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

Franklin County had the highest area median family income (HUD) of 100 counties in 2025, at $132,700. Robeson County had the lowest, at $53,500. The median was $80,800. Source: the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.

Highest132,700Franklin County
Lowest53,500Robeson County
Median80,800100 counties

Top 40 counties, 2025

Franklin County: 132,700 USDFranklin County132,700Johnston County: 132,700 USDJohnston County132,700Wake County: 132,700 USDWake County132,700Chatham County: 126,200 USDChatham County126,200Durham County: 126,200 USDDurham County126,200Orange County: 126,200 USDOrange County126,200Cabarrus County: 112,200 USDCabarrus County112,200Gaston County: 112,200 USDGaston County112,200Mecklenburg County: 112,200 USDMecklenburg County112,200Union County: 112,200 USDUnion County112,200New Hanover County: 110,900 USDNew Hanover County110,900Dare County: 110,600 USDDare County110,600Iredell County: 109,400 USDIredell County109,400Moore County: 109,000 USDMoore County109,000Currituck County: 106,500 USDCurrituck County106,500Camden County: 104,400 USDCamden County104,400Carteret County: 102,000 USDCarteret County102,000Pender County: 101,400 USDPender County101,400Lincoln County: 99,000 USDLincoln County99,000Brunswick County: 95,000 USDBrunswick County95,000Watauga County: 94,300 USDWatauga County94,300Buncombe County: 93,100 USDBuncombe County93,100Henderson County: 93,100 USDHenderson County93,100Madison County: 93,100 USDMadison County93,100Harnett County: 92,600 USDHarnett County92,600Pamlico County: 92,500 USDPamlico County92,500Granville County: 91,100 USDGranville County91,100Rowan County: 89,800 USDRowan County89,800Stanly County: 88,600 USDStanly County88,600Haywood County: 88,500 USDHaywood County88,500Craven County: 88,300 USDCraven County88,300Transylvania County: 88,300 USDTransylvania County88,300Alamance County: 88,200 USDAlamance County88,200Davie County: 86,700 USDDavie County86,700Forsyth County: 86,700 USDForsyth County86,700Polk County: 86,700 USDPolk County86,700Stokes County: 86,700 USDStokes County86,700Yadkin County: 86,700 USDYadkin County86,700Guilford County: 85,600 USDGuilford County85,600Randolph County: 85,600 USDRandolph County85,600
USD. Source: HUD, HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2025
USD
Change on 2024
1Franklin County132,700+8.5%
1Johnston County132,700+8.5%
1Wake County132,700+8.5%
4Chatham County126,200+19.2%
4Durham County126,200+19.2%
4Orange County126,200+19.2%
7Cabarrus County112,200+5.8%
7Gaston County112,200+5.8%
7Mecklenburg County112,200+5.8%
7Union County112,200+5.8%
11New Hanover County110,900+9.7%
12Dare County110,600+2.2%
13Iredell County109,400+14.7%
14Moore County109,000+1.7%
15Currituck County106,500+5.8%
16Camden County104,400+10.6%
17Carteret County102,000+8.2%
18Pender County101,400-2.1%
19Lincoln County99,000+1.2%
20Brunswick County95,000+1%
21Watauga County94,300+3.6%
22Buncombe County93,100+8.1%
22Henderson County93,100+8.1%
22Madison County93,100+8.1%
25Harnett County92,600+12.4%
26Pamlico County92,500+10.8%
27Granville County91,100+5.2%
28Rowan County89,800+11.8%
29Stanly County88,600+6.1%
30Haywood County88,500+6.1%
31Craven County88,300+1.1%
31Transylvania County88,300+7.2%
33Alamance County88,200+13.2%
34Davie County86,700+5.9%
34Forsyth County86,700+5.9%
34Polk County86,700+5.5%
34Stokes County86,700+5.9%
34Yadkin County86,700+5.9%
39Guilford County85,600+3.1%
39Randolph County85,600+3.1%
41Clay County85,500+7.7%
42Person County85,300+8.7%
43Perquimans County85,200+5.2%
44Pasquotank County85,000+3.7%
45Avery County84,000+11.4%
46Rockingham County83,300+29.5%
47Gates County82,800+12.2%
48Swain County82,200+6.8%
49Pitt County82,100-3.1%
50Jackson County80,800+6.7%
50Onslow County80,800+6%
52Davidson County80,300-1.8%
52Yancey County80,300+5.9%
54Wilson County79,300+10.8%
55Edgecombe County79,100+15.5%
55Nash County79,100+15.5%
57Cumberland County79,000+13.5%
58Hoke County78,900+5.2%
59Caswell County78,500+11.2%
60Beaufort County78,200+5.2%
61Mitchell County78,100+2.4%
62Alexander County77,600-0.6%
62Burke County77,600-0.6%
62Caldwell County77,600-0.6%
62Catawba County77,600-0.6%
66Macon County77,000+6.5%
67Cleveland County76,600+12.2%
68Chowan County76,400+5.8%
69Surry County75,400+12.2%
70Jones County75,300+3.3%
71McDowell County74,100+6.5%
72Lee County73,900+11.6%
73Duplin County73,700+8.5%
74Sampson County72,500+7.4%
75Wayne County72,400+2.4%
76Cherokee County71,200+10%
77Ashe County70,300+6.2%
78Hertford County69,500+8.8%
79Martin County69,200+9.1%
80Montgomery County69,100+3.6%
81Graham County68,800+14.7%
81Washington County68,800+9.9%
83Northampton County68,600+8.9%
84Lenoir County68,300+13.5%
85Bladen County67,300+15.8%
86Tyrrell County67,000+6.9%
87Columbus County66,800+12.5%
88Bertie County66,600+4.9%
89Rutherford County66,300-0.2%
90Wilkes County65,600+18%
91Anson County65,000+1.7%
92Alleghany County63,700+4.4%
93Richmond County63,200+1.6%
94Halifax County62,700+8.5%
95Greene County62,100-4.6%
96Vance County61,800-0.2%
97Warren County58,600-1%
98Hyde County58,300+2.3%
99Scotland County56,200+2%
100Robeson County53,500+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/il25/Section8-FY25.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. (2025). HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars (Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il25/Section8-FY25.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), 2025. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, 28 Mar. 2025, https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il25/Section8-FY25.xlsx. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2025. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. 2025. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il25/Section8-FY25.xlsx. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2025.

Harvard

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research (2025) HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars, Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il25/Section8-FY25.xlsx, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2025 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_north_carolina_2025,
  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), 2025}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il25/Section8-FY25.xlsx},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2025. 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/il25/Section8-FY25.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), 2025
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/03/28
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/il25/Section8-FY25.xlsx
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2025
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2025.
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/il25/Section8-FY25.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"area_median_family_income","level":"province","within":"North Carolina","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=area_median_family_income&level=province&within=North%20Carolina&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

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

Franklin County, with $132,700 in 2025, 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 $53,500 in 2025.

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