Counties in North Carolina by average annual temperature

New Hanover County had the highest average annual temperature of 100 counties in 2020, at 65.2 °F. Avery County had the lowest, at 51.4 °F. The median was 61.3 °F and the figure for North Carolina was 60.8 °F. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Highest65.2New Hanover County

Lowest51.4Avery County

Median61.3100 counties

North Carolina60.8History

Map of counties, 2020

Under 57
57 to 60
60 to 61
61 to 63
63 and over

°F, 2020. 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, 2020

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

Full ranking

Rank	Counties	2020 °F	Change on 2019
1	New Hanover County	65.2	-0.3%
2	Brunswick County	65	-0.2%
3	Carteret County	64.9	-0.8%
4	Columbus County	64.5	0%
5	Hyde County	64.4	-0.3%
5	Pamlico County	64.4	-0.5%
7	Onslow County	64.2	-0.9%
7	Pender County	64.2	-0.6%
9	Robeson County	64.1	-0.8%
10	Bladen County	64	-0.2%
11	Beaufort County	63.8	-0.2%
12	Craven County	63.7	-1.1%
12	Cumberland County	63.7	-0.6%
12	Tyrrell County	63.7	-0.2%
15	Dare County	63.6	-0.6%
16	Scotland County	63.5	-1.6%
17	Washington County	63.4	0%
18	Hoke County	63.3	-0.9%
18	Jones County	63.3	-1.2%
18	Richmond County	63.3	-1.1%
21	Sampson County	63.2	-0.5%
22	Anson County	63.1	-1.3%
23	Chowan County	63	-0.2%
23	Duplin County	63	-0.9%
23	Pitt County	63	-0.6%
26	Perquimans County	62.9	+0.2%
27	Currituck County	62.8	+0.2%
27	Harnett County	62.8	-0.8%
27	Martin County	62.8	-0.2%
27	Pasquotank County	62.8	+0.3%
27	Wayne County	62.8	-0.9%
32	Greene County	62.7	-0.9%
32	Johnston County	62.7	-0.6%
34	Camden County	62.6	+0.3%
35	Lenoir County	62.5	-1.9%
35	Moore County	62.5	-1%
35	Wilson County	62.5	-0.2%
38	Edgecombe County	62.3	+0.2%
38	Union County	62.3	-1.3%
40	Bertie County	62.2	-0.5%
41	Lee County	62.1	-0.8%
41	Montgomery County	62.1	-1.3%
43	Stanly County	62	-1.3%
44	Mecklenburg County	61.9	-1.1%
45	Gaston County	61.7	-1.1%
45	Gates County	61.7	-0.2%
45	Nash County	61.7	+0.2%
45	Wake County	61.7	-0.3%
49	Hertford County	61.4	-0.5%
50	Cabarrus County	61.3	-1.1%
51	Chatham County	61.2	-0.8%
51	Franklin County	61.2	0%
51	Halifax County	61.2	-0.5%
54	Northampton County	61	-0.5%
55	Warren County	60.8	-0.2%
56	Lincoln County	60.7	-1.1%
57	Durham County	60.6	-0.3%
58	Randolph County	60.5	-1.1%
59	Cleveland County	60.4	-1%
59	Rowan County	60.4	-0.8%
59	Vance County	60.4	-0.3%
62	Granville County	60.2	-0.2%
63	Alamance County	60.1	-0.8%
63	Davidson County	60.1	-0.8%
63	Orange County	60.1	-0.5%
66	Catawba County	59.9	-1.2%
66	Iredell County	59.9	-1%
66	Rutherford County	59.9	-1.5%
69	Davie County	59.8	-0.7%
70	Guilford County	59.7	-1%
70	Polk County	59.7	-1.3%
72	Caswell County	59.6	-0.5%
73	Rockingham County	59.5	-0.7%
74	Forsyth County	59.4	-1%
74	Person County	59.4	-0.3%
76	Yadkin County	58.9	-1.2%
77	Alexander County	58.8	-1.2%
77	Stokes County	58.8	-1.2%
79	Burke County	58.6	-1.3%
80	Caldwell County	58.3	-1%
81	Wilkes County	58.2	-0.7%
82	Surry County	57.8	-1.2%
83	McDowell County	57.5	-2.4%
84	Cherokee County	56.9	-1.7%
85	Henderson County	56.3	-1.2%
86	Clay County	55.9	-1.6%
87	Madison County	55.8	-1.2%
88	Transylvania County	55.3	-1.4%
89	Buncombe County	55.2	-1.3%
90	Graham County	54.9	-1.6%
90	Macon County	54.9	-1.4%
92	Jackson County	53.5	-1.7%
93	Alleghany County	53.4	-0.6%
94	Swain County	53	-1.5%
95	Mitchell County	52.5	-1.7%
96	Watauga County	52.3	-0.9%
97	Yancey County	52.2	-1.9%
98	Ashe County	52	-0.6%
98	Haywood County	52	-1.7%
100	Avery County	51.4	-1.7%

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, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

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, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{noaa_counties_in_north_carolina_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-carolina-counties?period=2020.
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?

New Hanover County, with 65.2 °F in 2020, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Which county has the lowest average annual temperature?

Avery County, with 51.4 °F in 2020.

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.