The map above shows Michigan and North Carolina side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Michigan vs North Carolina Geography
Land area
- Michigan has a land area of 56,611 square miles (146,622 km²), while North Carolina has 48,624 square miles (125,936 km²).
- Michigan's land area is 1.2 times (16%) larger than North Carolina's.
Total area
- Michigan: 96,713 square miles (250,486 km²) vs North Carolina: 53,819 square miles (139,390 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Michigan's total area is 1.8 times (80%) larger than North Carolina's.
Length
- Michigan is 489 miles (786 km) long from north to south; North Carolina is 258 miles (415 km).
- Michigan's north-south length is 1.9 times (90%) longer than North Carolina's.
Width
- Michigan spans 453 miles (728 km) east to west; North Carolina spans 487 miles (784 km).
- North Carolina's east-west width is 1.1 times (8%) wider than Michigan's.
Highest point
- Michigan's highest point is Mount Arvon at 2,014 feet (614 m); North Carolina's is Mount Mitchell at 6,674 feet (2,034 m).
- Mount Mitchell is 4,660 feet higher than Mount Arvon.
Lowest point
- Michigan's lowest point is Lake Erie at 571 feet; North Carolina's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- North Carolina's lowest point is 571 feet lower.
Michigan vs North Carolina Population and History
Population
- Michigan has a population of 10,140,459 (2024), while North Carolina has 11,046,024 (2024).
- North Carolina's population is 1.1 times (9%) larger than Michigan's.
Population density
- Michigan: 179.1 people per square mile vs North Carolina: 227.2.
- North Carolina's population density is 1.3 times (27%) higher than Michigan's.
Biggest city
- Michigan's biggest city is Detroit with 645,705 people; North Carolina's is Charlotte with 943,476.
- Charlotte's population is 1.5 times (46%) larger than Detroit's.
Largest metro area
- Michigan's largest metropolitan area is Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area (4,400,578 people) vs North Carolina's Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (2,883,370).
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area's population is 1.5 times (53%) larger than Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area's.
History
- Michigan: Admitted to the Union on January 26, 1837, as the 26th state.
- North Carolina: Admitted to the Union on November 21, 1789, as the 12th state.
- In its current form, North Carolina is the older of the two by 48 years.
Michigan vs North Carolina Economy
GDP
- Michigan's GDP is $702.5 billion (2024) vs North Carolina's $844.2 billion.
- North Carolina's economic output is 1.2 times (20%) larger than Michigan's.
GDP per capita
- Michigan: $69,274 per person vs North Carolina: $76,427.
- North Carolina's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (10%) higher than Michigan's.
Average income
- Michigan: $63,690 vs North Carolina: $65,634 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Michigan and North Carolina have about the same average income.
Michigan vs North Carolina Counties
Number of counties
- Michigan has 83 counties, while North Carolina has 100.
- North Carolina's county count is 1.2 times (20%) higher than Michigan's.
Biggest county by area
- Michigan's largest county is Marquette County at 1,809 square miles; North Carolina's is Robeson County at 947 square miles.
- Marquette County's land area is 1.9 times (91%) larger than Robeson County's.
Smallest county by area
- Michigan: Benzie County (320 sq mi) vs North Carolina: Chowan County (173 sq mi).
- Benzie County's land area is 1.9 times (85%) larger than Chowan County's.
Most populous county
- Michigan: Wayne County (1,771,063 people) vs North Carolina: Wake County (1,232,444 people).
- Wayne County's population is 1.4 times (44%) larger than Wake County's.
Least populous county
- Michigan: Keweenaw County (2,161 people) vs North Carolina: Tyrrell County (3,517 people).
- Tyrrell County's population is 1.6 times (63%) larger than Keweenaw County's.
Richest county
- Michigan: Oakland County ($93,579 per capita income) vs North Carolina: Chatham County ($91,638).
- Oakland County and Chatham County have about the same income.
Poorest county
- Michigan: Lake County ($39,505 per capita income) vs North Carolina: Warren County ($40,932).
- Lake County and Warren County have about the same income.
Michigan vs North Carolina Taxes
State income tax
- Michigan has a top income tax rate of 4.25%, while North Carolina has a top income tax rate of 3.99%.
- Michigan's top rate is 0.26 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Michigan: 1.18% effective rate vs North Carolina: 0.61% of home value per year.
- Michigan's rate is 0.57 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Michigan: 6% combined state and average local rate vs North Carolina: 7.1%.
- North Carolina's combined rate is 1.1 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Michigan official website · North Carolina official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Michigan size comparisons · All North Carolina 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.