The map above shows North Carolina and Tennessee side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
North Carolina vs Tennessee Geography
Land area
- North Carolina has a land area of 48,624 square miles (125,936 km²), while Tennessee has 41,224 square miles (106,770 km²).
- North Carolina's land area is 1.2 times (18%) larger than Tennessee's.
Total area
- North Carolina: 53,819 square miles (139,390 km²) vs Tennessee: 42,130 square miles (109,116 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- North Carolina's total area is 1.3 times (28%) larger than Tennessee's.
Length
- North Carolina is 258 miles (415 km) long from north to south; Tennessee is 191 miles (308 km).
- North Carolina's north-south length is 1.4 times (35%) longer than Tennessee's.
Width
- North Carolina spans 487 miles (784 km) east to west; Tennessee spans 497 miles (800 km).
- North Carolina and Tennessee have about the same east-west width.
Highest point
- North Carolina's highest point is Mount Mitchell at 6,674 feet (2,034 m); Tennessee's is Clingmans Dome at 6,624 feet (2,019 m).
- Mount Mitchell is 50 feet higher than Clingmans Dome.
Lowest point
- North Carolina's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; Tennessee's is Mississippi River at 178 feet.
- North Carolina's lowest point is 178 feet lower.
North Carolina vs Tennessee Population and History
Population
- North Carolina has a population of 11,046,024 (2024), while Tennessee has 7,227,750 (2024).
- North Carolina's population is 1.5 times (53%) larger than Tennessee's.
Population density
- North Carolina: 227.2 people per square mile vs Tennessee: 175.3.
- North Carolina's population density is 1.3 times (30%) higher than Tennessee's.
Biggest city
- North Carolina's biggest city is Charlotte with 943,476 people; Tennessee's is Nashville with 704,963.
- Charlotte's population is 1.3 times (34%) larger than Nashville's.
Largest metro area
- North Carolina's largest metropolitan area is Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (2,883,370 people) vs Tennessee's Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area (2,150,553).
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area's population is 1.3 times (34%) larger than Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area's.
History
- North Carolina: Admitted to the Union on November 21, 1789, as the 12th state.
- Tennessee: Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1796, as the 16th state.
- In its current form, North Carolina is the older of the two by 7 years.
North Carolina vs Tennessee Economy
GDP
- North Carolina's GDP is $844.2 billion (2024) vs Tennessee's $561.2 billion.
- North Carolina's economic output is 1.5 times (50%) larger than Tennessee's.
GDP per capita
- North Carolina: $76,427 per person vs Tennessee: $77,645.
- North Carolina and Tennessee have about the same GDP per capita.
Average income
- North Carolina: $65,634 vs Tennessee: $66,504 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- North Carolina and Tennessee have about the same average income.
North Carolina vs Tennessee Counties
Number of counties
- North Carolina has 100 counties, while Tennessee has 95.
- North Carolina's county count is 1.1 times (5%) higher than Tennessee's.
Biggest county by area
- North Carolina's largest county is Robeson County at 947 square miles; Tennessee's is Shelby County at 753 square miles.
- Robeson County's land area is 1.3 times (26%) larger than Shelby County's.
Smallest county by area
- North Carolina: Chowan County (173 sq mi) vs Tennessee: Trousdale County (114 sq mi).
- Chowan County's land area is 1.5 times (51%) larger than Trousdale County's.
Most populous county
- North Carolina: Wake County (1,232,444 people) vs Tennessee: Shelby County (910,530 people).
- Wake County's population is 1.4 times (35%) larger than Shelby County's.
Least populous county
- North Carolina: Tyrrell County (3,517 people) vs Tennessee: Pickett County (5,108 people).
- Pickett County's population is 1.5 times (45%) larger than Tyrrell County's.
Richest county
- North Carolina: Chatham County ($91,638 per capita income) vs Tennessee: Williamson County ($139,704).
- Williamson County's income is 1.5 times (52%) richer than Chatham County's.
Poorest county
- North Carolina: Warren County ($40,932 per capita income) vs Tennessee: Lake County ($31,572).
- Warren County's income is 1.3 times (30%) richer than Lake County's.
North Carolina vs Tennessee Taxes
State income tax
- North Carolina has a top income tax rate of 3.99%, while Tennessee has no state income tax.
- North Carolina's top rate is 3.99 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- North Carolina: 0.61% effective rate vs Tennessee: 0.45% of home value per year.
- North Carolina's rate is 0.16 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- North Carolina: 7.1% combined state and average local rate vs Tennessee: 9.61%.
- Tennessee's combined rate is 2.51 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
North Carolina official website · Tennessee official website
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More Size Comparisons
All North Carolina size comparisons · All Tennessee size comparisons
Area, elevation and boundary figures come from official national statistics and US Census Bureau and Natural Earth boundary data; US state population, economic, county and tax figures come from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation. Figures are rounded and for general reference.