Counties in North Carolina by average annual temperature

Carteret County had the highest average annual temperature of 100 counties in 2016, at 64.5 °F. Avery County had the lowest, at 51.8 °F. The median was 61.1 °F and the figure for North Carolina was 60.8 °F. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Highest64.5Carteret County

Lowest51.8Avery County

Median61.1100 counties

North Carolina60.8History

Map of counties, 2016

Under 58
58 to 60
60 to 61
61 to 62
62 to 63
63 and over

°F, 2016. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

°F. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Counties	2016 °F	Change on 2015
1	Carteret County	64.5	-0.3%
1	New Hanover County	64.5	-0.2%
3	Brunswick County	64.4	-0.3%
4	Columbus County	64.1	-0.3%
4	Pamlico County	64.1	-0.9%
6	Robeson County	64	0%
7	Hyde County	63.9	+0.3%
8	Onslow County	63.7	0%
8	Pender County	63.7	-0.2%
8	Scotland County	63.7	+0.2%
11	Anson County	63.6	+0.3%
11	Bladen County	63.6	+0.2%
11	Richmond County	63.6	0%
14	Craven County	63.5	-0.3%
15	Beaufort County	63.4	-0.2%
15	Cumberland County	63.4	+0.6%
17	Hoke County	63.3	+0.5%
18	Jones County	63.2	-0.2%
19	Duplin County	63	+0.5%
19	Lenoir County	63	+0.3%
19	Sampson County	63	+0.8%
22	Union County	62.9	+0.8%
22	Wayne County	62.9	+0.8%
24	Tyrrell County	62.8	+0.3%
25	Dare County	62.7	+0.3%
25	Greene County	62.7	+0.3%
25	Moore County	62.7	+0.3%
25	Pitt County	62.7	+0.3%
29	Johnston County	62.6	+1.3%
29	Washington County	62.6	+0.3%
31	Harnett County	62.5	+0.6%
31	Montgomery County	62.5	+0.2%
33	Stanly County	62.4	+0.6%
34	Martin County	62.2	+0.3%
34	Mecklenburg County	62.2	+0.6%
36	Lee County	62.1	+0.8%
37	Chowan County	62	+0.3%
37	Wilson County	62	+0.3%
39	Gaston County	61.9	+1%
40	Cabarrus County	61.8	+0.8%
41	Perquimans County	61.7	+0.3%
42	Bertie County	61.5	+0.2%
42	Pasquotank County	61.5	+0.2%
44	Currituck County	61.4	0%
44	Edgecombe County	61.4	0%
46	Chatham County	61.3	+0.8%
46	Polk County	61.3	+1.3%
46	Wake County	61.3	+1%
49	Camden County	61.2	0%
50	Lincoln County	61.1	+1%
50	Randolph County	61.1	+1.2%
52	Cleveland County	61	+0.8%
52	Nash County	61	+0.3%
54	Rutherford County	60.9	+1%
55	Gates County	60.8	+0.3%
55	Hertford County	60.8	+0.5%
57	Halifax County	60.7	+0.5%
57	Rowan County	60.7	+0.8%
59	Davidson County	60.6	+0.8%
59	Franklin County	60.6	+0.7%
61	Alamance County	60.5	+1.2%
61	Durham County	60.5	+1%
61	Northampton County	60.5	+0.5%
64	Catawba County	60.4	+0.8%
64	Guilford County	60.4	+1.2%
64	Warren County	60.4	+1%
67	Orange County	60.2	+1.2%
68	Vance County	60.1	+1.3%
69	Davie County	60	+0.5%
69	Forsyth County	60	+0.8%
69	Iredell County	60	+0.8%
72	Granville County	59.9	+1.2%
72	Rockingham County	59.9	+1.4%
74	Caswell County	59.8	+1.4%
75	Person County	59.5	+1.4%
76	Burke County	59.4	+1%
77	Alexander County	59.3	+0.9%
77	Stokes County	59.3	+0.9%
79	Yadkin County	59.2	+0.7%
80	Caldwell County	58.8	+0.9%
81	McDowell County	58.5	+1%
82	Surry County	58.4	+0.5%
82	Wilkes County	58.4	+0.7%
84	Cherokee County	57.2	+1.4%
84	Henderson County	57.2	+0.9%
86	Clay County	56.2	+1.1%
86	Madison County	56.2	+0.7%
88	Transylvania County	55.9	+1.1%
89	Buncombe County	55.8	+0.5%
90	Graham County	55.3	+1.3%
91	Macon County	55.1	+0.5%
92	Jackson County	54	+0.7%
93	Alleghany County	53.8	+0.7%
94	Swain County	53.7	+1.3%
95	Mitchell County	53.3	+1.1%
96	Yancey County	53.1	+1%
97	Haywood County	52.6	+0.6%
98	Watauga County	52.4	+0.4%
99	Ashe County	52.2	+0.2%
100	Avery County	51.8	+0.8%

Other periods

About this ranking

Mean air temperature from January to December, in degrees Fahrenheit: the average of the 12 monthly mean temperatures. NOAA computes it from its climate divisional dataset (nClimDiv): station readings interpolated onto a 5 km grid and averaged over the area.

Values are area averages, so a county with mountains and valleys has one value for very different local climates. NOAA revises the last two years every month.

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

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. (2026). NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties (Counties in North Carolina by average annual temperature, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping

MLA 9

NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties, Counties in North Carolina by average annual temperature, 2016. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 6 Oct. 2026, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-carolina-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. 2026. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Counties in North Carolina by average annual temperature, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-carolina-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2026) NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties, Counties in North Carolina by average annual temperature, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-carolina-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{noaa_counties_in_north_carolina_2016,
  author = {{NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information}},
  title = {{NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties: Counties in North Carolina by average annual temperature, 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-carolina-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
TI  - NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties: Counties in North Carolina by average annual temperature, 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/06
PB  - NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-carolina-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-carolina-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

Which county has the highest average annual temperature?

Carteret County, with 64.5 °F in 2016, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Which county has the lowest average annual temperature?

Avery County, with 51.8 °F in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.