
17 241 0.10% 1.01%
18 228 0.23% 0.96%
19 210 0.09% 0.88%
20 202 0.17% 0.85%
21 185 0.11% 0.78%
22 135 0.08% 0.57%
23 134 0.09% 0.56%
24 132 0.09% 0.56%
24 132 0.27% 0.56%
25 114 0.56% 0.48%
26 91 0.19% 0.38%
27 90 0.13% 0.38%
28 79 0.14% 0.33%
29 75 0.05% 0.32%
30 71 0.07% 0.30%
31 70 0.06% 0.29%
32 69 0.13% 0.29%
33 65 0.08% 0.27%
34 64 0.12% 0.27%
35 56 0.07% 0.24%
36 55 0.09% 0.23%
37 52 0.05% 0.22%
38 43 0.20% 0.18%
38 43 0.05% 0.18%
39 41 0.08% 0.17%
40 40 0.08% 0.17%
40 40 0.12% 0.17%
41 38 0.22% 0.16%
41 38 0.06% 0.16%
42 37 0.04% 0.16%
43 34 0.32% 0.14%
43 34 0.03% 0.14%
44 33 0.02% 0.14%
45 32 0.95% 0.13%
46 29 0.05% 0.12%
47 25 0.03% 0.11%
48 24 0.07% 0.10%
49 23 0.04% 0.10%
49 23 0.05% 0.10%
50 21 0.03% 0.09%
51 20 0.02% 0.08%
52 18 0.04% 0.08%
52 18 0.14% 0.08%
52 18 0.03% 0.08%
53 17 0.08% 0.07%
54 16 0.04% 0.07%
54 16 0.06% 0.07%
54 16 0.03% 0.07%
55 15 0.04% 0.06%
55 15 0.03% 0.06%
56 9 0.02% 0.04%
56 9 0.05% 0.04%
57 8 0.01% 0.03%
58 7 0.04% 0.03%
59 6 0.01% 0.03%
59 6 0.03% 0.03%
59 6 0.01% 0.03%
60 5 0.01% 0.02%
61 2 0.01% 0.01%
61 2 0.02% 0.01%
62 1 0.00% 0.00%
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 0 - -
63 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 Jamaican population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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