Counties in North Carolina by residents who moved from another county in the past year, 2024

Watauga County had the highest residents who moved from another county in the past year of 100 counties in 2024, at 17.7%. Wilkes County had the lowest, at 1.6%. The median was 6.1% and the figure for North Carolina was 6.7%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest17.7Watauga County
Lowest1.6Wilkes County
Median6.1100 counties
North Carolina6.7History

Map of counties, 2024

Alamance County: 5.5 %Alexander County: 5.7 %Alleghany County: 5.9 %Anson County: 7.8 %Ashe County: 3.9 %Avery County: 9.2 %Beaufort County: 3.2 %Bertie County: 7.6 %Bladen County: 4 %Brunswick County: 7.1 %Buncombe County: 6.5 %Burke County: 4.8 %Cabarrus County: 6.8 %Caldwell County: 3.3 %Camden County: 5.1 %Carteret County: 7.2 %Caswell County: 5.9 %Catawba County: 5.5 %Chatham County: 6.3 %Cherokee County: 6.3 %Chowan County: 6.1 %Clay County: 7.6 %Cleveland County: 5.3 %Columbus County: 4.1 %Craven County: 8.2 %Cumberland County: 8.9 %Currituck County: 8.3 %Dare County: 7 %Davidson County: 5.1 %Davie County: 5.9 %Duplin County: 4.7 %Durham County: 8.9 %Edgecombe County: 6.1 %Forsyth County: 6.9 %Franklin County: 5.4 %Gaston County: 4.7 %Gates County: 6.5 %Graham County: 4.3 %Granville County: 6.2 %Greene County: 9.6 %Guilford County: 6.8 %Halifax County: 4.4 %Harnett County: 9.1 %Haywood County: 4.6 %Henderson County: 5.6 %Hertford County: 6.6 %Hoke County: 9.7 %Hyde County: 8.3 %Iredell County: 6.3 %Jackson County: 11.7 %Johnston County: 5.7 %Jones County: 5.7 %Lee County: 5.1 %Lenoir County: 4.8 %Lincoln County: 6.6 %McDowell County: 4.3 %Macon County: 7.2 %Madison County: 3.1 %Martin County: 5.9 %Mecklenburg County: 6.5 %Mitchell County: 6.1 %Montgomery County: 6.8 %Moore County: 7.4 %Nash County: 4.8 %New Hanover County: 9.4 %Northampton County: 5.8 %Onslow County: 12.9 %Orange County: 11.3 %Pamlico County: 7.2 %Pasquotank County: 8.8 %Pender County: 9.2 %Perquimans County: 8.9 %Person County: 3.5 %Pitt County: 9.9 %Polk County: 8.8 %Randolph County: 3.6 %Richmond County: 3.8 %Robeson County: 2.7 %Rockingham County: 4.8 %Rowan County: 5.7 %Rutherford County: 4.9 %Sampson County: 2.2 %Scotland County: 6.1 %Stanly County: 6.3 %Stokes County: 4.9 %Surry County: 4 %Swain County: 7.1 %Transylvania County: 7.2 %Tyrrell County: 8.6 %Union County: 6.8 %Vance County: 5.8 %Wake County: 6.3 %Warren County: 8 %Washington County: 5.8 %Watauga County: 17.7 %Wayne County: 6.3 %Wilkes County: 1.6 %Wilson County: 6.5 %Yadkin County: 5 %Yancey County: 4.6 %
  • Under 4.6
  • 4.6 to 5.5
  • 5.5 to 6.1
  • 6.1 to 6.8
  • 6.8 to 8.4
  • 8.4 and over
%, 2024. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2024

