Data / Rankings / Physical inactivity in adults, local model estimate / Counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina by physical inactivity in adults, local model estimate

Halifax County had the highest physical inactivity in adults, local model estimate of 100 counties in 2021, at 33.9%. Wake County had the lowest, at 15.5%. The median was 25.6%. Source: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Highest33.9Halifax County
Lowest15.5Wake County
Median25.6100 counties

Map of counties, 2021

Alamance County: 23.7 %Alexander County: 24.6 %Alleghany County: 30 %Anson County: 30.9 %Ashe County: 25.4 %Avery County: 24.5 %Beaufort County: 28.3 %Bertie County: 33.8 %Bladen County: 31.2 %Brunswick County: 21 %Buncombe County: 19 %Burke County: 27.5 %Cabarrus County: 21.4 %Caldwell County: 26.1 %Camden County: 21.3 %Carteret County: 21.4 %Caswell County: 27.5 %Catawba County: 25.5 %Chatham County: 21.2 %Cherokee County: 26.7 %Chowan County: 29.1 %Clay County: 24.5 %Cleveland County: 26.2 %Columbus County: 31.5 %Craven County: 24.7 %Cumberland County: 24 %Currituck County: 19.9 %Dare County: 19.2 %Davidson County: 25.5 %Davie County: 23.7 %Duplin County: 31.6 %Durham County: 21.1 %Edgecombe County: 32.5 %Forsyth County: 24.1 %Franklin County: 23.8 %Gaston County: 24.1 %Gates County: 27 %Graham County: 25.9 %Granville County: 25.5 %Greene County: 30.9 %Guilford County: 21.6 %Halifax County: 33.9 %Harnett County: 26.8 %Haywood County: 23.7 %Henderson County: 22.1 %Hertford County: 31 %Hoke County: 25.3 %Hyde County: 30.3 %Iredell County: 20.9 %Jackson County: 23 %Johnston County: 24.3 %Jones County: 30.3 %Lee County: 25.7 %Lenoir County: 31.7 %Lincoln County: 23.1 %McDowell County: 25 %Macon County: 25.1 %Madison County: 23.2 %Martin County: 31 %Mecklenburg County: 19.7 %Mitchell County: 24.2 %Montgomery County: 27.4 %Moore County: 20.9 %Nash County: 26.7 %New Hanover County: 19.4 %Northampton County: 32.5 %Onslow County: 20.8 %Orange County: 17.2 %Pamlico County: 26.2 %Pasquotank County: 23.6 %Pender County: 23.2 %Perquimans County: 26.3 %Person County: 26.3 %Pitt County: 23.7 %Polk County: 22 %Randolph County: 26 %Richmond County: 29.9 %Robeson County: 31.3 %Rockingham County: 26.7 %Rowan County: 25.6 %Rutherford County: 26.9 %Sampson County: 31.3 %Scotland County: 30.9 %Stanly County: 24.6 %Stokes County: 25.9 %Surry County: 26.3 %Swain County: 26.6 %Transylvania County: 22.8 %Tyrrell County: 29.9 %Union County: 19.8 %Vance County: 30.7 %Wake County: 15.5 %Warren County: 32 %Washington County: 32.5 %Watauga County: 20.3 %Wayne County: 25.9 %Wilkes County: 27.1 %Wilson County: 30.3 %Yadkin County: 26.3 %Yancey County: 25.3 %
  • Under 21
  • 21 to 24
  • 24 to 26
  • 26 to 27
  • 27 to 31
  • 31 and over
%, 2021. Source: CDC, PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2021

