The 10 Whitest Cities In North Carolina For 2025


The whitest cities in North Carolina are Oak Island and Sawmills for 2025 based on Saturday Night Science.

By: Chris Kolmar | About RoadSnacks
Last Updated: October 1, 2025

Whitest cities in North Carolina research summary. We analyzed North Carolina’s most recent Census data to determine the whitest cities in North Carolina based on the percentage of White residents. Here are the results of our analysis:

  • The whitest city in North Carolina is Oak Island based on the most recent Census data.

  • Oak Island is 94.0% White.

  • The least White city in North Carolina is Selma.

  • Selma is 22.81% White.

  • North Carolina is 60.6% White.

  • North Carolina is the 33rd Whitest state in the United States.

Cities With Highest White Population In North Carolina Map

Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

Today, we are looking at the whitest places in North Carolina. We won’t measure the number of Whole Foods or Pottery Barns per capita. Instead, we’ll focus on the Census data’s report of race by place in North Carolina. In particular, we ranked each place in North Carolina by the percentage of white people.

So where are the whitest cities you can live in North Carolina?

After analyzing cities with populations greater than 5,000, we came up with this list as the whitest cities in North Carolina for 2025.

Here are the 10 whites places in North Carolina for 2025:

  1. Oak Island
  2. Sawmills
  3. Black Mountain
  4. Unionville
  5. Carolina Beach
  6. Waynesville
  7. Cherryville
  8. Pinehurst
  9. King
  10. Mills River

What is the whitest city in North Carolina for 2025? According to the most recent census data Oak Island ranks as the whitest. If you’re wondering, Selma is the least white city of all those we measured.

Read on below to see where your hometown ranked and why. Or check out the whitest states in America and the most diverse states in America.

For more North Carolina reading, check out:

The 10 Whitest Cities In North Carolina For 2025

1. Oak Island, NC

Oak Island Location In North Carolina

Oak Island, NC

Source: Wikipedia User User:Dincher | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 8,888
% White: 94.0%
More on Oak Island: Data

2. Sawmills, NC

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 5,027
% White: 91.7%
More on Sawmills: Data

3. Black Mountain, NC

Black Mountain Location In North Carolina

Black Mountain, NC

Source: Wikipedia User benuski from Richmond, VA, USA | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 8,462
% White: 91.09%
More on Black Mountain: Data

4. Unionville, NC

Unionville Location In North Carolina

Unionville, NC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 6,826
% White: 90.3%
More on Unionville: Data

5. Carolina Beach, NC

Carolina Beach Location In North Carolina

Carolina Beach, NC

Source: Wikipedia User Annebethmi | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 6,665
% White: 89.08%
More on Carolina Beach: Data

6. Waynesville, NC

Waynesville Location In North Carolina

Waynesville, NC

Source: Wikipedia User Daniel Hass | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 10,408
% White: 88.72%
More on Waynesville: Data

7. Cherryville, NC

Cherryville Location In North Carolina

Cherryville, NC

Source: Wikipedia User Washuotaku | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 6,154
% White: 87.98%
More on Cherryville: Data

8. Pinehurst, NC

Pinehurst Location In North Carolina

Pinehurst, NC

Source: Wikipedia User Leonard J. DeFrancisci | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 17,992
% White: 86.83%
More on Pinehurst: Data

9. King, NC

King Location In North Carolina

King, NC

Source: Flickr User jjandames | CC BY-ND 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 7,345
% White: 85.38%
More on King: Data

10. Mills River, NC

Mills River Location In North Carolina

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,214
% White: 83.96%
More on Mills River: Data

Methodology: How we determined the whitest places in North Carolina for 2025

To rank the whitest places in North Carolina, we used Saturday Night Science to look at Census demographic data.

We had to look at the number of white people living in each city in North Carolina on a per capita basis. In other words, the percentage of white people living in each city in North Carolina.

We looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:

  • Hispanic or Latino
  • White alone*
  • Black or African American alone*
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
  • Asian alone*
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
  • Some other race alone*
  • Two or more races*
* Not Hispanic or latino

Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as White alone.

We limited our analysis to town with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 124 cities.

We then calculated the percentage of residents that are White. The percentages ranked from 94.0% to 22.8%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of White population, with a higher score being more White than a lower score. Oak Island took the distinction of being the most White, while Selma was the least White city.

We updated this article for 2025. This report represents our tenth time ranking the whitest cities in North Carolina.

Read on for more information on how the cities in North Carolina ranked by population of White residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

Summary: White Populations Across North Carolina

We measured the locations with the highest percentage of white people in North Carolina. According to the most recent data, this list provides accurate information on the whitest places in North Carolina.

The most White cities in North Carolina are Oak Island, Sawmills, Black Mountain, Unionville, Carolina Beach, Waynesville, Cherryville, Pinehurst, King, and Mills River.

