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

Franklin County had the highest area median family income (HUD) of 100 counties in 2019, at $93,100. Tyrrell County had the lowest, at $39,300. The median was $55,950. Source: the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.

Highest93,100Franklin County
Lowest39,300Tyrrell County
Median55,950100 counties

Top 40 counties, 2019

Franklin County: 93,100 USDFranklin County93,100Johnston County: 93,100 USDJohnston County93,100Wake County: 93,100 USDWake County93,100Chatham County: 84,800 USDChatham County84,800Durham County: 84,800 USDDurham County84,800Orange County: 84,800 USDOrange County84,800Currituck County: 79,300 USDCurrituck County79,300Cabarrus County: 79,000 USDCabarrus County79,000Gaston County: 79,000 USDGaston County79,000Mecklenburg County: 79,000 USDMecklenburg County79,000Union County: 79,000 USDUnion County79,000Moore County: 78,700 USDMoore County78,700Camden County: 75,300 USDCamden County75,300New Hanover County: 72,800 USDNew Hanover County72,800Iredell County: 70,700 USDIredell County70,700Dare County: 67,700 USDDare County67,700Pitt County: 67,300 USDPitt County67,300Carteret County: 67,200 USDCarteret County67,200Buncombe County: 66,400 USDBuncombe County66,400Henderson County: 66,400 USDHenderson County66,400Madison County: 66,400 USDMadison County66,400Brunswick County: 66,300 USDBrunswick County66,300Watauga County: 65,300 USDWatauga County65,300Harnett County: 65,000 USDHarnett County65,000Craven County: 64,600 USDCraven County64,600Gates County: 64,600 USDGates County64,600Lincoln County: 64,000 USDLincoln County64,000Granville County: 63,300 USDGranville County63,300Davie County: 61,900 USDDavie County61,900Forsyth County: 61,900 USDForsyth County61,900Pender County: 61,900 USDPender County61,900Stokes County: 61,900 USDStokes County61,900Yadkin County: 61,900 USDYadkin County61,900Alamance County: 61,600 USDAlamance County61,600Guilford County: 61,300 USDGuilford County61,300Randolph County: 61,300 USDRandolph County61,300Lee County: 60,900 USDLee County60,900Davidson County: 60,300 USDDavidson County60,300Rowan County: 59,700 USDRowan County59,700Pamlico County: 59,300 USDPamlico County59,300
USD. Source: HUD, HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2019
USD
Change on 2018
1Franklin County93,100+10.4%
1Johnston County93,100+10.4%
1Wake County93,100+10.4%
4Chatham County84,800+5.2%
4Durham County84,800+5.2%
4Orange County84,800+5.2%
7Currituck County79,300+5.7%
8Cabarrus County79,000+6.6%
8Gaston County79,000+6.6%
8Mecklenburg County79,000+6.6%
8Union County79,000+6.6%
12Moore County78,700+18.7%
13Camden County75,300+1.3%
14New Hanover County72,800+0.8%
15Iredell County70,700-3.7%
16Dare County67,700+1%
17Pitt County67,300+9.6%
18Carteret County67,200-2.3%
19Buncombe County66,400+8.3%
19Henderson County66,400+8.3%
19Madison County66,400+8.3%
22Brunswick County66,300+0.8%
23Watauga County65,300+2.4%
24Harnett County65,000+4%
25Craven County64,600+2.4%
25Gates County64,600+11%
27Lincoln County64,000-0.8%
28Granville County63,300+5.3%
29Davie County61,900-1%
29Forsyth County61,900-1%
29Pender County61,900+4.4%
29Stokes County61,900-1%
29Yadkin County61,900-1%
34Alamance County61,600+11.8%
35Guilford County61,300+1.3%
35Randolph County61,300+1.3%
37Lee County60,900+5%
38Davidson County60,300-0.3%
39Rowan County59,700+6.8%
40Pamlico County59,300+2.2%
41Polk County59,100+4.8%
42Pasquotank County58,700+5.4%
42Stanly County58,700+7.3%
44Haywood County58,600+4.1%
45Wayne County58,500+2.5%
46Onslow County57,600+8.7%
47Wilson County56,700+4.8%
48Jackson County56,100+4.9%
48Transylvania County56,100+1.8%
50Person County56,000+3.9%
51Wilkes County55,900+6.1%
52Beaufort County55,200+2%
53Alexander County55,100+0.2%
53Burke County55,100+0.2%
53Caldwell County55,100+0.2%
53Catawba County55,100+0.2%
57Cumberland County54,900+2.6%
58Edgecombe County54,700+3.2%
58Nash County54,700+3.2%
58Perquimans County54,700+6%
61Mitchell County54,500+4.4%
62Greene County54,200+6.5%
63Rutherford County53,900+14.4%
64Hoke County53,6000%
65Rockingham County53,400-3.3%
66Surry County52,000-7.1%
67Macon County51,500+2.4%
68Caswell County51,200+1%
69Montgomery County51,100+2.6%
70Yancey County50,900+6.5%
71Chowan County50,600+3.5%
72Ashe County50,500+5.2%
73Graham County50,200+3.3%
74Lenoir County50,100+8.4%
75Columbus County50,000+5.9%
76Hyde County49,800+0.8%
77Cleveland County49,500-4.8%
78Avery County49,400+0.4%
78Warren County49,400+1.4%
80Clay County48,800+1.9%
81Sampson County48,600+5%
82Jones County48,400+1.3%
83McDowell County48,300+3%
84Alleghany County48,100+6.2%
85Cherokee County47,900+3.9%
85Martin County47,900-1.8%
87Hertford County47,200+8.5%
87Swain County47,200-4.5%
89Washington County45,700-1.5%
90Duplin County45,300+1.3%
91Anson County45,200+6.6%
91Vance County45,2000%
93Bertie County44,300+2.8%
93Halifax County44,300+1.4%
95Robeson County43,800+5.5%
96Bladen County43,7000%
97Richmond County42,300+4.2%
98Northampton County41,200+5.6%
99Scotland County39,800+2.3%
100Tyrrell County39,300+3.1%

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/il19/Section8-FY19.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. (2019). HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars (Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il19/Section8-FY19.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), 2019. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, 28 Mar. 2019, https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il19/Section8-FY19.xlsx. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2019. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. 2019. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il19/Section8-FY19.xlsx. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2019.

Harvard

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research (2019) HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars, Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il19/Section8-FY19.xlsx, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_north_carolina_2019,
  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), 2019}},
  year = {2019},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il19/Section8-FY19.xlsx},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2019. 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/il19/Section8-FY19.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), 2019
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2019/03/28
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/il19/Section8-FY19.xlsx
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2019.
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/il19/Section8-FY19.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

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

Franklin County, with $93,100 in 2019, 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)?

Tyrrell County, with $39,300 in 2019.

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