Counties in North Carolina by average annual temperature

New Hanover County had the highest average annual temperature of 100 counties in 2024, at 64.8 °F. Avery County had the lowest, at 51.9 °F. The median was 61.7 °F and the figure for North Carolina was 61.1 °F. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Lowest51.9Avery County
Median61.7100 counties
North Carolina61.1History

Map of counties, 2024

Alamance County: 60.9 °FAlexander County: 59.7 °FAlleghany County: 54.6 °FAnson County: 63.4 °FAshe County: 53 °FAvery County: 51.9 °FBeaufort County: 62.8 °FBertie County: 62.4 °FBladen County: 63.9 °FBrunswick County: 64.6 °FBuncombe County: 56.1 °FBurke County: 59.6 °FCabarrus County: 61.1 °FCaldwell County: 59.1 °FCamden County: 62 °FCarteret County: 63.6 °FCaswell County: 60.4 °FCatawba County: 60.7 °FChatham County: 61.9 °FCherokee County: 57.9 °FChowan County: 62.6 °FClay County: 57 °FCleveland County: 60.6 °FColumbus County: 64.3 °FCraven County: 63.2 °FCumberland County: 63.6 °FCurrituck County: 62.3 °FDare County: 63.1 °FDavidson County: 60.6 °FDavie County: 60.3 °FDuplin County: 62.7 °FDurham County: 62 °FEdgecombe County: 62.2 °FForsyth County: 59.8 °FFranklin County: 61.3 °FGaston County: 61.7 °FGates County: 61.9 °FGraham County: 55.8 °FGranville County: 61.3 °FGreene County: 62.8 °FGuilford County: 60.3 °FHalifax County: 61.4 °FHarnett County: 63 °FHaywood County: 52.7 °FHenderson County: 56.8 °FHertford County: 62.1 °FHoke County: 63.7 °FHyde County: 63.2 °FIredell County: 60.3 °FJackson County: 54.4 °FJohnston County: 63.1 °FJones County: 62.9 °FLee County: 62.4 °FLenoir County: 62.3 °FLincoln County: 61.1 °FMcDowell County: 58.7 °FMacon County: 55.8 °FMadison County: 56.6 °FMartin County: 62.7 °FMecklenburg County: 62 °FMitchell County: 53.4 °FMontgomery County: 63 °FMoore County: 63 °FNash County: 61.7 °FNew Hanover County: 64.8 °FNorthampton County: 61.5 °FOnslow County: 63.5 °FOrange County: 61.3 °FPamlico County: 63.4 °FPasquotank County: 62.2 °FPender County: 63.7 °FPerquimans County: 62.3 °FPerson County: 60.9 °FPitt County: 62.9 °FPolk County: 60.3 °FRandolph County: 61.2 °FRichmond County: 63.7 °FRobeson County: 64.6 °FRockingham County: 60.3 °FRowan County: 60.7 °FRutherford County: 60.5 °FSampson County: 63 °FScotland County: 64.3 °FStanly County: 62.5 °FStokes County: 59.3 °FSurry County: 58.8 °FSwain County: 53.6 °FTransylvania County: 56 °FTyrrell County: 63.1 °FUnion County: 62.6 °FVance County: 61 °FWake County: 62.5 °FWarren County: 61 °FWashington County: 62.8 °FWatauga County: 52.9 °FWayne County: 63 °FWilkes County: 59.1 °FWilson County: 62.9 °FYadkin County: 59.6 °FYancey County: 53.4 °F
  • Under 58
  • 58 to 61
  • 61 to 62
  • 62 to 63
  • 63 and over
°F, 2024. 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, 2024

