North Carolina Race & Ethnicity by City
Cities With Data
772
in North Carolina
Most Diverse City
Laurel Hill
Diversity Index: 0.752
Least Diverse City
White Plains
Diversity Index: 0.000
Avg. White %
67.2%
across all cities
North Carolina has 772 cities with detailed race and ethnicity data from the American Community Survey. The most racially diverse city is Laurel Hill with a diversity index of 0.752, while the least diverse is White Plains (0.000). On average across cities, the racial composition is 67.2% White, 8.6% Hispanic, 19.6% Black, and 1.1% Asian. The diversity index uses Simpson's formula (1 minus the sum of squared proportions), where values closer to 1.0 indicate greater diversity and values closer to 0.0 indicate less diversity.
Largest Cities in North Carolina by Race & Ethnicity
Source: U.S. Census ACS| Rank | City | Population | Diversity Index | % White | % Hispanic | % Black | % Asian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlotte | 886,283 | 0.663 | 41.5% | 17.0% | 34.1% | 6.3% |
| 2 | Raleigh | 470,763 | 0.607 | 53.8% | 12.7% | 27.5% | 4.7% |
| 3 | Greensboro | 298,564 | 0.638 | 40.4% | 10.4% | 42.2% | 5.0% |
| 4 | Durham | 288,465 | 0.651 | 44.0% | 14.7% | 34.4% | 5.6% |
| 5 | Winston-Salem | 250,887 | 0.612 | 48.7% | 17.9% | 32.4% | 2.3% |
| 6 | Fayetteville | 209,692 | 0.643 | 38.3% | 12.9% | 42.3% | 3.1% |
| 7 | Cary | 176,686 | 0.575 | 60.1% | 9.3% | 7.6% | 20.4% |
| 8 | Wilmington | 118,578 | 0.432 | 72.9% | 8.9% | 14.9% | 1.3% |
| 9 | High Point | 115,263 | 0.650 | 46.1% | 12.3% | 32.7% | 8.2% |
| 10 | Concord | 106,518 | 0.610 | 54.7% | 15.8% | 22.1% | 6.7% |
| 11 | Asheville | 94,369 | 0.340 | 80.0% | 7.1% | 9.7% | 1.3% |
| 12 | Greenville | 88,540 | 0.588 | 49.3% | 4.3% | 40.4% | 2.7% |
| 13 | Gastonia | 81,632 | 0.579 | 55.2% | 11.4% | 30.9% | 1.2% |
| 14 | Jacksonville | 73,507 | 0.530 | 61.9% | 18.8% | 16.6% | 2.8% |
| 15 | Apex | 67,765 | 0.522 | 65.7% | 7.1% | 8.3% | 16.5% |
| 16 | Huntersville | 62,458 | 0.464 | 70.9% | 7.4% | 13.7% | 5.5% |
| 17 | Chapel Hill | 59,889 | 0.516 | 66.7% | 7.4% | 10.9% | 13.2% |
| 18 | Burlington | 58,599 | 0.618 | 48.8% | 18.5% | 30.3% | 2.7% |
| 19 | Kannapolis | 56,470 | 0.563 | 59.4% | 12.4% | 23.9% | 2.3% |
| 20 | Rocky Mount | 54,175 | 0.521 | 28.2% | 3.8% | 62.9% | 1.2% |
| 21 | Mooresville | 51,447 | 0.414 | 75.0% | 7.3% | 10.7% | 4.6% |
| 22 | Wake Forest | 51,199 | 0.495 | 67.3% | 7.8% | 19.8% | 2.4% |
| 23 | Wilson | 47,740 | 0.604 | 36.3% | 11.3% | 49.2% | 1.3% |
| 24 | Hickory | 43,747 | 0.485 | 68.3% | 13.9% | 13.5% | 4.2% |
| 25 | Holly Springs | 43,429 | 0.403 | 76.0% | 5.6% | 8.0% | 7.5% |
| 26 | Indian Trail | 41,146 | 0.455 | 70.8% | 14.5% | 10.3% | 3.4% |
| 27 | Fuquay-Varina | 37,749 | 0.483 | 69.0% | 8.6% | 15.2% | 3.3% |
| 28 | Salisbury | 35,730 | 0.582 | 51.8% | 12.1% | 35.9% | 1.4% |
| 29 | Monroe | 35,596 | 0.582 | 48.2% | 31.0% | 21.6% | 0.7% |
| 30 | Goldsboro | 33,448 | 0.576 | 36.2% | 5.5% | 53.3% | 1.8% |
| 31 | Garner | 32,543 | 0.559 | 59.2% | 11.9% | 26.1% | 1.7% |
| 32 | Cornelius | 32,009 | 0.272 | 84.7% | 6.1% | 4.6% | 2.2% |
| 33 | New Bern | 31,563 | 0.602 | 55.0% | 6.1% | 28.9% | 5.8% |
| 34 | Sanford | 30,833 | 0.546 | 52.5% | 30.9% | 24.3% | 1.7% |
