Cities in North Carolina by Gini index

Boone, NC had the highest Gini index of 93 cities in 2021, at 57.6. Rolesville, NC had the lowest, at 33.4. The median was 45.4 and the figure for North Carolina was 47.7. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest57.6Boone, NC
Lowest33.4Rolesville, NC
Median45.493 cities
North Carolina47.7History

Top 40 cities, 2021

Boone, NC: 57.6 indexBoone, NC57.6Smithfield, NC: 56 indexSmithfield, NC56Laurinburg, NC: 55.2 indexLaurinburg, NC55.2Chapel Hill, NC: 55 indexChapel Hill, NC55Kinston, NC: 53.2 indexKinston, NC53.2Wilmington, NC: 53 indexWilmington, NC53Belmont, NC: 52.9 indexBelmont, NC52.9Mount Airy, NC: 52.8 indexMount Airy, NC52.8Salisbury, NC: 52 indexSalisbury, NC52Lumberton, NC: 51.7 indexLumberton, NC51.7Cornelius, NC: 51.4 indexCornelius, NC51.4Greenville, NC: 51.2 indexGreenville, NC51.2Henderson, NC: 51.2 indexHenderson, NC51.2Tarboro, NC: 50.7 indexTarboro, NC50.7Southern Pines, NC: 50.7 indexSouthern Pines, NC50.7Winston-Salem, NC: 50.5 indexWinston-Salem, NC50.5Charlotte, NC: 50 indexCharlotte, NC50Hickory, NC: 49.9 indexHickory, NC49.9Goldsboro, NC: 49.6 indexGoldsboro, NC49.6Morganton, NC: 49.6 indexMorganton, NC49.6Greensboro, NC: 49.2 indexGreensboro, NC49.2New Bern, NC: 48.8 indexNew Bern, NC48.8Albemarle, NC: 48.4 indexAlbemarle, NC48.4Morehead City, NC: 48.4 indexMorehead City, NC48.4Waynesville, NC: 48.2 indexWaynesville, NC48.2Asheville, NC: 47.7 indexAsheville, NC47.7Eden, NC: 47.7 indexEden, NC47.7Carrboro, NC: 47.7 indexCarrboro, NC47.7Hendersonville, NC: 47.5 indexHendersonville, NC47.5Burlington, NC: 47.4 indexBurlington, NC47.4Elon, NC: 47.2 indexElon, NC47.2Roanoke Rapids, NC: 47.2 indexRoanoke Rapids, NC47.2Rocky Mount, NC: 47.2 indexRocky Mount, NC47.2Raleigh, NC: 47.2 indexRaleigh, NC47.2Shelby, NC: 47.1 indexShelby, NC47.1Wilson, NC: 47.1 indexWilson, NC47.1Statesville, NC: 46.7 indexStatesville, NC46.7Kings Mountain, NC: 46.5 indexKings Mountain, NC46.5Durham, NC: 46.5 indexDurham, NC46.5High Point, NC: 46.5 indexHigh Point, NC46.5Boone, NC: 57.6 indexBoone, NC57.6Smithfield, NC: 56 indexSmithfield, NC56Laurinburg, NC: 55.2 indexLaurinburg, NC55.2Chapel Hill, NC: 55 indexChapel Hill, NC55Kinston, NC: 53.2 indexKinston, NC53.2Wilmington, NC: 53 indexWilmington, NC53Belmont, NC: 52.9 indexBelmont, NC52.9Mount Airy, NC: 52.8 indexMount Airy, NC52.8Salisbury, NC: 52 indexSalisbury, NC52Lumberton, NC: 51.7 indexLumberton, NC51.7Cornelius, NC: 51.4 indexCornelius, NC51.4Greenville, NC: 51.2 indexGreenville, NC51.2Henderson, NC: 51.2 indexHenderson, NC51.2Tarboro, NC: 50.7 indexTarboro, NC50.7Southern Pines, NC: 50.7 indexSouthern Pines, NC50.7Winston-Salem, NC: 50.5 indexWinston-Salem, NC50.5Charlotte, NC: 50 indexCharlotte, NC50Hickory, NC: 49.9 indexHickory, NC49.9Goldsboro, NC: 49.6 indexGoldsboro, NC49.6Morganton, NC: 49.6 indexMorganton, NC49.6Greensboro, NC: 49.2 indexGreensboro, NC49.2New Bern, NC: 48.8 indexNew Bern, NC48.8Albemarle, NC: 48.4 indexAlbemarle, NC48.4Morehead City, NC: 48.4 indexMorehead City, NC48.4Waynesville, NC: 48.2 indexWaynesville, NC48.2Asheville, NC: 47.7 indexAsheville, NC47.7Eden, NC: 47.7 indexEden, NC47.7Carrboro, NC: 47.7 indexCarrboro, NC47.7Hendersonville, NC: 47.5 indexHendersonville, NC47.5Burlington, NC: 47.4 indexBurlington, NC47.4Elon, NC: 47.2 indexElon, NC47.2Roanoke Rapids, NC: 47.2 indexRoanoke Rapids, NC47.2Rocky Mount, NC: 47.2 indexRocky Mount, NC47.2Raleigh, NC: 47.2 indexRaleigh, NC47.2Shelby, NC: 47.1 indexShelby, NC47.1Wilson, NC: 47.1 indexWilson, NC47.1Statesville, NC: 46.7 indexStatesville, NC46.7Kings Mountain, NC: 46.5 indexKings Mountain, NC46.5Durham, NC: 46.5 indexDurham, NC46.5High Point, NC: 46.5 indexHigh Point, NC46.5
index. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19083: Gini index of household income inequality (coefficient multiplied by 100), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2021
index
1Boone, NC57.6
2Smithfield, NC56
3Laurinburg, NC55.2
4Chapel Hill, NC55
5Kinston, NC53.2
6Wilmington, NC53
7Belmont, NC52.9
8Mount Airy, NC52.8
9Salisbury, NC52
10Lumberton, NC51.7
11Cornelius, NC51.4
12Greenville, NC51.2
13Henderson, NC51.2
14Tarboro, NC50.7
15Southern Pines, NC50.7
16Winston-Salem, NC50.5
17Charlotte, NC50
18Hickory, NC49.9
19Goldsboro, NC49.6
19Morganton, NC49.6
21Greensboro, NC49.2
22New Bern, NC48.8
23Albemarle, NC48.4
23Morehead City, NC48.4
25Waynesville, NC48.2
26Asheville, NC47.7
27Eden, NC47.7
28Carrboro, NC47.7
29Hendersonville, NC47.5
30Burlington, NC47.4
31Elon, NC47.2
32Roanoke Rapids, NC47.2
33Rocky Mount, NC47.2
34Raleigh, NC47.2
35Shelby, NC47.1
35Wilson, NC47.1
37Statesville, NC46.7
38Kings Mountain, NC46.5
39Durham, NC46.5
39High Point, NC46.5
41Gastonia, NC46
42Lexington, NC45.9
43Summerfield, NC45.6
44Elizabeth City, NC45.6
45Lewisville, NC45.5
46Lincolnton, NC45.5
47Davidson, NC45.4
48Kernersville, NC45.4
49Pineville, NC45.3
50Kannapolis, NC45.2
51Pinehurst, NC45.2
52Fayetteville, NC45
53Reidsville, NC44.9
54Asheboro, NC44.8
55Lenoir, NC44.2
56Concord, NC44.1
57Sanford, NC44
58Mebane, NC43.7
59Graham, NC43.6
60Clayton, NC43.3
61Hope Mills, NC43.1
62Zebulon, NC43.1
63Mount Holly, NC43
64Clemmons, NC43
65Cary, NC42.6
66Winterville, NC41.5
67Monroe, NC41.3
68Matthews, NC41
69Jacksonville, NC40.9
70Mooresville, NC40.8
71Havelock, NC40.7
72Huntersville, NC40.3
73Fuquay-Varina, NC40.1
74Thomasville, NC40
75Spring Lake, NC40
76Newton, NC40
77Indian Trail, NC40
78Stallings, NC39.7
79Knightdale, NC39.5
80Mint Hill, NC39.5
81Wendell, NC39.3
82Apex, NC39
83Garner, NC38.6
84Aberdeen, NC38.2
85Wake Forest, NC38
86Waxhaw, NC37.9
87Weddington, NC37.2
88Leland, NC36.8
89Morrisville, NC36.7
90Holly Springs, NC36.1
91Archdale, NC35.9
92Harrisburg, NC33.5
93Rolesville, NC33.4

