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

According to U.S. Census estimates, the Mexican population in North Carolina stands at 586,611. Every county reports a non-zero population, with Mecklenburg County leading at 60,910, followed by Wake County (59,126) and Forsyth County (30,781). The combined total across counties is slightly lower than the statewide figure - a gap that may reflect rounding, data lag, or unassigned residents in certain census tracts. This analysis ranks all counties in North Carolina by their Mexican population, offering a localized perspective on how the community is distributed across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest Mexican population in North Carolina

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  • 1
    Mecklenburg County
    Mexican population in Mecklenburg County is 60,910
    5.39% of Mecklenburg County population is Mexican
  • 2
    Wake County
    Mexican population in Wake County is 59,126
    5.14% of Wake County population is Mexican
  • 3
    Forsyth County
    Mexican population in Forsyth County is 30,781
    7.96% of Forsyth County population is Mexican
  • 4
    Guilford County
    Mexican population in Guilford County is 26,858
    4.95% of Guilford County population is Mexican
  • 5
    Durham County
    Mexican population in Durham County is 23,009
    6.99% of Durham County population is Mexican

Overview of Mexican population in North Carolina

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey documents North Carolina with 586,611 Mexican residents (5.5% of 10.6 million total state population), ranking the state at the 79th percentile nationally among U.S. jurisdictions for Mexican demographic representation.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show North Carolina's Mexican demographic representation of 5.5% remains below the national average of 11.3%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey document North Carolina's 586,611 Mexican residents constitute 1.6% of the nation's total Mexican population of 37.4 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 documents North Carolina contains 12.1 Mexican Americans per square mile, above the national average of 10.6 per square mile, indicating marginally stronger community presence than most U.S. states.
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98 Counties in North Carolina Ranked by Mexican Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Mexican populations across every county in North Carolina, with demographic distributions ranging from the highest population in Mecklenburg County to the lowest in $rank_n_geo_name. 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 Mexican population count
Rank by Mexican Population
County
Mexican Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total North Carolina Mexican Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Mecklenburg County 60,910 5.39% 10.38%
2 Wake County 59,126 5.14% 10.08%
3 Forsyth County 30,781 7.96% 5.25%
4 Guilford County 26,858 4.95% 4.58%
5 Durham County 23,009 6.99% 3.92%
6 Johnston County 22,724 10.03% 3.87%
7 Union County 16,463 6.72% 2.81%
8 15,593 8.95% 2.66%
9 14,969 10.30% 2.55%
10 14,336 4.26% 2.44%
11 13,269 5.74% 2.26%
12 11,709 5.61% 2.00%
13 11,384 4.19% 1.94%
14 10,680 7.19% 1.82%
15 10,649 6.57% 1.82%
16 10,547 7.73% 1.80%
17 9,657 5.65% 1.65%
18 9,446 5.48% 1.61%
19 9,416 8.02% 1.61%
20 8,387 4.37% 1.43%
21 8,295 7.10% 1.41%
22 8,260 7.02% 1.41%
23 7,883 5.35% 1.34%
24 7,724 3.34% 1.32%
25 7,618 11.80% 1.30%
26 7,197 10.08% 1.23%
27 7,146 9.09% 1.22%
28 7,008 11.83% 1.19%
29 7,001 3.03% 1.19%
30 5,750 11.72% 0.98%
31 5,392 6.88% 0.92%
32 5,350 5.61% 0.91%
33 4,480 6.23% 0.76%
34 4,351 2.98% 0.74%
35 4,305 4.19% 0.73%
36 4,277 4.23% 0.73%
37 4,215 7.94% 0.72%
38 4,091 4.47% 0.70%
39 3,971 10.61% 0.68%
40 3,698 4.09% 0.63%
41 3,586 5.65% 0.61%
42 3,377 6.15% 0.58%
43 3,178 3.17% 0.54%
44 3,150 5.13% 0.54%
45 2,785 6.57% 0.47%
46 2,748 6.31% 0.47%
47 2,694 6.04% 0.46%
48 2,619 6.98% 0.45%
49 2,532 12.40% 0.43%
50 2,490 9.62% 0.42%
51 2,474 3.89% 0.42%
52 2,439 4.83% 0.42%
53 2,408 3.65% 0.41%
54 2,373 5.54% 0.40%
55 2,365 2.69% 0.40%
56 2,227 2.76% 0.38%
57 2,183 3.37% 0.37%
58 2,105 4.32% 0.36%
59 2,006 4.49% 0.34%
60 2,003 4.65% 0.34%
61 1,794 3.29% 0.31%
62 1,533 2.23% 0.26%
63 1,438 3.95% 0.25%
64 1,423 3.62% 0.24%
65 1,317 2.11% 0.22%
66 1,274 3.39% 0.22%
67 1,189 4.02% 0.20%
68 1,145 4.27% 0.20%
69 983 2.19% 0.17%
70 909 8.21% 0.16%
71 891 4.35% 0.15%
72 873 2.63% 0.15%
73 847 2.07% 0.14%
74 743 3.77% 0.13%
75 742 3.27% 0.13%
76 727 2.12% 0.12%
77 713 3.27% 0.12%
78 707 3.79% 0.12%
79 676 3.83% 0.12%
80 551 2.94% 0.09%
81 550 2.51% 0.09%
82 535 2.47% 0.09%
83 532 1.10% 0.09%
84 507 3.39% 0.09%
85 471 1.61% 0.08%
86 406 2.89% 0.07%
87 283 2.30% 0.05%
88 265 7.85% 0.05%
89 259 2.38% 0.04%
90 258 1.48% 0.04%
91 250 1.81% 0.04%
92 246 2.16% 0.04%
93 244 1.86% 0.04%
94 222 2.40% 0.04%
95 210 2.61% 0.04%
96 171 1.64% 0.03%
97 161 0.94% 0.03%
98 105 0.98% 0.02%
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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 Mexican population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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