If you’re curious enough, here are the least White places in North Carolina:

  1. Selma
  2. Siler City
  3. Kinston

For more North Carolina reading, check out:

White Population By City In North Carolina

Rank City Population White Population % White
1 Oak Island 8,888 8,355 94.0%
2 Sawmills 5,027 4,610 91.7%
3 Black Mountain 8,462 7,708 91.09%
4 Unionville 6,826 6,164 90.3%
5 Carolina Beach 6,665 5,937 89.08%
6 Waynesville 10,408 9,234 88.72%
7 Cherryville 6,154 5,414 87.98%
8 Pinehurst 17,992 15,622 86.83%
9 King 7,345 6,271 85.38%
10 Mills River 7,214 6,057 83.96%
11 Boone 19,534 16,333 83.61%
12 Kill Devil Hills 7,727 6,449 83.46%
13 Mount Airy 10,631 8,857 83.31%
14 Belmont 15,140 12,567 83.01%
15 Elon 11,325 9,384 82.86%
16 Cornelius 32,009 26,323 82.24%
17 Trinity 7,066 5,801 82.1%
18 Fletcher 8,022 6,495 80.96%
19 Leland 26,307 21,281 80.89%
20 Brevard 7,795 6,297 80.78%
21 Weddington 13,468 10,708 79.51%
22 Lewisville 13,655 10,781 78.95%
23 Bessemer City 5,508 4,337 78.74%
24 Clemmons 21,574 16,954 78.59%
25 Summerfield 11,031 8,658 78.49%
26 Asheville 94,369 73,941 78.35%
27 Hendersonville 15,253 11,941 78.29%
28 Archdale 11,992 9,380 78.22%
29 Davidson 14,852 11,572 77.92%
30 Morehead City 9,696 7,528 77.64%
31 Oak Ridge 7,660 5,913 77.19%
32 Woodfin 7,957 6,120 76.91%
33 Conover 8,491 6,377 75.1%
34 Wesley Chapel 8,923 6,662 74.66%
35 Gibsonville 9,289 6,918 74.48%
36 Holly Springs 43,429 32,227 74.21%
37 Southern Pines 16,052 11,864 73.91%
38 Stallings 16,495 12,106 73.39%
39 Mooresville 51,447 37,288 72.48%
40 Hillsborough 9,656 6,983 72.32%
41 Matthews 29,959 21,070 70.33%
42 Lenoir 18,282 12,838 70.22%
43 Wilmington 118,578 82,870 69.89%
44 Mount Holly 17,928 12,430 69.33%
45 Kings Mountain 11,472 7,919 69.03%
46 Huntersville 62,458 42,958 68.78%
47 Waxhaw 21,565 14,717 68.24%
48 Fuquay-Varina 37,749 25,365 67.19%
49 Indian Trail 41,146 27,629 67.15%
50 Kernersville 27,439 18,378 66.98%
51 Mint Hill 26,954 17,862 66.27%
52 Wake Forest 51,199 33,590 65.61%
53 Aberdeen 8,969 5,881 65.57%
54 Hickory 43,747 28,127 64.29%
55 Carrboro 21,170 13,542 63.97%
56 Chapel Hill 59,889 38,188 63.76%
57 Apex 67,765 42,876 63.27%
58 Albemarle 16,527 10,406 62.96%
59 Newton 13,223 8,221 62.17%
60 Thomasville 27,261 16,362 60.02%
61 Eden 15,353 9,120 59.4%
62 Marion 7,594 4,484 59.05%
63 Lincolnton 11,503 6,680 58.07%
64 Cary 176,686 102,517 58.02%
65 Morganton 17,541 10,112 57.65%
66 Kannapolis 56,470 31,737 56.2%
67 Havelock 16,471 9,164 55.64%
68 Jacksonville 73,507 40,797 55.5%
69 Winterville 10,624 5,887 55.41%
70 Garner 32,543 17,961 55.19%
71 Hamlet 6,000 3,273 54.55%
72 Mebane 18,899 10,304 54.52%
73 Clayton 28,043 15,207 54.23%
74 Forest City 7,368 3,981 54.03%
75 Harrisburg 19,203 10,351 53.9%
76 New Bern 31,563 16,925 53.62%
77 Reidsville 14,547 7,722 53.08%
78 Smithfield 11,798 6,238 52.87%
79 Asheboro 27,353 14,437 52.78%
80 Shelby 21,868 11,529 52.72%
81 Rockingham 9,094 4,766 52.41%
82 Gastonia 81,632 42,167 51.65%
83 Graham 17,537 9,026 51.47%
84 Raleigh 470,763 242,177 51.44%
85 Concord 106,518 54,508 51.17%
86 Statesville 29,161 14,564 49.94%
87 Roanoke Rapids 15,024 7,492 49.87%
88 Dunn 8,512 4,212 49.48%
89 Greenville 88,540 43,116 48.7%
90 Wendell 11,585 5,515 47.6%
91 Salisbury 35,730 16,965 47.48%
92 Roxboro 8,144 3,799 46.65%
93 Washington 9,754 4,476 45.89%
94 Pineville 10,780 4,836 44.86%
95 Burlington 58,599 26,191 44.7%
96 Winston-Salem 250,887 110,329 43.98%
97 High Point 115,263 49,879 43.27%
98 Lexington 19,691 8,489 43.11%
99 Monroe 35,596 15,136 42.52%
100 Butner 7,996 3,390 42.4%
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

 Rankings, Whitest Cities