Watauga County: 17.7 %Watauga County17.7Onslow County: 12.9 %Onslow County12.9Jackson County: 11.7 %Jackson County11.7Orange County: 11.3 %Orange County11.3Pitt County: 9.9 %Pitt County9.9Hoke County: 9.7 %Hoke County9.7Greene County: 9.6 %Greene County9.6New Hanover County: 9.4 %New Hanover County9.4Pender County: 9.2 %Pender County9.2Avery County: 9.2 %Avery County9.2Harnett County: 9.1 %Harnett County9.1Perquimans County: 8.9 %Perquimans County8.9Cumberland County: 8.9 %Cumberland County8.9Durham County: 8.9 %Durham County8.9Pasquotank County: 8.8 %Pasquotank County8.8Polk County: 8.8 %Polk County8.8Tyrrell County: 8.6 %Tyrrell County8.6Currituck County: 8.3 %Currituck County8.3Hyde County: 8.3 %Hyde County8.3Craven County: 8.2 %Craven County8.2Warren County: 8 %Warren County8Anson County: 7.8 %Anson County7.8Clay County: 7.6 %Clay County7.6Bertie County: 7.6 %Bertie County7.6Moore County: 7.4 %Moore County7.4Macon County: 7.2 %Macon County7.2Transylvania County: 7.2 %Transylvania County7.2Carteret County: 7.2 %Carteret County7.2Pamlico County: 7.2 %Pamlico County7.2Brunswick County: 7.1 %Brunswick County7.1Swain County: 7.1 %Swain County7.1Dare County: 7 %Dare County7Forsyth County: 6.9 %Forsyth County6.9Cabarrus County: 6.8 %Cabarrus County6.8Montgomery County: 6.8 %Montgomery County6.8Guilford County: 6.8 %Guilford County6.8Union County: 6.8 %Union County6.8Lincoln County: 6.6 %Lincoln County6.6Hertford County: 6.6 %Hertford County6.6Buncombe County: 6.5 %Buncombe County6.5Watauga County: 17.7 %Watauga County17.7Onslow County: 12.9 %Onslow County12.9Jackson County: 11.7 %Jackson County11.7Orange County: 11.3 %Orange County11.3Pitt County: 9.9 %Pitt County9.9Hoke County: 9.7 %Hoke County9.7Greene County: 9.6 %Greene County9.6New Hanover County: 9.4 %New Hanover County9.4Pender County: 9.2 %Pender County9.2Avery County: 9.2 %Avery County9.2Harnett County: 9.1 %Harnett County9.1Perquimans County: 8.9 %Perquimans County8.9Cumberland County: 8.9 %Cumberland County8.9Durham County: 8.9 %Durham County8.9Pasquotank County: 8.8 %Pasquotank County8.8Polk County: 8.8 %Polk County8.8Tyrrell County: 8.6 %Tyrrell County8.6Currituck County: 8.3 %Currituck County8.3Hyde County: 8.3 %Hyde County8.3Craven County: 8.2 %Craven County8.2Warren County: 8 %Warren County8Anson County: 7.8 %Anson County7.8Clay County: 7.6 %Clay County7.6Bertie County: 7.6 %Bertie County7.6Moore County: 7.4 %Moore County7.4Macon County: 7.2 %Macon County7.2Transylvania County: 7.2 %Transylvania County7.2Carteret County: 7.2 %Carteret County7.2Pamlico County: 7.2 %Pamlico County7.2Brunswick County: 7.1 %Brunswick County7.1Swain County: 7.1 %Swain County7.1Dare County: 7 %Dare County7Forsyth County: 6.9 %Forsyth County6.9Cabarrus County: 6.8 %Cabarrus County6.8Montgomery County: 6.8 %Montgomery County6.8Guilford County: 6.8 %Guilford County6.8Union County: 6.8 %Union County6.8Lincoln County: 6.6 %Lincoln County6.6Hertford County: 6.6 %Hertford County6.6Buncombe County: 6.5 %Buncombe County6.5
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Watauga County17.7+1.5 pts
2Onslow County12.9+0.4 pts
3Jackson County11.7-1.3 pts
4Orange County11.3-0.5 pts
5Pitt County9.9-0.7 pts
6Hoke County9.7-0.5 pts
7Greene County9.6-0.8 pts
8New Hanover County9.4-0.1 pts
9Pender County9.2-0.2 pts
10Avery County9.2-0.9 pts
11Harnett County9.1-0.6 pts
12Perquimans County8.9+0.2 pts
13Cumberland County8.9-0.3 pts
14Durham County8.9+0.2 pts
15Pasquotank County8.8+0.2 pts
16Polk County8.8+0.2 pts
17Tyrrell County8.6-1.6 pts
18Currituck County8.3-0.4 pts
19Hyde County8.3+2 pts
20Craven County8.2+0.3 pts
21Warren County8+0.7 pts
22Anson County7.8-1.2 pts
23Clay County7.6+2.4 pts
24Bertie County7.6-0.1 pts
25Moore County7.4-0.4 pts
26Macon County7.2-0.6 pts
27Transylvania County7.2-0.4 pts
28Carteret County7.2-0.3 pts
28Pamlico County7.2+1.8 pts
30Brunswick County7.1-0.6 pts
31Swain County7.1-1.1 pts
32Dare County7-0.4 pts
33Forsyth County6.9+0.6 pts
34Cabarrus County6.8+0.2 pts
35Montgomery County6.8+0.7 pts
36Guilford County6.8+0.3 pts
37Union County6.8-0.4 pts
38Lincoln County6.6+0.5 pts
39Hertford County6.6+0.2 pts
40Buncombe County6.50 pts
41Gates County6.5+0.3 pts
42Mecklenburg County6.5-0.1 pts
42Wilson County6.5-0.1 pts
44Wake County6.3-0.2 pts
45Cherokee County6.3+1.3 pts
46Stanly County6.3-0.2 pts
46Wayne County6.3-0.5 pts
48Iredell County6.3-0.1 pts
49Chatham County6.30 pts
50Granville County6.2-1.1 pts
51Mitchell County6.1+0.4 pts
52Scotland County6.1+0.4 pts
53Chowan County6.1+0.4 pts
54Edgecombe County6.1+0.3 pts
55Martin County5.9-0.5 pts
56Caswell County5.9+0.1 pts
57Davie County5.9-0.2 pts
58Alleghany County5.9-0.2 pts
59Northampton County5.8-0.5 pts
60Vance County5.8+0.1 pts
