| City | Population | Area (square miles) |
| Charlotte | 540,828 | 242.3 |
| Raleigh | 276,093 | 114.6 |
| Greensboro | 223,891 | 104.7 |
| Durham | 187,035 | 94.6 |
| Winston-Salem | 185,776 | 108.9 |
| Fayetteville | 121,015 | 58.8 |
| Cary | 94,536 | 42.1 |
| High Point | 85,839 | 49.1 |
| Wilmington | 75,838 | 41 |
| Asheville | 68,889 | 40.9 |
| Jacksonville | 66,715 | 44.5 |
| *There are eleven cities listed. There are two places where | ||
| the list changes depending on whether cities are listed | ||
| by area or population. Durham is larger than Winston- | ||
| Salem in population, but not in size. The same is true for | ||
| Asheville and Jacksonville. | ||