Data / Rankings / Area median family income (HUD) / Counties in North Carolina

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

Franklin County had the highest area median family income (HUD) of 100 counties in 2017, at $80,200. Robeson County had the lowest, at $35,800. The median was $52,000. Source: the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.

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Highest80,200Franklin County
Lowest35,800Robeson County
Median52,000100 counties

Map of counties, 2017

Alamance County: 52,900 USDAlexander County: 52,000 USDAlleghany County: 42,700 USDAnson County: 40,500 USDAshe County: 47,200 USDAvery County: 47,300 USDBeaufort County: 52,400 USDBertie County: 39,800 USDBladen County: 43,900 USDBrunswick County: 57,400 USDBuncombe County: 61,300 USDBurke County: 52,000 USDCabarrus County: 70,700 USDCaldwell County: 52,000 USDCamden County: 73,300 USDCarteret County: 65,100 USDCaswell County: 50,200 USDCatawba County: 52,000 USDChatham County: 73,300 USDCherokee County: 44,700 USDChowan County: 46,100 USDClay County: 45,200 USDCleveland County: 49,500 USDColumbus County: 46,400 USDCraven County: 51,000 USDCumberland County: 52,300 USDCurrituck County: 73,000 USDDare County: 65,600 USDDavidson County: 56,100 USDDavie County: 56,900 USDDuplin County: 44,400 USDDurham County: 73,300 USDEdgecombe County: 49,100 USDForsyth County: 56,900 USDFranklin County: 80,200 USDGaston County: 70,700 USDGates County: 56,700 USDGraham County: 44,400 USDGranville County: 57,000 USDGreene County: 51,400 USDGuilford County: 57,200 USDHalifax County: 43,100 USDHarnett County: 51,200 USDHaywood County: 53,300 USDHenderson County: 61,300 USDHertford County: 42,000 USDHoke County: 54,800 USDHyde County: 49,800 USDIredell County: 65,500 USDJackson County: 51,200 USDJohnston County: 80,200 USDJones County: 49,200 USDLee County: 58,100 USDLenoir County: 46,600 USDLincoln County: 53,600 USDMcDowell County: 46,400 USDMacon County: 48,500 USDMadison County: 61,300 USDMartin County: 50,400 USDMecklenburg County: 70,700 USDMitchell County: 49,200 USDMontgomery County: 48,400 USDMoore County: 65,600 USDNash County: 49,100 USDNew Hanover County: 68,200 USDNorthampton County: 39,600 USDOnslow County: 55,500 USDOrange County: 73,300 USDPamlico County: 59,300 USDPasquotank County: 55,600 USDPender County: 57,100 USDPerquimans County: 53,600 USDPerson County: 52,300 USDPitt County: 54,200 USDPolk County: 58,500 USDRandolph County: 57,200 USDRichmond County: 43,100 USDRobeson County: 35,800 USDRockingham County: 48,500 USDRowan County: 56,300 USDRutherford County: 45,100 USDSampson County: 44,300 USDScotland County: 38,100 USDStanly County: 55,500 USDStokes County: 56,900 USDSurry County: 46,600 USDSwain County: 46,600 USDTransylvania County: 53,900 USDTyrrell County: 39,900 USDUnion County: 70,700 USDVance County: 45,200 USDWake County: 80,200 USDWarren County: 46,300 USDWashington County: 42,100 USDWatauga County: 61,900 USDWayne County: 45,000 USDWilkes County: 45,000 USDWilson County: 46,500 USDYadkin County: 56,900 USDYancey County: 48,700 USD
  • Under 45K
  • 45K to 49K
  • 49K to 52K
  • 52K to 57K
  • 57K to 64K
  • 64K and over
USD, 2017. Source: HUD, HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2017