Other periods

About this ranking

Income inequality on a 0 to 100 scale, where 0 is perfect equality.

Covers Spain, the EU and its countries, and the United States. For other countries use gini_index_world_bank, which is measured on a different basis. US values measure household money income before taxes and are not directly comparable with the EU-SILC measure based on equivalised disposable income.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19083: Gini index of household income inequality (coefficient multiplied by 100), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19083.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

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APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19083: Gini index of household income inequality (coefficient multiplied by 100), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in North Carolina by Gini index, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19083.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19083: Gini index of household income inequality (coefficient multiplied by 100), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in North Carolina by Gini index, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19083.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/gini/north-carolina-cities?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19083: Gini index of household income inequality (coefficient multiplied by 100), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in North Carolina by Gini index, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19083.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/gini/north-carolina-cities?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19083: Gini index of household income inequality (coefficient multiplied by 100), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in North Carolina by Gini index, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19083.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/gini/north-carolina-cities?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_north_carolina_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19083: Gini index of household income inequality (coefficient multiplied by 100), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in North Carolina by Gini index, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19083.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/gini/north-carolina-cities?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19083: Gini index of household income inequality (coefficient multiplied by 100), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19083.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19083: Gini index of household income inequality (coefficient multiplied by 100), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in North Carolina by Gini index, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19083.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/gini/north-carolina-cities?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/gini/north-carolina-cities?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19083: Gini index of household income inequality (coefficient multiplied by 100), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19083.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which city has the highest Gini index?

Boone, NC, with 57.6 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest Gini index?

Rolesville, NC, with 33.4 in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19083: Gini index of household income inequality (coefficient multiplied by 100), US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Gini index: other rankings

Cities in North Carolina: more rankings