Halifax County: 33.9 %Halifax County33.9Bertie County: 33.8 %Bertie County33.8Edgecombe County: 32.5 %Edgecombe County32.5Northampton County: 32.5 %Northampton County32.5Washington County: 32.5 %Washington County32.5Warren County: 32 %Warren County32Lenoir County: 31.7 %Lenoir County31.7Duplin County: 31.6 %Duplin County31.6Columbus County: 31.5 %Columbus County31.5Robeson County: 31.3 %Robeson County31.3Sampson County: 31.3 %Sampson County31.3Bladen County: 31.2 %Bladen County31.2Hertford County: 31 %Hertford County31Martin County: 31 %Martin County31Anson County: 30.9 %Anson County30.9Greene County: 30.9 %Greene County30.9Scotland County: 30.9 %Scotland County30.9Vance County: 30.7 %Vance County30.7Hyde County: 30.3 %Hyde County30.3Jones County: 30.3 %Jones County30.3Wilson County: 30.3 %Wilson County30.3Alleghany County: 30 %Alleghany County30Richmond County: 29.9 %Richmond County29.9Tyrrell County: 29.9 %Tyrrell County29.9Chowan County: 29.1 %Chowan County29.1Beaufort County: 28.3 %Beaufort County28.3Burke County: 27.5 %Burke County27.5Caswell County: 27.5 %Caswell County27.5Montgomery County: 27.4 %Montgomery County27.4Wilkes County: 27.1 %Wilkes County27.1Gates County: 27 %Gates County27Rutherford County: 26.9 %Rutherford County26.9Harnett County: 26.8 %Harnett County26.8Cherokee County: 26.7 %Cherokee County26.7Nash County: 26.7 %Nash County26.7Rockingham County: 26.7 %Rockingham County26.7Swain County: 26.6 %Swain County26.6Perquimans County: 26.3 %Perquimans County26.3Person County: 26.3 %Person County26.3Surry County: 26.3 %Surry County26.3Halifax County: 33.9 %Halifax County33.9Bertie County: 33.8 %Bertie County33.8Edgecombe County: 32.5 %Edgecombe County32.5Northampton County: 32.5 %Northampton County32.5Washington County: 32.5 %Washington County32.5Warren County: 32 %Warren County32Lenoir County: 31.7 %Lenoir County31.7Duplin County: 31.6 %Duplin County31.6Columbus County: 31.5 %Columbus County31.5Robeson County: 31.3 %Robeson County31.3Sampson County: 31.3 %Sampson County31.3Bladen County: 31.2 %Bladen County31.2Hertford County: 31 %Hertford County31Martin County: 31 %Martin County31Anson County: 30.9 %Anson County30.9Greene County: 30.9 %Greene County30.9Scotland County: 30.9 %Scotland County30.9Vance County: 30.7 %Vance County30.7Hyde County: 30.3 %Hyde County30.3Jones County: 30.3 %Jones County30.3Wilson County: 30.3 %Wilson County30.3Alleghany County: 30 %Alleghany County30Richmond County: 29.9 %Richmond County29.9Tyrrell County: 29.9 %Tyrrell County29.9Chowan County: 29.1 %Chowan County29.1Beaufort County: 28.3 %Beaufort County28.3Burke County: 27.5 %Burke County27.5Caswell County: 27.5 %Caswell County27.5Montgomery County: 27.4 %Montgomery County27.4Wilkes County: 27.1 %Wilkes County27.1Gates County: 27 %Gates County27Rutherford County: 26.9 %Rutherford County26.9Harnett County: 26.8 %Harnett County26.8Cherokee County: 26.7 %Cherokee County26.7Nash County: 26.7 %Nash County26.7Rockingham County: 26.7 %Rockingham County26.7Swain County: 26.6 %Swain County26.6Perquimans County: 26.3 %Perquimans County26.3Person County: 26.3 %Person County26.3Surry County: 26.3 %Surry County26.3
%. Source: CDC, PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021 (%)
1Halifax County33.9
2Bertie County33.8
3Edgecombe County32.5
3Northampton County32.5
3Washington County32.5
6Warren County32
7Lenoir County31.7
8Duplin County31.6
9Columbus County31.5
10Robeson County31.3
10Sampson County31.3
12Bladen County31.2
13Hertford County31
13Martin County31
15Anson County30.9
15Greene County30.9
15Scotland County30.9
18Vance County30.7
19Hyde County30.3
19Jones County30.3
19Wilson County30.3
22Alleghany County30
23Richmond County29.9
23Tyrrell County29.9
25Chowan County29.1
26Beaufort County28.3
27Burke County27.5
27Caswell County27.5
29Montgomery County27.4
30Wilkes County27.1
31Gates County27
32Rutherford County26.9
33Harnett County26.8
34Cherokee County26.7
34Nash County26.7
34Rockingham County26.7
37Swain County26.6
38Perquimans County26.3
38Person County26.3
38Surry County26.3
38Yadkin County26.3
42Cleveland County26.2
42Pamlico County26.2
44Caldwell County26.1
45Randolph County26
46Graham County25.9
46Stokes County25.9
46Wayne County25.9
49Lee County25.7
50Rowan County25.6
51Catawba County25.5
51Davidson County25.5
51Granville County25.5
54Ashe County25.4
55Hoke County25.3
55Yancey County25.3
57Macon County25.1
58McDowell County25
59Craven County24.7
60Alexander County24.6
60Stanly County24.6
62Avery County24.5
62Clay County24.5
64Johnston County24.3
65Mitchell County24.2
66Forsyth County24.1
66Gaston County24.1
68Cumberland County24
69Franklin County23.8
70Alamance County23.7
70Davie County23.7
70Haywood County23.7
70Pitt County23.7
74Pasquotank County23.6
75Madison County23.2
75Pender County23.2
77Lincoln County23.1
78Jackson County23
79Transylvania County22.8
80Henderson County22.1
81Polk County22
82Guilford County21.6
83Cabarrus County21.4
83Carteret County21.4
85Camden County21.3
86Chatham County21.2
87Durham County21.1
88Brunswick County21
89Iredell County20.9
89Moore County20.9
91Onslow County20.8
92Watauga County20.3
93Currituck County19.9
94Union County19.8
95Mecklenburg County19.7
96New Hanover County19.4
97Dare County19.2
98Buncombe County19
99Orange County17.2
100Wake County15.5

