North Carolina cities, towns and communities

Find an official community by name and geography type. Annual population estimates and ACS survey estimates describe different dates and remain separate.

All states and territories · Coverage and methodology

Search North Carolina

Search official Census names across the 50 states, Washington, DC and Puerto Rico. Each result identifies the type of area.

Browse the state directories, or use interactive name search when it is available.

Browse by state or territory · What we include

Browse A–Z. Annual estimates and survey estimates appear in separate, dated columns.

These are overlapping jurisdictions and communities. Do not add their populations together. A directory count describes this selection policy.

773 entries in this view. The initial list shows up to 50 entries per section.

Cities, towns and unincorporated communities (773)

North Carolina cities, towns and communities: Cities, towns and unincorporated communities. Annual PEP and ACS survey estimates are separate measures.
Name	Type	July 1, 2025 population	2020–2024 ACS population
Aberdeen townMoore County	Town	10,066	9,228±19
Advance CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	1,408±516
Ahoskie townHertford County	Town	4,608	4,764±64
Alamance villageAlamance County	Village	1,061	1,267±481
Albemarle cityStanly County	City	17,769	16,762±39
Alexis CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	635±349
Alliance townPamlico County	Town	764	709±191
Altamahaw CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	491±281
Anderson Creek CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	13,927±1,030
Andrews townCherokee County	Town	1,799	1,998±329
Angier townHarnett County; Wake County	Town	9,410	6,241±239
Ansonville townAnson County	Town	461	651±191
Apex townChatham County; Wake County	Town	80,419	70,630±70
Aquadale CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	156±97
Arapahoe townPamlico County	Town	432	397±121
Archdale cityGuilford County; Randolph County	City	12,254	12,087±256
Archer Lodge townJohnston County	Town	5,649	5,186±13
Arrowhead Beach CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	1,242±416
Asheboro cityRandolph County	City	27,990	27,580±48
Asheville cityBuncombe County	City	93,523	94,535±43
Ashley Heights CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	282±107
Askewville townBertie County	Town	171	155±45
Atkinson townPender County	Town	357	485±225
Atlantic Beach townCarteret County	Town	1,408	1,719±348
Atlantic CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	522±247
Aulander townBertie County	Town	715	689±261
Aurora townBeaufort County	Town	454	560±169
Autryville townSampson County	Town	171	177±74
Avery Creek CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	2,887±1,115
Avon CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	339±209
Ayden townPitt County	Town	5,263	5,150±49
Badin townStanly County	Town	1,915	2,184±304
Bailey townNash County	Town	593	422±170
Bakersville townMitchell County	Town	468	747±335
Bald Head Island villageBrunswick County	Village	279	190±32
Balfour CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	1,134±293
Banner Elk townAvery County	Town	1,242	1,473±202
Barbecue CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	5,910±1,052
Barker Heights CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	1,074±464
Barker Ten Mile CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	1,156±306
Barnardsville CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	445±153
Bath townBeaufort County	Town	243	391±159
Bayboro townPamlico County	Town	1,242	1,266±141
Bayshore CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	2,949±861
Bayview CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	253±130
Bear Grass townMartin County	Town	81	133±85
Beaufort townCarteret County	Town	4,912	4,689±28
Beech Mountain townAvery County; Watauga County	Town	659	987±152
Belhaven townBeaufort County	Town	1,414	1,577±264
Bell Arthur CDP	Census-designated place	Not available	374±384

Other local governments (0)

These functioning local governments remain browsable while we review whether they belong in the municipal community comparison. Their separately named annual township view has its own inclusion policy.

North Carolina cities, towns and communities: Other local governments. Annual PEP and ACS survey estimates are separate measures.
Name	Type	July 1, 2025 population	2020–2024 ACS population

No records in this section under this view's inclusion policy.

Download the complete directory CSV. Geography, source periods and missing-value meanings are documented in the field dictionary.

Source detail

Source detail: Cities and towns: annual population

Cities and towns: annual population

Source agency: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset: Vintage 2025 subcounty population estimates
Vintage / period: July 1, 2025; Vintage 2025
Native geography: Native PEP 061 county subdivisions, 162 places and 170 whole consolidated governments.
Transformation: Preserve each native observation. Reviewed continuity connects eligible ACS identities without replacing either source period or boundary vintage. Each comparison uses its declared jurisdiction policy.

Known limit: Overlapping jurisdictions are not additive. Annual PEP estimates are distinct from ACS five-year estimates; no ACS substitution or mixed-source population ranking.

Methodology Original source

Source detail: Cities, towns and communities: ACS population

Cities, towns and communities: ACS population

Source agency: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey
Dataset: ACS five-year B01003 total population, estimate and 90% margin of error
Vintage / period: 2020–2024 collection period; 2024 geography
Native geography: Native ACS 060 subdivisions, 160 places, 170 whole consolidated cities; Puerto Rico 050 municipios in a separate territory scope.
Transformation: Copy B01003_001E and B01003_001M from each native record with their published missingness and controlled-estimate annotations. Compare only the same release and period.

Known limit: A period estimate is not a July 2024 population. Ranks order point estimates and do not establish statistically significant differences. Missing values remain unavailable; overlapping populations must not be summed.

Methodology Original source

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimates on the 2024 geography; Population Estimates Program Vintage 2025, July 1, 2025. Geographic classifications retain their own source vintage. Missing data stays unavailable.