61Washington County5.8-0.6 pts
62Johnston County5.7-0.4 pts
63Jones County5.7+0.4 pts
64Rowan County5.7-0.3 pts
65Alexander County5.7+0.4 pts
66Henderson County5.6-1.3 pts
67Catawba County5.5-0.3 pts
68Alamance County5.5-1.1 pts
69Franklin County5.4-0.5 pts
70Cleveland County5.3+0.4 pts
71Lee County5.1-0.8 pts
72Davidson County5.1+0.7 pts
73Camden County5.1+0.4 pts
74Yadkin County5+0.2 pts
75Stokes County4.9+0.1 pts
76Rutherford County4.9-0.2 pts
77Nash County4.8-0.8 pts
78Rockingham County4.8-0.5 pts
79Burke County4.8+0.2 pts
80Lenoir County4.8-0.1 pts
81Duplin County4.7-0.1 pts
82Gaston County4.7-0.4 pts
83Haywood County4.6-0.7 pts
84Yancey County4.6-0.7 pts
85Halifax County4.4+0.7 pts
86McDowell County4.3+0.2 pts
87Graham County4.3-1.5 pts
88Columbus County4.1+0.2 pts
89Surry County4-0 pts
90Bladen County4-0.2 pts
91Ashe County3.9-0.7 pts
92Richmond County3.8-1 pts
93Randolph County3.6-0 pts
94Person County3.50 pts
95Caldwell County3.3-0.4 pts
96Beaufort County3.2-0.1 pts
97Madison County3.1-1.7 pts
98Robeson County2.7-0.1 pts
99Sampson County2.2-0.7 pts
100Wilkes County1.6-0.3 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 1 and over who lived in a different US county one year earlier, in the same state or another state, as a percentage of all people aged 1 and over living in the area. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Counts people who arrived, not net migration: people who left are not subtracted. Moves from abroad are left out. Includes moves from other states, which moved_from_other_state_share shows alone.

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. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B07003: people aged 1 and over who moved from a different county in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b07003.dat. 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. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B07003: people aged 1 and over who moved from a different county in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs (Counties in North Carolina by residents who moved from another county in the past year, 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b07003.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B07003: people aged 1 and over who moved from a different county in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in North Carolina by residents who moved from another county in the past year, 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b07003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B07003: people aged 1 and over who moved from a different county in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs. Counties in North Carolina by residents who moved from another county in the past year, 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b07003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B07003: people aged 1 and over who moved from a different county in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in North Carolina by residents who moved from another county in the past year, 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b07003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2024,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B07003: people aged 1 and over who moved from a different county in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in North Carolina by residents who moved from another county in the past year, 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b07003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B07003: people aged 1 and over who moved from a different county in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b07003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B07003: people aged 1 and over who moved from a different county in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in North Carolina by residents who moved from another county in the past year, 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b07003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B07003: people aged 1 and over who moved from a different county in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b07003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest residents who moved from another county in the past year?

Watauga County, with 17.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest residents who moved from another county in the past year?

Wilkes County, with 1.6% in 2024.

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 B07003: people aged 1 and over who moved from a different county in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Residents who moved from another county in the past year: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings