Mecklenburg Leads Population Growth in North Carolina

Wake and Mecklenburg counties each added over 26,000 people in the year ending June 30, 2025. Both landed in the top 10 for numeric gains across the nation. Charlotte's metro area now sits at the 21st largest in the country, topping 2.9 million people.

According to the News & Observer, the 11-county Charlotte metro picked up more than 54,000 residents during that span—  fifth-highest among all metro regions. Three of those counties lie in South Carolina.

Wake keeps its spot as the state's biggest county. An estimated 1,257,235 people called it home last summer. The Raleigh-Cary metro pushed past Milwaukee, claiming the 40th spot among metros nationwide.

Four of the nation's fastest-growing metro areas sit in the Carolinas, per U.S. Census Bureau estimates from March 2025. Raleigh-Cary and Wilmington in North Carolina, plus Myrtle Beach and Spartanburg in South Carolina, all cracked the top 10 for growth rate.

Brunswick County, just south of Wilmington, ranked the 6th fastest growing county in the country at 4.7%. Brunswick and Pender outpaced every other county in the state, fueling the Wilmington metro's expansion.

Wake, Johnston, and Franklin Counties have stayed among the state's quickest growers since 2000. Those three make up the Raleigh-Cary metro.

Twelve of North Carolina's 15 metro areas grew more slowly than the previous year. Fayetteville, Hickory/Lenoir/Morganton, and Southern Pines/Pinehurst bucked that trend. Asheville was the only metro in the state to shrink.

Eighteen of the state's 100 counties dropped in size during the year ending June 30, 2025. All but one were outside city limits.

Fewer people arriving from other countries have slowed gains nationwide, the Census Bureau says. Nine of every 10 counties saw fewer international arrivals in the year ending June 30 compared to the prior year.

Durham and Chapel Hill's metro area had an estimated 625,485 residents last summer. Tyrrell County in eastern North Carolina remains the state's smallest, with just 3,537 people.