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

Watauga County had the highest residents who moved from another county in the past year of 100 counties in 2022, at 16.6%. Wilkes County had the lowest, at 2.1%. The median was 6.3% and the figure for North Carolina was 6.8%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest16.6Watauga County
Lowest2.1Wilkes County
Median6.3100 counties
North Carolina6.8History

Map of counties, 2022

Alamance County: 6.9 %Alexander County: 4.6 %Alleghany County: 5.7 %Anson County: 8.8 %Ashe County: 3.5 %Avery County: 8.6 %Beaufort County: 3.2 %Bertie County: 7.7 %Bladen County: 3.5 %Brunswick County: 7.8 %Buncombe County: 6.4 %Burke County: 5.4 %Cabarrus County: 6.5 %Caldwell County: 4.2 %Camden County: 3.6 %Carteret County: 7.2 %Caswell County: 4.4 %Catawba County: 5.7 %Chatham County: 6.4 %Cherokee County: 5.8 %Chowan County: 6.9 %Clay County: 3.5 %Cleveland County: 5.1 %Columbus County: 4.7 %Craven County: 7.6 %Cumberland County: 9.6 %Currituck County: 6.7 %Dare County: 6.2 %Davidson County: 4.5 %Davie County: 5.5 %Duplin County: 4.9 %Durham County: 8.6 %Edgecombe County: 4.4 %Forsyth County: 6.4 %Franklin County: 6.9 %Gaston County: 5.2 %Gates County: 6.8 %Graham County: 4.3 %Granville County: 8.3 %Greene County: 10.6 %Guilford County: 6.6 %Halifax County: 3.3 %Harnett County: 9.6 %Haywood County: 5.1 %Henderson County: 7.2 %Hertford County: 7.6 %Hoke County: 9.7 %Hyde County: 5.8 %Iredell County: 6.8 %Jackson County: 13.9 %Johnston County: 5.6 %Jones County: 6.1 %Lee County: 5.2 %Lenoir County: 5 %Lincoln County: 7.3 %McDowell County: 4.9 %Macon County: 7.4 %Madison County: 5.5 %Martin County: 7.2 %Mecklenburg County: 6.6 %Mitchell County: 4.4 %Montgomery County: 5.1 %Moore County: 8.1 %Nash County: 5.8 %New Hanover County: 9 %Northampton County: 6.8 %Onslow County: 13.2 %Orange County: 11 %Pamlico County: 4.1 %Pasquotank County: 8.3 %Pender County: 9.3 %Perquimans County: 9 %Person County: 3.8 %Pitt County: 11.3 %Polk County: 9.3 %Randolph County: 4.2 %Richmond County: 4.9 %Robeson County: 3 %Rockingham County: 5.1 %Rowan County: 6.3 %Rutherford County: 5.9 %Sampson County: 2.5 %Scotland County: 6.6 %Stanly County: 5.7 %Stokes County: 5.3 %Surry County: 3.8 %Swain County: 8.1 %Transylvania County: 7.2 %Tyrrell County: 8.6 %Union County: 7.2 %Vance County: 4.8 %Wake County: 6.7 %Warren County: 6.6 %Washington County: 7.9 %Watauga County: 16.6 %Wayne County: 6.8 %Wilkes County: 2.1 %Wilson County: 5.8 %Yadkin County: 4.5 %Yancey County: 5 %
  • Under 4.4
  • 4.4 to 5.2
  • 5.2 to 6.3
  • 6.3 to 6.9
  • 6.9 to 8.4
  • 8.4 and over
%, 2022. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2022

