Locust is a small rural city in Stanly and Cabarrus counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina.

Through annexations, the city limits now extend west into Cabarrus County.

NC 24/27 leads east 15 miles (24 km) to Albemarle and west to the Charlotte area.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Locust has a total area of 8.1 square miles (21.1 km2), with no significant water bodies.

[4] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,537 people, 1,397 households, and 956 families residing in the city.