North Carolina’s population continued to surge in 2025, as more people moved to North Carolina from other states than to any other state, according to new US Census data.
More than 110,000 people moved to North Carolina from other states last year, helping drive a total population increase of about 165,000 residents and pushing the state’s population to roughly 11.1 million.
Gov. Josh Stein highlighted the growth in a social media post following the release.
“The newest data from the US Census Bureau is in – and North Carolina is growing. More people moved to NC from other states than to any other state. The fastest-growing counties in NC are Brunswick (the 6th fastest in the US!), Pender, Johnston, Iredell, and Franklin. And our two biggest counties – Wake and Mecklenburg – had population gains in the top 7 nationally. The growth shows North Carolina continues to be the best place to live, work, and play. As we grow, we have to take care to invest in our infrastructure and our people,” Stein wrote.
Wake and Mecklenburg counties each added more than 26,000 residents last year, ranking among the top counties in the nation for population gains.
Several other counties also posted faster-than-average percentage growth. Brunswick County grew by about 4.5%, ranking sixth fastest in the country. Johnston, Franklin, Harnett, and Iredell counties each saw growth of roughly 3% or more.
Coastal North Carolina is also among the state’s fastest-growing regions. The Wilmington metropolitan area ranked as the seventh fastest-growing metro area in the United States by percentage growth from July 2024 to July 2025.
Population growth remains concentrated in metro and suburban areas, particularly around Raleigh, Charlotte, and coastal regions. In contrast, many rural counties in northeastern North Carolina continue to lag or lose population. The divide highlights a widening gap between fast-growing urban and suburban areas and rural communities that continue to lag.
Overall, 84 of North Carolina’s 100 counties saw population growth over the past year.
Nationally, population growth slowed significantly in 2025. This is most true in metropolitan areas. Metro-area growth dropped from about 1.1% to 0.6% year over year, driven in part by declines in international migration.
“The nation’s largest counties like those in the New York metro area are often international migration hubs, gaining large numbers of international migrants and losing people that move to other parts of the country via domestic migration,” explained George M. Hayward, a Census Bureau demographer. “With fewer gains from international migration, these types of counties saw their population growth diminish or even turn into a loss.”
Census data also shows population growth shifting away from the nation’s largest counties. The 50 counties with populations over 1 million recorded a combined net domestic migration loss of more than 637,000 residents — a trend bucked in North Carolina.
Despite the slowdown, the South continues to dominate US population growth. Census data shows 45 of the 50 fastest-growing counties are located in Southern states.