New Hanover County: 64.8 °FNew Hanover County64.8Brunswick County: 64.6 °FBrunswick County64.6Robeson County: 64.6 °FRobeson County64.6Columbus County: 64.3 °FColumbus County64.3Scotland County: 64.3 °FScotland County64.3Bladen County: 63.9 °FBladen County63.9Hoke County: 63.7 °FHoke County63.7Pender County: 63.7 °FPender County63.7Richmond County: 63.7 °FRichmond County63.7Carteret County: 63.6 °FCarteret County63.6Cumberland County: 63.6 °FCumberland County63.6Onslow County: 63.5 °FOnslow County63.5Anson County: 63.4 °FAnson County63.4Pamlico County: 63.4 °FPamlico County63.4Craven County: 63.2 °FCraven County63.2Hyde County: 63.2 °FHyde County63.2Dare County: 63.1 °FDare County63.1Johnston County: 63.1 °FJohnston County63.1Tyrrell County: 63.1 °FTyrrell County63.1Harnett County: 63 °FHarnett County63Montgomery County: 63 °FMontgomery County63Moore County: 63 °FMoore County63Sampson County: 63 °FSampson County63Wayne County: 63 °FWayne County63Jones County: 62.9 °FJones County62.9Pitt County: 62.9 °FPitt County62.9Wilson County: 62.9 °FWilson County62.9Beaufort County: 62.8 °FBeaufort County62.8Greene County: 62.8 °FGreene County62.8Washington County: 62.8 °FWashington County62.8Duplin County: 62.7 °FDuplin County62.7Martin County: 62.7 °FMartin County62.7Chowan County: 62.6 °FChowan County62.6Union County: 62.6 °FUnion County62.6Stanly County: 62.5 °FStanly County62.5Wake County: 62.5 °FWake County62.5Bertie County: 62.4 °FBertie County62.4Lee County: 62.4 °FLee County62.4Currituck County: 62.3 °FCurrituck County62.3Lenoir County: 62.3 °FLenoir County62.3New Hanover County: 64.8 °FNew Hanover County64.8Brunswick County: 64.6 °FBrunswick County64.6Robeson County: 64.6 °FRobeson County64.6Columbus County: 64.3 °FColumbus County64.3Scotland County: 64.3 °FScotland County64.3Bladen County: 63.9 °FBladen County63.9Hoke County: 63.7 °FHoke County63.7Pender County: 63.7 °FPender County63.7Richmond County: 63.7 °FRichmond County63.7Carteret County: 63.6 °FCarteret County63.6Cumberland County: 63.6 °FCumberland County63.6Onslow County: 63.5 °FOnslow County63.5Anson County: 63.4 °FAnson County63.4Pamlico County: 63.4 °FPamlico County63.4Craven County: 63.2 °FCraven County63.2Hyde County: 63.2 °FHyde County63.2Dare County: 63.1 °FDare County63.1Johnston County: 63.1 °FJohnston County63.1Tyrrell County: 63.1 °FTyrrell County63.1Harnett County: 63 °FHarnett County63Montgomery County: 63 °FMontgomery County63Moore County: 63 °FMoore County63Sampson County: 63 °FSampson County63Wayne County: 63 °FWayne County63Jones County: 62.9 °FJones County62.9Pitt County: 62.9 °FPitt County62.9Wilson County: 62.9 °FWilson County62.9Beaufort County: 62.8 °FBeaufort County62.8Greene County: 62.8 °FGreene County62.8Washington County: 62.8 °FWashington County62.8Duplin County: 62.7 °FDuplin County62.7Martin County: 62.7 °FMartin County62.7Chowan County: 62.6 °FChowan County62.6Union County: 62.6 °FUnion County62.6Stanly County: 62.5 °FStanly County62.5Wake County: 62.5 °FWake County62.5Bertie County: 62.4 °FBertie County62.4Lee County: 62.4 °FLee County62.4Currituck County: 62.3 °FCurrituck County62.3Lenoir County: 62.3 °FLenoir County62.3
°F. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2024
°F
Change on 2023
1New Hanover County64.80%
2Brunswick County64.6+0.2%
2Robeson County64.6+0.8%
4Columbus County64.3+0.3%
4Scotland County64.3+0.6%
6Bladen County63.9+0.3%
7Hoke County63.7+0.5%
7Pender County63.7-0.2%
