| Counties of North Carolina | |
| Territory: | State of North Carolina |
| Current Number: | 100 |
| Population Range: | 3,461 (Tyrrell) – 1,190,275 (Wake) |
| Area Range: | (Clay) – (Dare) |
| Government: | County government |
| Subdivision: | cities, towns, townships, unincorporated communities, census designated place |
The U.S. state of North Carolina is divided into 100 counties. North Carolina ranks 28th in size by area, but has the seventh-highest number of counties in the country.[1]
Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, King Charles II rewarded eight persons on March 24, 1663, for their faithful support of his efforts to regain the throne of England. He gave the eight grantees, called Lords Proprietor, the land called Carolina, in honor of King Charles I, his father. The Province of Carolina, from 1663 to 1729, was a North American English (1663–1707), then British (from 1707 union with Scotland) colony. In 1729, the Province of North Carolina became a separate entity from the Province of South Carolina.[2]
The establishment of North Carolina counties stretches over 240 years, beginning in 1668 with the creation of Albemarle County and ending with the 1911 creation of Avery and Hoke counties. Five counties have been divided or abolished altogether, the last being Dobbs County in 1791.
The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS),[3] which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify states and counties, is provided with each entry. North Carolina's FIPS code is 37, which when combined with the county code is written as 37.[4]
| County | FIPS code | County seat[5] | Origin[6] | Etymology | (2023)[7] | Area[8] | Map |
|---|
| County | Created | Abolished | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albemarle County | 1664[9] | 1738 | Partitioned into Chowan County, Currituck County, Pasquotank County, and Perquimans County | |
| Bath County | 1696[10] | 1738 | Partitioned into Beaufort County, Craven County, and Hyde County | |
| Bute County | 1764[11] | 1779 | Partitioned into Franklin County and Warren County | |
| Dobbs County | 1758[12] | 1791 | Partitioned into Greene County, Lenoir County, and Wayne County | |
| Tryon County | 1768[13] | 1779 | Partitioned into Lincoln County and Rutherford County |
For several months in 1784, Cumberland County was known as Fayette County and sent representatives to the North Carolina General Assembly of April 1784 under this name.[14]
In the state's history, two counties have officially been proposed, but not created—Hooper County and Lillington County, in 1851 and 1859, respectively. The former was to be created from parts of Richmond and Robeson Counties, and the latter was to be created from parts of New Hanover County. Both of the proposals failed in their respective referenda. Later on, Scotland County would be created in the area where Hooper County was proposed, and Pender County would fill the area where Lillington County was proposed.[15] [16]