The map above shows North Carolina and Rhode Island side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
North Carolina vs Rhode Island Geography
Land area
- North Carolina has a land area of 48,624 square miles (125,936 km²), while Rhode Island has 1,034 square miles (2,678 km²).
- North Carolina's land area is 47.0 times larger than Rhode Island's.
Total area
- North Carolina: 53,819 square miles (139,390 km²) vs Rhode Island: 1,545 square miles (4,002 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- North Carolina's total area is 34.8 times larger than Rhode Island's.
Length
- North Carolina is 258 miles (415 km) long from north to south; Rhode Island is 61 miles (98 km).
- North Carolina's north-south length is 4.2 times (323%) longer than Rhode Island's.
Width
- North Carolina spans 487 miles (784 km) east to west; Rhode Island spans 42 miles (67 km).
- North Carolina's east-west width is 11.6 times wider than Rhode Island's.
Highest point
- North Carolina's highest point is Mount Mitchell at 6,674 feet (2,034 m); Rhode Island's is Jerimoth Hill at 811 feet (247 m).
- Mount Mitchell is 5,863 feet higher than Jerimoth Hill.
Lowest point
- North Carolina's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; Rhode Island's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
North Carolina vs Rhode Island Population and History
Population
- North Carolina has a population of 11,046,024 (2024), while Rhode Island has 1,112,308 (2024).
- North Carolina's population is 9.9 times (893%) larger than Rhode Island's.
Population density
- North Carolina: 227.2 people per square mile vs Rhode Island: 1,075.8.
- Rhode Island's population density is 4.7 times (374%) higher than North Carolina's.
Biggest city
- North Carolina's biggest city is Charlotte with 943,476 people; Rhode Island's is Providence with 194,706.
- Charlotte's population is 4.8 times (385%) larger than Providence's.
Largest metro area
- North Carolina's largest metropolitan area is Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (2,883,370 people) vs Rhode Island's Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area (1,700,901).
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area's population is 1.7 times (70%) larger than Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area's.
History
- North Carolina: Admitted to the Union on November 21, 1789, as the 12th state.
- Rhode Island: Admitted to the Union on May 29, 1790, as the 13th state.
- In its current form, North Carolina is the older of the two by 1 years.
North Carolina vs Rhode Island Economy
GDP
- North Carolina's GDP is $844.2 billion (2024) vs Rhode Island's $80.4 billion.
- North Carolina's economic output is 10.5 times larger than Rhode Island's.
GDP per capita
- North Carolina: $76,427 per person vs Rhode Island: $72,265.
- North Carolina's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (6%) higher than Rhode Island's.
Average income
- North Carolina: $65,634 vs Rhode Island: $70,622 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Rhode Island's average income is 1.1 times (8%) higher than North Carolina's.
North Carolina vs Rhode Island Counties
Number of counties
- North Carolina has 100 counties, while Rhode Island has 5.
- North Carolina's county count is 20.0 times higher than Rhode Island's.
Biggest county by area
- North Carolina's largest county is Robeson County at 947 square miles; Rhode Island's is Providence County at 410 square miles.
- Robeson County's land area is 2.3 times (131%) larger than Providence County's.
Smallest county by area
- North Carolina: Chowan County (173 sq mi) vs Rhode Island: Bristol County (24 sq mi).
- Chowan County's land area is 7.2 times (617%) larger than Bristol County's.
Most populous county
- North Carolina: Wake County (1,232,444 people) vs Rhode Island: Providence County (675,912 people).
- Wake County's population is 1.8 times (82%) larger than Providence County's.
Least populous county
- North Carolina: Tyrrell County (3,517 people) vs Rhode Island: Bristol County (50,145 people).
- Bristol County's population is 14.3 times larger than Tyrrell County's.
Richest county
- North Carolina: Chatham County ($91,638 per capita income) vs Rhode Island: Bristol County ($99,923).
- Bristol County's income is 1.1 times (9%) richer than Chatham County's.
Poorest county
- North Carolina: Warren County ($40,932 per capita income) vs Rhode Island: Providence County ($61,040).
- Providence County's income is 1.5 times (49%) richer than Warren County's.
North Carolina vs Rhode Island Taxes
State income tax
- North Carolina has a top income tax rate of 3.99%, while Rhode Island has a top income tax rate of 5.99%.
- Rhode Island's top rate is 2 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- North Carolina: 0.61% effective rate vs Rhode Island: 1.07% of home value per year.
- Rhode Island's rate is 0.46 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- North Carolina: 7.1% combined state and average local rate vs Rhode Island: 7%.
- North Carolina's combined rate is 0.1 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
North Carolina official website · Rhode Island official website
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More Size Comparisons
All North Carolina size comparisons · All Rhode Island 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.