Other periods

About this ranking

Percentage of adults who did no physical activity or exercise outside their regular job in the past month, such as running, golf, gardening or walking for exercise. Model-based estimate for adults aged 18 and over from CDC PLACES. Crude prevalence, not age-adjusted.

US counties and cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). CDC PLACES combines Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) answers with local population data through multilevel regression and poststratification, so a county or city value is a model estimate, not a survey count. The year is the BRFSS survey year, not the release year. CDC says the method does not support tracking change in a place over time, and each annual release can change the model, so values for different years are not strictly comparable. A state is missing in a year when its BRFSS data did not meet standards (Kentucky and Pennsylvania in 2023, Florida in 2021). Connecticut counties appear as its nine planning regions from 2022; its eight former counties are not served. City values for 2021 come from the 2023 release, built on 2010 Census place boundaries; later years use 2020 boundaries.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence. https://www.cdc.gov/places/. Retrieved 2026-10-12. These data are available free from CDC. Use does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence (Counties in North Carolina by physical inactivity in adults, local model estimate, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.cdc.gov/places/

MLA 9

PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence, Counties in North Carolina by physical inactivity in adults, local model estimate, 2021. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Dec. 2025, https://www.cdc.gov/places/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-physical-inactivity-rate-county-estimate/north-carolina-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2025. PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence. Counties in North Carolina by physical inactivity in adults, local model estimate, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/places/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-physical-inactivity-rate-county-estimate/north-carolina-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2025) PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence, Counties in North Carolina by physical inactivity in adults, local model estimate, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/places/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-physical-inactivity-rate-county-estimate/north-carolina-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{centers_counties_in_north_carolina_2021,
  author = {{Centers for Disease Control and Prevention}},
  title = {{PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence: Counties in North Carolina by physical inactivity in adults, local model estimate, 2021}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.cdc.gov/places/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-physical-inactivity-rate-county-estimate/north-carolina-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence. https://www.cdc.gov/places/. Retrieved 2026-10-12. These data are available free from CDC. Use does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
TI  - PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence: Counties in North Carolina by physical inactivity in adults, local model estimate, 2021
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/04
PB  - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.cdc.gov/places/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-physical-inactivity-rate-county-estimate/north-carolina-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-physical-inactivity-rate-county-estimate/north-carolina-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence. https://www.cdc.gov/places/. Retrieved 2026-10-12. These data are available free from CDC. Use does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest physical inactivity in adults, local model estimate?

Halifax County, with 33.9% in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Which county has the lowest physical inactivity in adults, local model estimate?

Wake County, with 15.5% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Physical inactivity in adults, local model estimate: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings