North Carolina Pick 3 Hot and Cold Numbers (October 2026)
The most drawn Pick 3 numbers are 1 (4,261), 2 (4,252), and 6 (4,225); the least drawn are 9 (4,109), 4 (4,119), and 8 (4,135). That is over 13,924 draws since October 6, 2006, when the game last changed its set of balls, against an average of 4177 apiece.
In short
1 has come up most often, 4,261 times. Each number averages about 4177 over 13,924 draws, and whichever number happens to lead normally finishes around 94 ahead. 1 is 84 ahead, so this is an ordinary spread rather than a streak. 9 has come up least, 4,109 times.
The statistics behind that
Expected count 4177.2, standard deviation 61.3. The leader sits at 1.37 standard deviations against an expected maximum of 1.54 for 10 numbers; a lead at least this large arises by chance about 85% of the time. Goodness of fit to a uniform draw: chi-square 7.0 on 9 degrees of freedom, p = 0.641. How we calculate it.
Every number at a glance
Shaded by how far above or below its average each number is — red for more often than average, blue for less. Most sit in the middle.
well below average below around average above well above · each number averages 4177 draws; 10 of 10 are close to that
How far above or below average
Point at a bar — or tap one, or press the arrow keys — to see which number it is.
Most and least drawn are 152 apart. For 10 numbers over 13,924 draws that gap normally comes out around 189, so this one is about what you would expect.
Hottest, coldest, most overdue
Longest wait
5 has not been drawn for 10 draws. Gaps that long are rarer than average for any one number, but with 10 numbers in the game a wait that long has happened about 1600 times over this stretch. It does not make 5 any likelier tonight.
Full frequency table
13,924 draws from October 6, 2006 to October 9, 2026, the whole time this game has drawn 3 numbers from 10. Click any heading to sort.
| Number | Times drawn | vs expected | Std devs | Last drawn | Draws since | Longest gap | Average gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 4157 | -20.2 | -0.33 | October 9, 2026 | 0 | 23 | 2.4 |
| 1 | 4261 | +83.8 | +1.37 | October 8, 2026 | 1 | 28 | 2.3 |
| 2 | 4252 | +74.8 | +1.22 | October 9, 2026 | 0 | 22 | 2.3 |
| 3 | 4175 | -2.2 | -0.04 | October 9, 2026 | 0 | 27 | 2.3 |
| 4 | 4119 | -58.2 | -0.95 | October 5, 2026 | 7 | 34 | 2.4 |
| 5 | 4191 | +13.8 | +0.23 | October 4, 2026 | 10 | 30 | 2.3 |
| 6 | 4225 | +47.8 | +0.78 | October 8, 2026 | 2 | 26 | 2.3 |
| 7 | 4148 | -29.2 | -0.48 | October 5, 2026 | 8 | 22 | 2.4 |
| 8 | 4135 | -42.2 | -0.69 | October 8, 2026 | 2 | 25 | 2.4 |
| 9 | 4109 | -68.2 | -1.11 | October 7, 2026 | 3 | 28 | 2.4 |
Why the count starts in 2006
Pick 3 has changed how many balls it draws, and from how many, 1 times. Counting across a change mixes two different games — a ball that did not exist yet cannot be behind. So everything above covers only the stretch since October 6, 2006, when this game settled on 3 numbers from 10.
Frequently asked questions
- Do hot and cold numbers predict anything?
- No. The gap between the most and least drawn number here is 152 appearances, which is about what 13,924 draws produce on their own. The table is worth looking at; it is not worth betting on.
- Why do your frequencies differ from other sites?
- Two reasons, both on our sources page. We only count draws since the game last changed its set of balls, because counting across a change mixes two different games. And we check 1 official sources against each other — one of them is missing draws the others have.
- What does the shaded band on the chart mean?
- It marks the normal range — where 19 out of 20 numbers land when every ball is equally likely. With 10 numbers on the chart, two or three sticking out above or below it is the usual picture rather than a sign of anything.
- How far back does this Pick 3 data go?
- Our full history runs to October 6, 2006 — 13,924 draws. The frequency table on this page uses the 13,924 draws since October 6, 2006, because that is when this pool last changed size. Browse every draw by year.