Counties in North Carolina by average annual temperature

New Hanover County had the highest average annual temperature of 100 counties in 2021, at 64.5 °F. Avery County had the lowest, at 51.1 °F. The median was 60.6 °F and the figure for North Carolina was 60.2 °F. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Highest64.5New Hanover County

Lowest51.1Avery County

Median60.6100 counties

North Carolina60.2History

Map of counties, 2021

Under 57
57 to 60
60 to 61
61 to 62
62 to 63
63 and over

°F, 2021. 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, 2021

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

Full ranking

Rank	Counties	2021 °F	Change on 2020
1	New Hanover County	64.5	-1.1%
2	Brunswick County	64.1	-1.4%
3	Carteret County	63.9	-1.5%
4	Columbus County	63.5	-1.6%
4	Robeson County	63.5	-0.9%
6	Hyde County	63.4	-1.6%
6	Scotland County	63.4	-0.2%
8	Pamlico County	63.3	-1.7%
8	Pender County	63.3	-1.4%
10	Dare County	63.2	-0.6%
11	Bladen County	63	-1.6%
11	Onslow County	63	-1.9%
13	Tyrrell County	62.9	-1.3%
14	Craven County	62.8	-1.4%
15	Beaufort County	62.7	-1.7%
15	Hoke County	62.7	-0.9%
15	Richmond County	62.7	-0.9%
18	Anson County	62.6	-0.8%
19	Cumberland County	62.5	-1.9%
20	Jones County	62.3	-1.6%
21	Washington County	62.2	-1.9%
22	Pitt County	62.1	-1.4%
23	Chowan County	62	-1.6%
23	Sampson County	62	-1.9%
23	Union County	62	-0.5%
26	Duplin County	61.9	-1.7%
26	Moore County	61.9	-1%
28	Currituck County	61.8	-1.6%
28	Perquimans County	61.8	-1.7%
30	Greene County	61.7	-1.6%
30	Martin County	61.7	-1.8%
30	Mecklenburg County	61.7	-0.3%
30	Montgomery County	61.7	-0.6%
30	Pasquotank County	61.7	-1.8%
35	Harnett County	61.6	-1.9%
35	Stanly County	61.6	-0.6%
35	Wayne County	61.6	-1.9%
38	Camden County	61.5	-1.8%
38	Lenoir County	61.5	-1.6%
38	Wilson County	61.5	-1.6%
41	Johnston County	61.4	-2.1%
42	Bertie County	61.2	-1.6%
42	Cabarrus County	61.2	-0.2%
42	Edgecombe County	61.2	-1.8%
42	Gaston County	61.2	-0.8%
42	Lee County	61.2	-1.4%
47	Gates County	60.9	-1.3%
48	Wake County	60.8	-1.5%
49	Chatham County	60.7	-0.8%
50	Hertford County	60.6	-1.3%
50	Nash County	60.6	-1.8%
52	Lincoln County	60.4	-0.5%
52	Randolph County	60.4	-0.2%
54	Franklin County	60.3	-1.5%
54	Halifax County	60.3	-1.5%
56	Northampton County	60.2	-1.3%
57	Durham County	60.1	-0.8%
57	Rowan County	60.1	-0.5%
59	Cleveland County	60	-0.7%
59	Warren County	60	-1.3%
61	Vance County	59.9	-0.8%
62	Alamance County	59.8	-0.5%
62	Davidson County	59.8	-0.5%
62	Granville County	59.8	-0.7%
65	Catawba County	59.7	-0.3%
65	Orange County	59.7	-0.7%
65	Rutherford County	59.7	-0.3%
68	Iredell County	59.6	-0.5%
69	Davie County	59.5	-0.5%
69	Guilford County	59.5	-0.3%
69	Polk County	59.5	-0.3%
72	Caswell County	59.3	-0.5%
72	Forsyth County	59.3	-0.2%
72	Rockingham County	59.3	-0.3%
75	Person County	59.2	-0.3%
76	Yadkin County	59.1	+0.3%
77	Alexander County	58.7	-0.2%
78	Stokes County	58.5	-0.5%
79	Burke County	58.4	-0.3%
80	Caldwell County	58	-0.5%
81	Surry County	57.9	+0.2%
81	Wilkes County	57.9	-0.5%
83	McDowell County	57.4	-0.2%
84	Cherokee County	56.6	-0.5%
85	Henderson County	55.9	-0.7%
86	Clay County	55.7	-0.4%
87	Madison County	55.4	-0.7%
88	Transylvania County	55.1	-0.4%
89	Buncombe County	54.9	-0.5%
90	Graham County	54.6	-0.5%
90	Macon County	54.6	-0.5%
92	Jackson County	53.3	-0.4%
93	Alleghany County	52.9	-0.9%
94	Swain County	52.7	-0.6%
95	Mitchell County	52	-1%
96	Watauga County	51.9	-0.8%
97	Haywood County	51.8	-0.4%
97	Yancey County	51.8	-0.8%
99	Ashe County	51.5	-1%
100	Avery County	51.1	-0.6%

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, 2021) [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, 2021. 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=2021. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

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, 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{noaa_counties_in_north_carolina_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-carolina-counties?period=2021.
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 64.5 °F in 2021, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Which county has the lowest average annual temperature?

Avery County, with 51.1 °F in 2021.

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.