Franklin County: 80,200 USDFranklin County80,200Johnston County: 80,200 USDJohnston County80,200Wake County: 80,200 USDWake County80,200Camden County: 73,300 USDCamden County73,300Chatham County: 73,300 USDChatham County73,300Durham County: 73,300 USDDurham County73,300Orange County: 73,300 USDOrange County73,300Currituck County: 73,000 USDCurrituck County73,000Cabarrus County: 70,700 USDCabarrus County70,700Gaston County: 70,700 USDGaston County70,700Mecklenburg County: 70,700 USDMecklenburg County70,700Union County: 70,700 USDUnion County70,700New Hanover County: 68,200 USDNew Hanover County68,200Dare County: 65,600 USDDare County65,600Moore County: 65,600 USDMoore County65,600Iredell County: 65,500 USDIredell County65,500Carteret County: 65,100 USDCarteret County65,100Watauga County: 61,900 USDWatauga County61,900Buncombe County: 61,300 USDBuncombe County61,300Henderson County: 61,300 USDHenderson County61,300Madison County: 61,300 USDMadison County61,300Pamlico County: 59,300 USDPamlico County59,300Polk County: 58,500 USDPolk County58,500Lee County: 58,100 USDLee County58,100Brunswick County: 57,400 USDBrunswick County57,400Guilford County: 57,200 USDGuilford County57,200Randolph County: 57,200 USDRandolph County57,200Pender County: 57,100 USDPender County57,100Granville County: 57,000 USDGranville County57,000Davie County: 56,900 USDDavie County56,900Forsyth County: 56,900 USDForsyth County56,900Stokes County: 56,900 USDStokes County56,900Yadkin County: 56,900 USDYadkin County56,900Gates County: 56,700 USDGates County56,700Rowan County: 56,300 USDRowan County56,300Davidson County: 56,100 USDDavidson County56,100Pasquotank County: 55,600 USDPasquotank County55,600Onslow County: 55,500 USDOnslow County55,500Stanly County: 55,500 USDStanly County55,500Hoke County: 54,800 USDHoke County54,800Franklin County: 80,200 USDFranklin County80,200Johnston County: 80,200 USDJohnston County80,200Wake County: 80,200 USDWake County80,200Camden County: 73,300 USDCamden County73,300Chatham County: 73,300 USDChatham County73,300Durham County: 73,300 USDDurham County73,300Orange County: 73,300 USDOrange County73,300Currituck County: 73,000 USDCurrituck County73,000Cabarrus County: 70,700 USDCabarrus County70,700Gaston County: 70,700 USDGaston County70,700Mecklenburg County: 70,700 USDMecklenburg County70,700Union County: 70,700 USDUnion County70,700New Hanover County: 68,200 USDNew Hanover County68,200Dare County: 65,600 USDDare County65,600Moore County: 65,600 USDMoore County65,600Iredell County: 65,500 USDIredell County65,500Carteret County: 65,100 USDCarteret County65,100Watauga County: 61,900 USDWatauga County61,900Buncombe County: 61,300 USDBuncombe County61,300Henderson County: 61,300 USDHenderson County61,300Madison County: 61,300 USDMadison County61,300Pamlico County: 59,300 USDPamlico County59,300Polk County: 58,500 USDPolk County58,500Lee County: 58,100 USDLee County58,100Brunswick County: 57,400 USDBrunswick County57,400Guilford County: 57,200 USDGuilford County57,200Randolph County: 57,200 USDRandolph County57,200Pender County: 57,100 USDPender County57,100Granville County: 57,000 USDGranville County57,000Davie County: 56,900 USDDavie County56,900Forsyth County: 56,900 USDForsyth County56,900Stokes County: 56,900 USDStokes County56,900Yadkin County: 56,900 USDYadkin County56,900Gates County: 56,700 USDGates County56,700Rowan County: 56,300 USDRowan County56,300Davidson County: 56,100 USDDavidson County56,100Pasquotank County: 55,600 USDPasquotank County55,600Onslow County: 55,500 USDOnslow County55,500Stanly County: 55,500 USDStanly County55,500Hoke County: 54,800 USDHoke County54,800
USD. Source: HUD, HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2017
USD		Change on 2016
1Franklin County80,200+4.7%
1Johnston County80,200+4.7%
1Wake County80,200+4.7%
4Camden County73,300+1.9%
4Chatham County73,300-2.1%
4Durham County73,300-2.1%
4Orange County73,300-2.1%
8Currituck County73,000+3.5%
9Cabarrus County70,700+5.5%
9Gaston County70,700+5.5%
9Mecklenburg County70,700+5.5%
9Union County70,700+5.5%
13New Hanover County68,200+4.8%
14Dare County65,600-0.8%
14Moore County65,600+8.3%
16Iredell County65,500+4.8%
17Carteret County65,100+19.4%
18Watauga County61,900+0.5%
19Buncombe County61,300+5.9%
