Counties in North Carolina by average annual temperature

Carteret County had the highest average annual temperature of 100 counties in 2019, at 65.4 °F. Avery County had the lowest, at 52.3 °F. The median was 61.7 °F and the figure for North Carolina was 61.3 °F. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest65.4Carteret County
Lowest52.3Avery County
Median61.7100 counties
North Carolina61.3History

Map of counties, 2019

Alamance County: 60.6 °FAlexander County: 59.5 °FAlleghany County: 53.7 °FAnson County: 63.9 °FAshe County: 52.3 °FAvery County: 52.3 °FBeaufort County: 63.9 °FBertie County: 62.5 °FBladen County: 64.1 °FBrunswick County: 65.1 °FBuncombe County: 55.9 °FBurke County: 59.4 °FCabarrus County: 62 °FCaldwell County: 58.9 °FCamden County: 62.4 °FCarteret County: 65.4 °FCaswell County: 59.9 °FCatawba County: 60.6 °FChatham County: 61.7 °FCherokee County: 57.9 °FChowan County: 63.1 °FClay County: 56.8 °FCleveland County: 61 °FColumbus County: 64.5 °FCraven County: 64.4 °FCumberland County: 64.1 °FCurrituck County: 62.7 °FDare County: 64 °FDavidson County: 60.6 °FDavie County: 60.2 °FDuplin County: 63.6 °FDurham County: 60.8 °FEdgecombe County: 62.2 °FForsyth County: 60 °FFranklin County: 61.2 °FGaston County: 62.4 °FGates County: 61.8 °FGraham County: 55.8 °FGranville County: 60.3 °FGreene County: 63.3 °FGuilford County: 60.3 °FHalifax County: 61.5 °FHarnett County: 63.3 °FHaywood County: 52.9 °FHenderson County: 57 °FHertford County: 61.7 °FHoke County: 63.9 °FHyde County: 64.6 °FIredell County: 60.5 °FJackson County: 54.4 °FJohnston County: 63.1 °FJones County: 64.1 °FLee County: 62.6 °FLenoir County: 63.7 °FLincoln County: 61.4 °FMcDowell County: 58.9 °FMacon County: 55.7 °FMadison County: 56.5 °FMartin County: 62.9 °FMecklenburg County: 62.6 °FMitchell County: 53.4 °FMontgomery County: 62.9 °FMoore County: 63.1 °FNash County: 61.6 °FNew Hanover County: 65.4 °FNorthampton County: 61.3 °FOnslow County: 64.8 °FOrange County: 60.4 °FPamlico County: 64.7 °FPasquotank County: 62.6 °FPender County: 64.6 °FPerquimans County: 62.8 °FPerson County: 59.6 °FPitt County: 63.4 °FPolk County: 60.5 °FRandolph County: 61.2 °FRichmond County: 64 °FRobeson County: 64.6 °FRockingham County: 59.9 °FRowan County: 60.9 °FRutherford County: 60.8 °FSampson County: 63.5 °FScotland County: 64.5 °FStanly County: 62.8 °FStokes County: 59.5 °FSurry County: 58.5 °FSwain County: 53.8 °FTransylvania County: 56.1 °FTyrrell County: 63.8 °FUnion County: 63.1 °FVance County: 60.6 °FWake County: 61.9 °FWarren County: 60.9 °FWashington County: 63.4 °FWatauga County: 52.8 °FWayne County: 63.4 °FWilkes County: 58.6 °FWilson County: 62.6 °FYadkin County: 59.6 °FYancey County: 53.2 °F
  • Under 58
  • 58 to 61
  • 61 to 62
  • 62 to 63
  • 63 to 64
  • 64 and over
°F, 2019. 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, 2019

Carteret County: 65.4 °FCarteret County65.4New Hanover County: 65.4 °FNew Hanover County65.4Brunswick County: 65.1 °FBrunswick County65.1Onslow County: 64.8 °FOnslow County64.8Pamlico County: 64.7 °FPamlico County64.7Hyde County: 64.6 °FHyde County64.6Pender County: 64.6 °FPender County64.6Robeson County: 64.6 °FRobeson County64.6Columbus County: 64.5 °FColumbus County64.5Scotland County: 64.5 °FScotland County64.5Craven County: 64.4 °FCraven County64.4Bladen County: 64.1 °FBladen County64.1Cumberland County: 64.1 °FCumberland County64.1Jones County: 64.1 °FJones County64.1Dare County: 64 °FDare County64Richmond County: 64 °FRichmond County64Anson County: 63.9 °FAnson County63.9Beaufort County: 63.9 °FBeaufort County63.9Hoke County: 63.9 °FHoke County63.9Tyrrell County: 63.8 °FTyrrell County63.8Lenoir County: 63.7 °FLenoir County63.7Duplin County: 63.6 °FDuplin County63.6Sampson County: 63.5 °FSampson County63.5Pitt County: 63.4 °FPitt County63.4Washington County: 63.4 °FWashington County63.4Wayne County: 63.4 °FWayne County63.4Greene County: 63.3 °FGreene County63.3Harnett County: 63.3 °FHarnett County63.3Chowan County: 63.1 °FChowan County63.1Johnston County: 63.1 °FJohnston County63.1Moore County: 63.1 °FMoore County63.1Union County: 63.1 °FUnion County63.1Martin County: 62.9 °FMartin County62.9Montgomery County: 62.9 °FMontgomery County62.9Perquimans County: 62.8 °FPerquimans County62.8Stanly County: 62.8 °FStanly County62.8Currituck County: 62.7 °FCurrituck County62.7Lee County: 62.6 °FLee County62.6Mecklenburg County: 62.6 °FMecklenburg County62.6Pasquotank County: 62.6 °FPasquotank County62.6Carteret County: 65.4 °FCarteret County65.4New Hanover County: 65.4 °FNew Hanover County65.4Brunswick County: 65.1 °FBrunswick County65.1Onslow County: 64.8 °FOnslow County64.8Pamlico County: 64.7 °FPamlico County64.7Hyde County: 64.6 °FHyde County64.6Pender County: 64.6 °FPender County64.6Robeson County: 64.6 °FRobeson County64.6Columbus County: 64.5 °FColumbus County64.5Scotland County: 64.5 °FScotland County64.5Craven County: 64.4 °FCraven County64.4Bladen County: 64.1 °FBladen County64.1Cumberland County: 64.1 °FCumberland County64.1Jones County: 64.1 °FJones County64.1Dare County: 64 °FDare County64Richmond County: 64 °FRichmond County64Anson County: 63.9 °FAnson County63.9Beaufort County: 63.9 °FBeaufort County63.9Hoke County: 63.9 °FHoke County63.9Tyrrell County: 63.8 °FTyrrell County63.8Lenoir County: 63.7 °FLenoir County63.7Duplin County: 63.6 °FDuplin County63.6Sampson County: 63.5 °FSampson County63.5Pitt County: 63.4 °FPitt County63.4Washington County: 63.4 °FWashington County63.4Wayne County: 63.4 °FWayne County63.4Greene County: 63.3 °FGreene County63.3Harnett County: 63.3 °FHarnett County63.3Chowan County: 63.1 °FChowan County63.1Johnston County: 63.1 °FJohnston County63.1Moore County: 63.1 °FMoore County63.1Union County: 63.1 °FUnion County63.1Martin County: 62.9 °FMartin County62.9Montgomery County: 62.9 °FMontgomery County62.9Perquimans County: 62.8 °FPerquimans County62.8Stanly County: 62.8 °FStanly County62.8Currituck County: 62.7 °FCurrituck County62.7Lee County: 62.6 °FLee County62.6Mecklenburg County: 62.6 °FMecklenburg County62.6Pasquotank County: 62.6 °FPasquotank County62.6
°F. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2019
°F
Change on 2018
1Carteret County65.4+1.4%
1New Hanover County65.4+1.4%