| 35 | Morrisville | 30,471 | 0.665 | 36.9% | 3.8% | 13.1% | 41.9% |
| 36 | Matthews | 29,959 | 0.466 | 70.9% | 6.2% | 13.5% | 6.1% |
| 37 | Statesville | 29,161 | 0.599 | 52.8% | 17.5% | 27.9% | 2.2% |
| 38 | Clayton | 28,043 | 0.538 | 60.2% | 13.7% | 27.1% | 0.5% |
| 39 | Kernersville | 27,439 | 0.467 | 69.7% | 11.1% | 17.3% | 2.1% |
| 40 | Asheboro | 27,353 | 0.479 | 63.0% | 27.7% | 15.1% | 1.1% |
| 41 | Thomasville | 27,261 | 0.513 | 64.3% | 15.9% | 17.0% | 0.9% |
| 42 | Mint Hill | 26,954 | 0.494 | 67.8% | 11.4% | 14.9% | 4.6% |
| 43 | Leland | 26,307 | 0.317 | 81.8% | 5.2% | 9.3% | 0.8% |
| 44 | Shelby | 21,868 | 0.578 | 55.3% | 4.7% | 32.4% | 0.8% |
| 45 | Clemmons | 21,574 | 0.339 | 80.4% | 6.8% | 6.1% | 5.5% |
| 46 | Waxhaw | 21,565 | 0.454 | 71.3% | 11.9% | 8.3% | 7.4% |
| 47 | Carrboro | 21,170 | 0.502 | 67.3% | 11.6% | 13.3% | 7.9% |
| 48 | Lexington | 19,691 | 0.634 | 47.5% | 20.8% | 26.0% | 4.3% |
| 49 | Kinston | 19,576 | 0.500 | 24.8% | 2.8% | 65.9% | 1.5% |
| 50 | Boone | 19,534 | 0.247 | 86.1% | 7.8% | 4.7% | 2.1% |
Most Diverse Cities in North Carolina
Source: U.S. Census ACSThe table below ranks cities in North Carolina by their diversity index, from most diverse to least. A higher diversity index means the population is more evenly distributed across racial and ethnic groups. Laurel Hill leads with a diversity index of 0.752, meaning there is a high probability that two randomly chosen residents belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
| Rank | City | Population | Diversity Index | % White | % Hispanic | % Black | % Asian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laurel Hill | 916 | 0.752 | 34.8% | 0.0% | 24.7% | 0.0% |
| 2 | Hollister | 897 | 0.716 | 22.6% | 3.3% | 14.6% | 6.9% |
| 3 | Marietta | 130 | 0.697 | 35.4% | 0.0% | 37.7% | 0.0% |
| 4 | Barker Ten Mile | 976 | 0.694 | 44.0% | 0.0% | 18.6% | 0.0% |
| 5 | Navassa | 2,148 | 0.693 | 27.1% | 9.8% | 36.3% | 0.0% |
| 6 | Lumberton | 19,220 | 0.692 | 35.6% | 10.6% | 38.0% | 1.6% |
| 7 | Bolton | 469 | 0.689 | 20.0% | 10.9% | 43.7% | 1.7% |
| 8 | Red Springs | 3,107 | 0.669 | 28.0% | 6.1% | 44.6% | 0.0% |
| 9 | Stantonsburg | 949 | 0.668 | 35.2% | 17.7% | 37.2% | 0.0% |
| 10 | Spring Lake | 11,613 | 0.666 | 38.7% | 15.7% | 35.9% | 2.0% |
| 11 | Morrisville | 30,471 | 0.665 | 36.9% | 3.8% | 13.1% | 41.9% |
| 12 | Charlotte | 886,283 | 0.663 | 41.5% | 17.0% | 34.1% | 6.3% |
| 13 | Raeford | 4,545 | 0.652 | 39.8% | 6.5% | 41.5% | 0.0% |
| 14 | Durham | 288,465 | 0.651 | 44.0% | 14.7% | 34.4% | 5.6% |
| 15 | High Point | 115,263 | 0.650 | 46.1% | 12.3% | 32.7% | 8.2% |
| 16 | Parkton | 515 | 0.647 | 48.4% | 8.2% | 31.5% | 1.4% |
| 17 | Stokes | 198 | 0.646 | 34.3% | 0.0% | 42.9% | 0.0% |
| 18 | Bunn | 468 | 0.645 | 50.0% | 0.8% | 24.1% | 21.1% |
| 19 | Pineville | 10,780 | 0.645 | 48.1% | 21.5% | 17.7% | 5.5% |
| 20 | Ashley Heights | 301 | 0.645 | 53.2% | 0.0% | 16.3% | 0.0% |
North Carolina Average Racial Composition
Avg. White
67.2%
across all cities
Avg. Hispanic
8.6%
across all cities
Avg. Black
19.6%
across all cities
Avg. Asian
1.1%
across all cities
Averages are computed as the unweighted mean across all 772 cities with data. Population-weighted state-level figures may differ.