19Henderson County61,300+5.9%
19Madison County61,300+5.9%
22Pamlico County59,300+5.7%
23Polk County58,500+5.8%
24Lee County58,100+1.9%
25Brunswick County57,400-1.5%
26Guilford County57,2000%
26Randolph County57,2000%
28Pender County57,100+3.4%
29Granville County57,000+1.2%
30Davie County56,900-2.7%
30Forsyth County56,900-2.7%
30Stokes County56,900-2.7%
30Yadkin County56,900-2.7%
34Gates County56,700+3.1%
35Rowan County56,300+6.8%
36Davidson County56,100+14.3%
37Pasquotank County55,600-2.5%
38Onslow County55,500+8.4%
38Stanly County55,500-1.1%
40Hoke County54,800-0.4%
41Pitt County54,200-8.6%
42Transylvania County53,900+1.5%
43Lincoln County53,600-15.7%
43Perquimans County53,600+2.1%
45Haywood County53,300-0.2%
46Alamance County52,900-0.4%
47Beaufort County52,400+2.9%
48Cumberland County52,300+0.2%
48Person County52,300+3%
50Alexander County52,000-0.4%
50Burke County52,000-0.4%
50Caldwell County52,000-0.4%
50Catawba County52,000-0.4%
54Greene County51,400-1.3%
55Harnett County51,200-7.1%
55Jackson County51,200+2.8%
57Craven County51,000-4.5%
58Martin County50,400+10%
59Caswell County50,200+6.6%
60Hyde County49,800+15.3%
61Cleveland County49,500-1%
62Jones County49,200-2.2%
62Mitchell County49,200+3.1%
64Edgecombe County49,100-1.4%
64Nash County49,100-1.4%
66Yancey County48,700+3.8%
67Macon County48,500+3.6%
67Rockingham County48,500-7.3%
69Montgomery County48,400+9.5%
70Avery County47,300-1.7%
71Ashe County47,200-2.5%
72Lenoir County46,600+0.2%
72Surry County46,600+5.7%
72Swain County46,600-11.9%
75Wilson County46,500-3.9%
76Columbus County46,400-1.5%
76McDowell County46,400-1.5%
78Warren County46,300+1.1%
79Chowan County46,100+3.1%
80Clay County45,200-5.4%
80Vance County45,200+5.1%
82Rutherford County45,100+13.6%
83Wayne County45,000-15.4%
83Wilkes County45,000+21%
85Cherokee County44,700+0.9%
86Duplin County44,400+3%
86Graham County44,400+9.4%
88Sampson County44,300-0.9%
89Bladen County43,900-0.9%
90Halifax County43,100-1.4%
90Richmond County43,100+4.1%
92Alleghany County42,700+2.2%
93Washington County42,100-6%
94Hertford County42,000-1.9%
95Anson County40,500-0.5%
96Tyrrell County39,900+1%
97Bertie County39,800-5%
98Northampton County39,600+3.7%
99Scotland County38,100+3%
100Robeson County35,800-8%

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.

More on how it is measured
  • 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/il17/Section8-FY17.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. (2017). HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars (Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il17/Section8-FY17.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), 2017. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, 7 Apr. 2017, https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il17/Section8-FY17.xlsx. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. 2017. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il17/Section8-FY17.xlsx. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2017.

Harvard

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research (2017) HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars, Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il17/Section8-FY17.xlsx, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_north_carolina_2017,
  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), 2017}},
  year = {2017},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il17/Section8-FY17.xlsx},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2017. 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/il17/Section8-FY17.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), 2017
PY  - 2017
DA  - 2017/04/07
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/il17/Section8-FY17.xlsx
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2017.
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/il17/Section8-FY17.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

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

Franklin County, with $80,200 in 2017, 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)?

Robeson County, with $35,800 in 2017.

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.

Area median family income (HUD): other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings