State bird
Northern cardinal
Sources: Designation & background
Local timeRaleigh ·
U.S. States / South · Card 033
North Carolina
The Tar Heel State
Cape Hatteras National Seashore lies on the Outer Banks, a chain of barrier islands.
North Carolina and its surroundings
● State capital · Gold highlights North Carolina.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
At a glance
- Capital
- Raleigh
- Postal abbreviation
- NC
- Population
- 11,197,968July 1, 2025 · Census estimate
- Total area
- 139,391 km²53,819 square miles · land and water
- Constitution ratified
- November 21, 1789One of the original thirteen states
- Region
- South
Sources: Census · population · Census · area
State symbols & traditions
State song
The Old North State
Sources: Designation & background
State vegetable
Sweet potato
Sources: Designation & background
Geography & flag
01
Location
Neighboring states: Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia.
02
Landscape & places
Cape Hatteras National Seashore lies on the Outer Banks, a chain of barrier islands. Beaches, dunes and marshes change as storms and currents move sediment along the coast.
03
Land and water
The total area includes 125,920 km² of land and 13,471 km² of water, according to Census area measurements.
State flag
A blue hoist panel with a white star and N C, beside red and white horizontal bands.
Sources: Census · geographic reference · Census · area measurements · National Park Service · Cape Hatteras
How the landscape works
The Outer Banks are a chain of barrier islands, with beaches, dunes, and marshes. Storms and currents move sediment along and across the coast. A shoreline shown on a map is therefore a record of a changing system rather than a guarantee that sand will remain in place. Human use of the islands takes place within those physical conditions.
History
Why the Wright brothers tested aircraft on the Outer Banks
Wilbur and Orville Wright needed a place with steady wind, open space and soft ground for experimental flights. After studying weather information and corresponding with local residents, they chose the Kitty Hawk area. Its sand dunes and beaches offered conditions they could not find at their workshop in Dayton, Ohio.
They tested gliders over several seasons and improved their control system before adding an engine. On December 17, 1903, at nearby Kill Devil Hills, they made successful powered flights. The achievement depended on repeated experiments with lift, propulsion and control, rather than one lucky attempt.
Read more: Historical source ↗
Why this mattered
The Wright brothers chose the Outer Banks for testing because wind, open space, and sand suited their experiments. Their achievement depended on testing and control as well as adding power. A successful aircraft needed a way to remain stable and be directed; leaving the ground alone was not the entire engineering problem.
Key dates
-
Carolina charter granted
-
Constitution ratified · One of the original thirteen states
-
Western territory ceded to the United States
Sources: Congressional Research Service · statehood · U.S. Census Bureau · historical geography · National Park Service
People and place
Indigenous history and communities today
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians provides a present-day perspective from western North Carolina. Its story also helps show why the Cherokee peoples cannot be described as though all followed one identical path of removal and migration.
Continue with Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. This is one starting point, not a complete account of the peoples connected to this land.
Compare
North Carolina and Georgia
| Measure | North Carolina | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2025) | 11,197,968 | 11,302,748 |
| Land area (km²) | 125,920 | 148,959 |
| People per km² of land | 88.9 | 75.9 |
North Carolina has more people per square kilometer of land. Population density divides population by land area. It is an average across the whole jurisdiction, not a claim that residents are evenly spread out.
Calculated from the Census population series and land-area measurements used on these pages. Rounded figures; water area is excluded. Explore Georgia.
Economy
Main activities
In 2025, professional and business services was the largest of the broad industry groups compared here by current-dollar output. Other major groups included real estate and rental and leasing, manufacturing, and government and government enterprises.
Total economic output was $893.8 billion in current dollars in 2025.
Largest industry groups · 2025
- Professional and business services: 13.2%
- Real estate and rental and leasing: 12.7%
- Manufacturing: 11.6%
- Government and government enterprises: 11.5%
Share of total current-dollar GDP. These figures measure output, not employment.
Sources: BEA · annual GDP by state, SAGDP2
Production, jobs and wages answer different questions
The industry chart measures the value of production. It does not count workers. An industry with a large share of GDP need not employ the most people or pay the highest wages. Employment and wage data would be needed to answer those questions.
Population & economic trends
Population, 2020–2025
Millions of people11.202025 · millions of people
July 1 resident population estimates, using the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 series.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau
View data table
| Year | People |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 10,450,215 |
| 2021 | 10,565,503 |
| 2022 | 10,705,768 |
| 2023 | 10,871,849 |
| 2024 | 11,052,061 |
| 2025 | 11,197,968 |
Real GDP, 2010–2025
Billions of chained 2017 dollars682.392025 · billions of chained 2017 dollars
Real GDP measures economic output adjusted for inflation. The chart uses BEA’s chained 2017 dollars.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
View data table
| Year | Millions of chained 2017 dollars |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 482,030.4 |
| 2011 | 484,200.3 |
| 2012 | 488,126.5 |
| 2013 | 497,456.6 |
| 2014 | 509,782.4 |
| 2015 | 525,229.1 |
| 2016 | 536,308.5 |
| 2017 | 546,810.1 |
| 2018 | 556,573.7 |
| 2019 | 567,975.0 |
| 2020 | 564,278.8 |
| 2021 | 599,293.8 |
| 2022 | 620,666.5 |
| 2023 | 643,045.8 |
| 2024 | 664,131.6 |
| 2025 | 682,393.2 |
Read the trend, then ask what explains it
North Carolina’s population increased by about 7.2% between 2020 and 2025 in this series. That shows the size of the change. The chart alone cannot tell us how much came from births, deaths or migration.
Real GDP adjusts for changes in prices, so it helps compare production over time. Current-dollar GDP includes price changes. Neither measure tells us how income is distributed among residents.
Representation
- Electoral votes
- 162024 & 2028 elections
- Voting U.S. House seats
- 142020 Census allocation
- U.S. Senate seats
- 2
Electoral votes equal the state’s U.S. House seats plus its two U.S. Senate seats. These allocations apply to the 2024 and 2028 presidential elections.
Practice
Test your knowledge
Use the explanations and data on this page to answer ten questions. Hints and links to the relevant sections are available throughout.
10 questions about North Carolina
Show a hint
Your place in the quiz and best full-quiz score are saved on this device when browser storage is available.
Want to practice recognizing states? Try the mixed-state map quiz.
Sources & notes
Narrative and quiz updated 5 October 2026. Statistical data prepared 27 September 2026. Population: Census Bureau Vintage 2025, July 1 estimates for 2020–2025. Real GDP: BEA annual state accounts, SAGDP9, millions of chained 2017 dollars; industry shares: SAGDP2, current dollars. Data downloaded 27 September 2026. Area measurements include land and water.
Sources: Census · population estimates · BEA · state GDP · Census · area measurements · Natural Earth · map data
The capital clock shows current local time. Statistical figures are dated estimates and may be revised.
Updated 29 October 2026. Statistics retain the dated series shown in the charts; these are not live figures. Sources are linked beside each topic.