Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD)

Franklin County had the highest area median family income (HUD) of 100 counties in 2016, at $76,600. Scotland County had the lowest, at $37,000. The median was $52,200. Source: the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.

Highest76,600Franklin County

Lowest37,000Scotland County

Median52,200100 counties

Top 40 counties, 2016

USD. Source: HUD, HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Counties	2016 USD	Change on 2015
1	Franklin County	76,600	-2.8%
1	Johnston County	76,600	-2.8%
1	Wake County	76,600	-2.8%
4	Chatham County	74,900	+11.1%
4	Durham County	74,900	+11.1%
4	Orange County	74,900	+11.1%
7	Camden County	71,900	-2.2%
8	Currituck County	70,500	-0.6%
9	Cabarrus County	67,000	-0.3%
9	Gaston County	67,000	-0.3%
9	Mecklenburg County	67,000	-0.3%
9	Union County	67,000	-0.3%
13	Dare County	66,100	-5.8%
14	New Hanover County	65,100	+3.2%
15	Lincoln County	63,600	+12.2%
16	Iredell County	62,500	+4.9%
17	Watauga County	61,600	-3.1%
18	Moore County	60,600	-8.5%
19	Pitt County	59,300	+11.9%
20	Davie County	58,500	+4.3%
20	Forsyth County	58,500	+4.3%
20	Stokes County	58,500	+4.3%
20	Yadkin County	58,500	+4.3%
24	Brunswick County	58,300	-7.6%
25	Buncombe County	57,900	+3.6%
25	Henderson County	57,900	+3.6%
25	Madison County	57,900	+3.6%
28	Guilford County	57,200	+5.9%
28	Randolph County	57,200	+5.9%
30	Lee County	57,000	-1.6%
30	Pasquotank County	57,000	-1.7%
32	Granville County	56,300	-4.9%
33	Pamlico County	56,100	-3.3%
33	Stanly County	56,100	-4.9%
35	Polk County	55,300	+4.3%
36	Pender County	55,200	-0.9%
37	Harnett County	55,100	0%
38	Gates County	55,000	-11%
38	Hoke County	55,000	-1.6%
40	Carteret County	54,500	-15%
41	Craven County	53,400	-10.6%
41	Haywood County	53,400	-2.9%
43	Wayne County	53,200	+1.1%
44	Alamance County	53,100	-0.4%
44	Transylvania County	53,100	-1.8%
46	Swain County	52,900	-8.3%
47	Rowan County	52,700	+8.7%
48	Perquimans County	52,500	-1.7%
49	Rockingham County	52,300	+14.7%
50	Alexander County	52,200	-1.9%
50	Burke County	52,200	-1.9%
50	Caldwell County	52,200	-1.9%
50	Catawba County	52,200	-1.9%
50	Cumberland County	52,200	-3.9%
55	Greene County	52,100	-0.6%
56	Onslow County	51,200	+2.4%
57	Beaufort County	50,900	-1.9%
58	Person County	50,800	-6.3%
59	Jones County	50,300	-1.9%
60	Cleveland County	50,000	-0.6%
61	Edgecombe County	49,800	+3.8%
61	Jackson County	49,800	-3.7%
61	Nash County	49,800	+3.8%
64	Davidson County	49,100	-10.7%
65	Ashe County	48,400	-4.9%
65	Wilson County	48,400	-5.7%
67	Avery County	48,100	-6.1%
68	Clay County	47,800	-1.6%
69	Mitchell County	47,700	+3.2%
70	Caswell County	47,100	-7.6%
70	Columbus County	47,100	-1.9%
70	McDowell County	47,100	-4.5%
73	Yancey County	46,900	-1.5%
74	Macon County	46,800	-4.3%
75	Lenoir County	46,500	-0.6%
76	Martin County	45,800	-5.4%
76	Warren County	45,800	-1.9%
78	Washington County	44,800	+3.5%
79	Chowan County	44,700	-3%
79	Sampson County	44,700	-7.3%
81	Bladen County	44,300	+0.5%
81	Cherokee County	44,300	-4.7%
83	Montgomery County	44,200	+0.9%
84	Surry County	44,100	-13.2%
85	Halifax County	43,700	-0.7%
86	Hyde County	43,200	-11.3%
87	Duplin County	43,100	-3.1%
88	Vance County	43,000	-3.6%
89	Hertford County	42,800	-5.3%
90	Bertie County	41,900	-5.8%
91	Alleghany County	41,800	+2.2%
92	Richmond County	41,400	-2.8%
93	Anson County	40,700	-1.9%
94	Graham County	40,600	-3.8%
95	Rutherford County	39,700	-1.2%
96	Tyrrell County	39,500	-4.1%
97	Robeson County	38,900	+9%
98	Northampton County	38,200	-0.8%
99	Wilkes County	37,200	-15.8%
100	Scotland County	37,000	-3.6%

Other periods

About this ranking

Median annual family income, in US dollars, that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates for the HUD area that contains the county, for the fiscal year. HUD bases it on American Community Survey family incomes, brought forward to the fiscal year, and uses it to set income limits for its programs: the very low income limit is 50 percent and the low income limit 80 percent of the area median for a family of four, with adjustments. Often called AMI.

A program parameter, not a survey estimate for the county itself: it differs from the Census Bureau median household income and from the American Community Survey median family income of the county. HUD sets one value per HUD area, a metropolitan area (sometimes split into HUD Metro FMR Areas) or a non-metropolitan county, so every county of a metropolitan area shows the same figure. Counties in the six New England states have no value, because HUD defines their areas by town and a county can span several areas. Where HUD splits off part of a county, the county value is the rest of the county: Howard County, Maryland, without Columbia until FY2015, and Crawford County, Missouri, without its part of Sullivan. The year is HUD's federal fiscal year: FY2027 runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027.

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

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il16/Section8-FY16.xlsx. 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

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. (2016). HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars (Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il16/Section8-FY16.xlsx

MLA 9

HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars, Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2016. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, 25 Mar. 2016, https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il16/Section8-FY16.xlsx. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. 2016. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il16/Section8-FY16.xlsx. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research (2016) HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars, Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il16/Section8-FY16.xlsx, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{department_counties_in_north_carolina_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research}},
  title = {{HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars: Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2016}},
  year = {2016},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il16/Section8-FY16.xlsx},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il16/Section8-FY16.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
TI  - HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars: Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2016
PY  - 2016
DA  - 2016/03/25
PB  - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il16/Section8-FY16.xlsx
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il16/Section8-FY16.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

Which county has the highest area median family income (HUD)?

Franklin County, with $76,600 in 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.

Which county has the lowest area median family income (HUD)?

Scotland County, with $37,000 in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.