3Brunswick County65.1+1.2%
4Onslow County64.8+1.4%
5Pamlico County64.7+1.1%
6Hyde County64.6+1.4%
6Pender County64.6+1.1%
6Robeson County64.6+1.1%
9Columbus County64.5+0.8%
9Scotland County64.5+1.1%
11Craven County64.4+1.6%
12Bladen County64.1+0.8%
12Cumberland County64.1+1.3%
12Jones County64.1+1.6%
15Dare County64+2.7%
15Richmond County64+0.9%
17Anson County63.9+1.3%
17Beaufort County63.9+1.3%
17Hoke County63.9+1.1%
20Tyrrell County63.8+1.8%
21Lenoir County63.7+1.6%
22Duplin County63.6+1.1%
23Sampson County63.5+1%
24Pitt County63.4+1.6%
24Washington County63.4+1.4%
24Wayne County63.4+1%
27Greene County63.3+1.3%
27Harnett County63.3+1.4%
29Chowan County63.1+1.6%
29Johnston County63.1+1.1%
29Moore County63.1+1.3%
29Union County63.1+1.3%
33Martin County62.9+1.6%
33Montgomery County62.9+1.5%
35Perquimans County62.8+1.3%
35Stanly County62.8+1.6%
37Currituck County62.7+1.5%
38Lee County62.6+1.5%
38Mecklenburg County62.6+1.5%
38Pasquotank County62.6+1%
38Wilson County62.6+1.1%
42Bertie County62.5+1.6%
43Camden County62.4+1.1%
43Gaston County62.4+1.8%
45Edgecombe County62.2+1.5%
46Cabarrus County62+1.5%
47Wake County61.9+1.5%
48Gates County61.8+1.5%
49Chatham County61.7+1.5%
49Hertford County61.7+1.8%
51Nash County61.6+1.3%
52Halifax County61.5+1.2%
53Lincoln County61.4+1.8%
54Northampton County61.3+1.3%
55Franklin County61.2+1.2%
55Randolph County61.2+1.7%
57Cleveland County61+1.5%
58Rowan County60.9+1.5%
58Warren County60.9+1.2%
60Durham County60.8+1.5%
60Rutherford County60.8+1.7%
62Alamance County60.6+1.7%
62Catawba County60.6+1.8%
62Davidson County60.6+1.5%
62Vance County60.6+1.5%
66Iredell County60.5+1.9%
66Polk County60.5+1.9%
68Orange County60.4+1.7%
69Granville County60.3+1.5%
69Guilford County60.3+1.5%
71Davie County60.2+1.5%
72Forsyth County60+1.5%
73Caswell County59.9+2%
73Rockingham County59.9+1.9%
75Person County59.6+1.7%
75Yadkin County59.6+1.9%
77Alexander County59.5+2.1%
77Stokes County59.5+1.7%
79Burke County59.4+1.9%
80Caldwell County58.9+2.3%
80McDowell County58.9+1.9%
82Wilkes County58.6+1.6%
83Surry County58.5+1.6%
84Cherokee County57.9+1.4%
85Henderson County57+2%
86Clay County56.8+1.6%
87Madison County56.5+1.4%
88Transylvania County56.1+2%
89Buncombe County55.9+1.5%
90Graham County55.8+1.6%
91Macon County55.7+2%
92Jackson County54.4+2.1%
93Swain County53.8+1.9%
94Alleghany County53.7+1.1%
95Mitchell County53.4+2.3%
96Yancey County53.2+1.7%
97Haywood County52.9+1.9%
98Watauga County52.8+2.1%
99Ashe County52.3+1%
99Avery County52.3+3%

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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

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, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{noaa_counties_in_north_carolina_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-carolina-counties?period=2019.
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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Rank Counties in North Carolina by average annual temperature using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest average annual temperature?

Carteret County, with 65.4 °F in 2019, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Which county has the lowest average annual temperature?

Avery County, with 52.3 °F in 2019.

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.

Average annual temperature: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings