County Clues Play today's puzzle

North Carolina counties quiz

Find the hidden North Carolina county out of all 100. Each guess shows how far, which way, and how big.

100 counties

    How the clues work

    People compares your guess with the mystery county's 2023 population, from "Close" (within about 10%) to "Vastly more" (over 8 times as many). Growth says whether the mystery county grew faster or slower from 2020 to 2023, within one point counts as similar. Distance is in miles between the two counties' middles, with an arrow pointing the way to go; it turns striped within 40 miles.

    Same or very close In the right range Different Head this way

    A round, worked through

    Say the mystery county is Wake County, the state's largest, with 1,190,275 people. You open with Cherokee County, 29,959 people. The tiles read: People: Vastly more; Growth: Faster; Distance: 308 mi, arrow east.

    So the mystery is 308 miles east and has more people. You pick Beaufort County, closer that way: People: Vastly more; Growth: Faster; Distance: 104 mi, arrow west. Now the mystery is 104 miles west and has more people. Only a few counties fit both clues.

    Questions

    How many counties are in North Carolina?

    North Carolina has 100 counties in the Census Bureau's 2023 list. This quiz uses all of them.

    What is the largest county in North Carolina by population?

    Wake County, with 1,190,275 people in 2023, up 5.3% since 2020.

    What is the largest county in North Carolina by land area?

    Robeson County, with 947 square miles of land.

    Which North Carolina county has the fewest people?

    Tyrrell County, with 3,461 people in 2023.

    Which North Carolina county is growing fastest?

    Among counties with 10,000 or more people, Brunswick County grew fastest from 2020 to 2023, up 15.8%. Hertford County shrank the most, down 9.0%.

    Is the daily County Clues puzzle the same?

    The daily puzzle hides one county from the whole country each day, from the counties with 50,000 or more people, and gives state, division and region clues instead of distance. This page is practice you can replay.

    Populations are the US Census Bureau's 2023 estimates; growth is the change since 2020. Distances run between each place's middle point on the Census Bureau's 2023 county list. Both are public domain.