The map above shows North Carolina and Texas side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
North Carolina vs Texas Geography
Land area: North Carolina has a land area of 48,624 square miles (125,936 km²), while Texas has 261,259 square miles (676,657 km²). Texas' land area is 5.4 times (437%) larger than North Carolina's.
Total area: North Carolina: 53,819 square miles (139,390 km²) vs Texas: 268,599 square miles (695,668 km²), including inland and coastal water. Texas' total area is 5.0 times (399%) larger than North Carolina's.
Length: North Carolina is 258 miles (415 km) long from north to south; Texas is 808 miles (1,300 km). Texas' north-south length is 3.1 times (213%) longer than North Carolina's.
Width: North Carolina spans 487 miles (784 km) east to west; Texas spans 777 miles (1,250 km). Texas' east-west width is 1.6 times (60%) wider than North Carolina's.
Highest point: North Carolina's highest point is Mount Mitchell at 6,674 feet (2,034 m); Texas's is Guadalupe Peak at 8,730 feet (2,661 m). Guadalupe Peak is 2,056 feet higher than Mount Mitchell.
Lowest point: North Carolina's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; Texas's is Gulf of Mexico at 0 feet. Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
North Carolina vs Texas Population and History
Population: North Carolina has a population of 11,046,024 (2024), while Texas has 31,290,831 (2024). Texas' population is 2.8 times (183%) larger than North Carolina's.
Population density: North Carolina: 227.2 people per square mile vs Texas: 119.8. North Carolina's population density is 1.9 times (90%) higher than Texas'.
Biggest city: North Carolina's biggest city is Charlotte with 943,476 people; Texas's is Houston with 2,390,125. Houston's population is 2.5 times (153%) larger than Charlotte's.
Largest metro area: North Carolina's largest metropolitan area is Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (2,883,370 people) vs Texas's Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (8,344,032). Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area's population is 2.9 times (189%) larger than Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area's.
History: North Carolina: Admitted to the Union on November 21, 1789, as the 12th state. Texas: Admitted to the Union on December 29, 1845, as the 28th state. In its current form, North Carolina is the older of the two by 56 years.
North Carolina vs Texas Economy
GDP: North Carolina's GDP is $844.2 billion (2024) vs Texas's $2,769.8 billion. Texas' economic output is 3.3 times (228%) larger than North Carolina's.
GDP per capita: North Carolina: $76,427 per person vs Texas: $88,517. Texas' GDP per capita is 1.2 times (16%) higher than North Carolina's.
Average income: North Carolina: $65,634 vs Texas: $69,823 average income per person (per capita personal income). Texas' average income is 1.1 times (6%) higher than North Carolina's.
North Carolina vs Texas Counties
Number of counties: North Carolina has 100 counties, while Texas has 254. Texas' county count is 2.5 times (154%) higher than North Carolina's.
Biggest county by area: North Carolina's largest county is Robeson County at 947 square miles; Texas's is Brewster County at 6,184 square miles. Brewster County's land area is 6.5 times (553%) larger than Robeson County's.
Smallest county by area: North Carolina: Chowan County (173 sq mi) vs Texas: Rockwall County (127 sq mi). Chowan County's land area is 1.4 times (36%) larger than Rockwall County's.
Most populous county: North Carolina: Wake County (1,232,444 people) vs Texas: Harris County (5,009,302 people). Harris County's population is 4.1 times (306%) larger than Wake County's.
Least populous county: North Carolina: Tyrrell County (3,517 people) vs Texas: Loving County (48 people). Tyrrell County's population is 73.3 times larger than Loving County's.
Richest county: North Carolina: Chatham County ($91,638 per capita income) vs Texas: Loving County ($220,625). Loving County's income is 2.4 times (141%) richer than Chatham County's.
Poorest county: North Carolina: Warren County ($40,932 per capita income) vs Texas: Starr County ($34,180). Warren County's income is 1.2 times (20%) richer than Starr County's.
North Carolina vs Texas Taxes
State income tax: North Carolina has a top income tax rate of 3.99%, while Texas 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 Texas: 1.31% of home value per year. Texas's rate is 0.7 percentage points higher.
Sales tax: North Carolina: 7.1% combined state and average local rate vs Texas: 8.2%. Texas's combined rate is 1.1 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
North Carolina official website · Texas official website
More Size Comparisons
All North Carolina size comparisons · All Texas 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.