Demographics of North Carolina
County Seat 2010 Projection
Mecklenburg Charlotte 925,084
Wake Raleigh 900,072
Guilford Greensboro 474,605
Forsyth Winston-Salem 350,784
Cumberland Fayetteville 311,777
Durham Durham 262,256
Buncombe Asheville 234,697
Gaston Gastonia 205,489
Union Monroe 203,527
New Hanover Wilmington 200,401
Ethnicity
Demographics of North Carolina ( csv ) By race White Black AIAN* Asian NHPI* 2000 ( total population ) 75.27% 22.20% 1.65% 1.70% 0.11% 2000 ( Hispanic only ) 4.28% 0.33% 0.10% 0.05% 0.03% 2005 ( total population ) 74.95% 22.29% 1.65% 2.06% 0.12% 2005 ( Hispanic only ) 5.89% 0.37% 0.12% 0.05% 0.03% Growth 2000–05 ( total population ) 7.41% 8.31% 7.51% 30.62% 17.92% Growth 2000–05 ( non-Hispanic only ) 4.93% 8.13% 6.31% 30.71% 16.84% Growth 2000–05 ( Hispanic only ) 48.62% 20.36% 25.79% 27.15% 21.63% * AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native ; NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander As of the 2015 vintage year of the U.S. Census series starting in 2010 , the U.S. Census estimated that the racial distribution of North Carolina 's population was 71.2% White American , 22.1% African American , 1.6% American Indian , 2.8% Asian , and 9.1% Hispanic or Latino ( of any race ) . [ 15 ] North Carolina has historically been a rural state , with most of the population living on farms or in small towns . However , over the last 30 years the state has undergone rapid urbanization , and today most of North Carolina 's residents live in urban and suburban areas , as is the case in most of the United States . In particular , the cities of Charlotte and Raleigh have become major urban centers , with large , diverse , mainly affluent and rapidly growing populations . Most of this growth in diversity has been fueled by immigrants from Latin America , India , and Southeast Asia . [ 16 ] In addition , large numbers of people from the Northeastern United States , Florida and California have moved to the state in recent years . North Carolina was one of the country 's fastest growing states in the 1980s and 1990s . The growth rate subsided in the first decade of the 21st century due to changed economic conditions , but it continued to attract new residents . [ citation needed ] The center of population of North Carolina is located in Randolph County , in the town of Seagrove . [ 17 ] Charlotte Raleigh Greensboro Winston-Salem High Point Wilmington Asheville Gastonia Ancestry Percentage Main article : African ( 21.6% ) Of Total ) See African American American ( 13.9% ) See American ancestry English ( 9.5% ) See English American German ( 9.5% ) See German American Irish ( 7.4% ) See Irish American Scots-Irish ( 3.2% ) See Scots-Irish American Italian ( 2.3% ) See Italian American Scottish ( 2.2% ) See Scottish American
Demographics of North Carolina covers the varieties of ethnic groups who reside in North Carolina and relevant trends.