Biggest Cities in North Carolina

Top 100 Biggest Cities In North Carolina (1990 Census)

Rank	City	1990 Population	Growth Rate (Annual)
1	Charlotte	426,984	3.1%
2	Raleigh	220,425	–
3	Greensboro	191,591	–
4	Winston-Salem	167,254	–
5	Durham	148,450	–
6	Fayetteville	112,644	–
7	Jacksonville	78,080	–
8	High Point	69,763	–
9	Asheville	66,184	–
10	Gastonia	59,757	–
11	Wilmington	56,067	–
12	Rocky Mount	54,339	–
13	Greenville	49,366	–
14	Cary	45,497	–
15	Goldsboro	44,966	–
16	Burlington	40,822	–
17	Wilson	39,056	–
18	Chapel Hill	38,346	–
19	Concord	37,661	–
20	Kannapolis	32,404	–
21	Hickory	29,474	–
22	Kinston	25,883	–
23	Salisbury	24,398	–
24	Statesville	21,224	–
25	New Bern	20,899	–
26	Havelock	20,463	–
27	Shelby	19,783	–
28	Lumberton	19,781	–
29	Lexington	19,319	–
30	Monroe	19,102	–
31	Sanford	18,874	–
32	Asheboro	18,137	–
33	Lenoir	16,691	–
34	Henderson	16,591	–
35	Thomasville	16,531	–
36	Roanoke Rapids	16,389	–
37	Elizabeth City	16,112	–
38	Laurinburg	16,063	–
39	Morganton	15,875	–
40	Eden	15,860	–
41	Albemarle	15,178	–
42	Garner	14,885	–
43	Matthews	14,502	–
44	Reidsville	14,438	–
45	Mint Hill	13,595	–
46	Boone	13,056	–
47	Kernersville	12,015	–
48	Carrboro	11,748	–
49	Mooresville	11,221	–
50	Newton	11,199	–
51	Tarboro	11,107	–
52	Smithfield	10,759	–
53	Graham	10,367	–
54	Rockingham	9,971	–
55	Washington	9,958	–
56	Southern Pines	9,683	–
57	Lincolnton	9,336	–
58	Dunn	9,214	–
59	Clemmons	9,213	–
60	Hendersonville	9,060	–
61	Belmont	9,041	–
62	Waynesville	9,010	–
63	Kings Mountain	8,817	–
64	Clinton	8,771	–
65	Oxford	8,396	–
66	Spring Lake	8,369	–
67	Hope Mills	8,164	–
68	Mount Holly	7,970	–
69	Forest City	7,736	–
70	Mount Airy	7,717	–
71	Morehead City	7,597	–
72	Roxboro	7,584	–
73	Archdale	7,345	–
74	Black Mountain	7,273	–
75	Hamlet	7,173	–
76	Lewisville	6,636	–
77	Huntersville	6,570	–
78	Trinity	6,442	–
79	Brevard	6,220	–
80	Wake Forest	5,987	–
81	Williamston	5,933	–
82	Pinehurst	5,728	–
83	Cherryville	5,574	–
84	Conover	5,564	–
85	Apex	5,476	–
86	Whiteville	5,455	–
87	Edenton	5,339	–
88	Selma	5,263	–
89	Siler City	5,091	–
90	Cornelius	5,083	–
91	Bessemer City	4,927	–
92	Ayden	4,890	–
93	Mebane	4,872	–
94	Marion	4,852	–
95	Elon College	4,846	–
96	Mount Olive	4,760	–
97	Hillsborough	4,742	–
98	Clayton	4,712	–
99	Ahoskie	4,600	–
100	Sawmills	4,548	–

View Biggest North Carolina Cities From Different Years

1800s	1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890
1900s	1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990
2000s	2000 2010 2020 2022

What was the largest city in North Carolina in 1990?

In 1990, the largest city in North Carolina was Charlotte, with a population of 426,984. The second largest city is Raleigh, with a population of 220,425.