U.S. state profile · NC
North Carolina: area, population and density
North Carolina has 48,624 sq mi of land and a 2025 population estimate of 11,197,968; calculated population density is 89 people/km².
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer Files · 2026 · U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program · 2025.
North Carolina ranks 29th of 51 by land area, 9th by population and 13th by calculated population density among the U.S. states and DC. Density uses the displayed population divided by land area converted to square kilometres.
- Land area
- 48,624 sq miU.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer Files · 2026
- Population
- 11,197,968U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program · 2025
- Calculated density
- 89 people/km²Population ÷ land area in km²
Reading the figures
North Carolina in the U.S. comparison set
North Carolina has 48,624 sq mi of land area and a population estimate of 11,197,968 for 2025. In the 51-place state and DC set, it is 29th by land area, 9th by population, and 13th by calculated density.
Density is not a separately reported value here. It is calculated from the population and land area above, converted to square kilometres, so the result can be compared with supported country figures.
U.S. boundary outline: Census TIGER/Line 2025. The drawing is fitted to this profile panel; use a comparison page for a shared-area scale.