7Richmond County63.7+0.5%
10Carteret County63.6-0.3%
10Cumberland County63.6+0.5%
12Onslow County63.5+0.3%
13Anson County63.4+0.6%
13Pamlico County63.40%
15Craven County63.2+0.3%
15Hyde County63.2-0.3%
17Dare County63.1-0.3%
17Johnston County63.1+1.1%
17Tyrrell County63.10%
20Harnett County63+0.8%
20Montgomery County63+0.3%
20Moore County63+0.2%
20Sampson County63+0.3%
20Wayne County63+1%
25Jones County62.9+0.3%
25Pitt County62.9+0.8%
25Wilson County62.9+0.6%
28Beaufort County62.8+0.3%
28Greene County62.8+0.8%
28Washington County62.8+0.3%
31Duplin County62.7+0.3%
31Martin County62.7+0.6%
33Chowan County62.60%
33Union County62.6+0.5%
35Stanly County62.5+0.3%
35Wake County62.5+0.8%
37Bertie County62.4+0.5%
37Lee County62.4+0.5%
39Currituck County62.3-0.2%
39Lenoir County62.3+0.5%
39Perquimans County62.3-0.2%
42Edgecombe County62.2+0.5%
42Pasquotank County62.2-0.3%
44Hertford County62.1+0.5%
45Camden County62-0.3%
45Durham County62+1.1%
45Mecklenburg County62+0.2%
48Chatham County61.9+0.7%
48Gates County61.9+0.2%
50Gaston County61.7+0.5%
50Nash County61.7+0.3%
52Northampton County61.5+0.7%
53Halifax County61.4+0.5%
54Franklin County61.3+0.5%
54Granville County61.3+1.3%
54Orange County61.3+1.3%
57Randolph County61.20%
58Cabarrus County61.1-0.3%
58Lincoln County61.1+0.7%
60Vance County61+1%
60Warren County61+0.7%
62Alamance County60.9+1%
62Person County60.9+1.7%
64Catawba County60.7+0.8%
64Rowan County60.7+0.5%
66Cleveland County60.6+0.5%
66Davidson County60.6+0.7%
68Rutherford County60.5+0.3%
69Caswell County60.4+1.2%
70Davie County60.3+1.2%
70Guilford County60.3+0.5%
70Iredell County60.3+0.7%
70Polk County60.3+0.5%
70Rockingham County60.3+1.2%
75Forsyth County59.8+0.8%
76Alexander County59.7+1.2%
77Burke County59.6+0.8%
77Yadkin County59.6+1.4%
79Stokes County59.3+0.9%
80Caldwell County59.1+0.9%
80Wilkes County59.1+1.2%
82Surry County58.8+1.2%
83McDowell County58.7+0.5%
84Cherokee County57.9+1.4%
85Clay County57+1.4%
86Henderson County56.8+1.2%
87Madison County56.6+1.1%
88Buncombe County56.1+1.3%
89Transylvania County56+1.3%
90Graham County55.8+1.3%
90Macon County55.8+1.3%
92Alleghany County54.6+1.3%
93Jackson County54.4+1.5%
94Swain County53.6+1.1%
95Mitchell County53.4+1.3%
95Yancey County53.4+1.5%
97Ashe County53+1.3%
98Watauga County52.9+1%
99Haywood County52.7+1.2%
100Avery County51.9+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, 2024) [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, 2024. 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=2024. 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, 2024. 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=2024.

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, 2024 [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=2024 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{noaa_counties_in_north_carolina_2024,
  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, 2024}},
  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=2024. 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, 2024
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=2024
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-carolina-counties?period=2024.
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?

New Hanover County, with 64.8 °F in 2024, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Which county has the lowest average annual temperature?

Avery County, with 51.9 °F in 2024.

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