Watauga County: 16.6 %Watauga County16.6Jackson County: 13.9 %Jackson County13.9Onslow County: 13.2 %Onslow County13.2Pitt County: 11.3 %Pitt County11.3Orange County: 11 %Orange County11Greene County: 10.6 %Greene County10.6Hoke County: 9.7 %Hoke County9.7Harnett County: 9.6 %Harnett County9.6Cumberland County: 9.6 %Cumberland County9.6Pender County: 9.3 %Pender County9.3Polk County: 9.3 %Polk County9.3Perquimans County: 9 %Perquimans County9New Hanover County: 9 %New Hanover County9Anson County: 8.8 %Anson County8.8Avery County: 8.6 %Avery County8.6Durham County: 8.6 %Durham County8.6Tyrrell County: 8.6 %Tyrrell County8.6Pasquotank County: 8.3 %Pasquotank County8.3Granville County: 8.3 %Granville County8.3Moore County: 8.1 %Moore County8.1Swain County: 8.1 %Swain County8.1Washington County: 7.9 %Washington County7.9Brunswick County: 7.8 %Brunswick County7.8Bertie County: 7.7 %Bertie County7.7Craven County: 7.6 %Craven County7.6Hertford County: 7.6 %Hertford County7.6Macon County: 7.4 %Macon County7.4Lincoln County: 7.3 %Lincoln County7.3Carteret County: 7.2 %Carteret County7.2Henderson County: 7.2 %Henderson County7.2Transylvania County: 7.2 %Transylvania County7.2Martin County: 7.2 %Martin County7.2Union County: 7.2 %Union County7.2Alamance County: 6.9 %Alamance County6.9Franklin County: 6.9 %Franklin County6.9Chowan County: 6.9 %Chowan County6.9Northampton County: 6.8 %Northampton County6.8Iredell County: 6.8 %Iredell County6.8Wayne County: 6.8 %Wayne County6.8Gates County: 6.8 %Gates County6.8Watauga County: 16.6 %Watauga County16.6Jackson County: 13.9 %Jackson County13.9Onslow County: 13.2 %Onslow County13.2Pitt County: 11.3 %Pitt County11.3Orange County: 11 %Orange County11Greene County: 10.6 %Greene County10.6Hoke County: 9.7 %Hoke County9.7Harnett County: 9.6 %Harnett County9.6Cumberland County: 9.6 %Cumberland County9.6Pender County: 9.3 %Pender County9.3Polk County: 9.3 %Polk County9.3Perquimans County: 9 %Perquimans County9New Hanover County: 9 %New Hanover County9Anson County: 8.8 %Anson County8.8Avery County: 8.6 %Avery County8.6Durham County: 8.6 %Durham County8.6Tyrrell County: 8.6 %Tyrrell County8.6Pasquotank County: 8.3 %Pasquotank County8.3Granville County: 8.3 %Granville County8.3Moore County: 8.1 %Moore County8.1Swain County: 8.1 %Swain County8.1Washington County: 7.9 %Washington County7.9Brunswick County: 7.8 %Brunswick County7.8Bertie County: 7.7 %Bertie County7.7Craven County: 7.6 %Craven County7.6Hertford County: 7.6 %Hertford County7.6Macon County: 7.4 %Macon County7.4Lincoln County: 7.3 %Lincoln County7.3Carteret County: 7.2 %Carteret County7.2Henderson County: 7.2 %Henderson County7.2Transylvania County: 7.2 %Transylvania County7.2Martin County: 7.2 %Martin County7.2Union County: 7.2 %Union County7.2Alamance County: 6.9 %Alamance County6.9Franklin County: 6.9 %Franklin County6.9Chowan County: 6.9 %Chowan County6.9Northampton County: 6.8 %Northampton County6.8Iredell County: 6.8 %Iredell County6.8Wayne County: 6.8 %Wayne County6.8Gates County: 6.8 %Gates County6.8
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Watauga County16.6+1.2 pts
2Jackson County13.9+0.5 pts
3Onslow County13.2-1 pts
4Pitt County11.3-0.3 pts
5Orange County11-1.4 pts
6Greene County10.6+0.8 pts
7Hoke County9.7+0.8 pts
8Harnett County9.6-0.3 pts
9Cumberland County9.6-0.2 pts
10Pender County9.3+0.6 pts
11Polk County9.3-0 pts
12Perquimans County9+2.8 pts
13New Hanover County9+0.2 pts
14Anson County8.8+2.1 pts
15Avery County8.6-0.6 pts
16Durham County8.6-0.1 pts
17Tyrrell County8.6-2.5 pts
18Pasquotank County8.3-1.2 pts
19Granville County8.3+1.3 pts
20Moore County8.1-0.2 pts
21Swain County8.1+0.9 pts
22Washington County7.9+0.6 pts
23Brunswick County7.8-0.4 pts
24Bertie County7.7+0.8 pts
25Craven County7.6+0.4 pts
26Hertford County7.6-1.1 pts
27Macon County7.4+0.3 pts
28Lincoln County7.3+0.8 pts
29Carteret County7.2-0.5 pts
29Henderson County7.2+0.5 pts
29Transylvania County7.2+0.4 pts
32Martin County7.2+1.6 pts
32Union County7.2+0.2 pts
34Alamance County6.9+0.9 pts
35Franklin County6.9-0.9 pts
36Chowan County6.9+0.9 pts
37Northampton County6.8+0.3 pts
38Iredell County6.8-0.1 pts
38Wayne County6.8+0.5 pts
40Gates County6.8+0.9 pts
41Currituck County6.7-1.2 pts
42Wake County6.70 pts
43Guilford County6.6+0.2 pts
44Scotland County6.6+0.9 pts
45Mecklenburg County6.6+0.4 pts
45Warren County6.6-0.2 pts
47Cabarrus County6.5+0.1 pts
48Chatham County6.4+0.7 pts
49Forsyth County6.4+0.3 pts
50Buncombe County6.4+0.3 pts
51Rowan County6.3+0.5 pts
52Dare County6.2+0.8 pts
53Jones County6.1-0.5 pts
54Rutherford County5.9-0.3 pts
55Cherokee County5.8+0.1 pts
56Hyde County5.8+0.4 pts
56Nash County5.8-0.2 pts
58Wilson County5.8+1 pts
59Alleghany County5.7+2.6 pts
60Catawba County5.7-0.2 pts
61Stanly County5.7-0.1 pts
62Johnston County5.6+0.1 pts
63Madison County5.5-1.2 pts
64Davie County5.5-0.3 pts
65Burke County5.4+0.9 pts
66Stokes County5.3+0.7 pts
67Gaston County5.20 pts
67Lee County5.2+0.5 pts
69Cleveland County5.1-0.4 pts
70Montgomery County5.1-0.6 pts
71Haywood County5.1-1 pts
72Rockingham County5.10 pts
73Yancey County5-0 pts
74Lenoir County50 pts
75Duplin County4.9+0.3 pts
75Richmond County4.9-0.5 pts
77McDowell County4.9+0.5 pts
78Vance County4.8-0.3 pts
79Columbus County4.7-0.2 pts
80Alexander County4.6-0.5 pts
81Davidson County4.5-0.5 pts
82Yadkin County4.5+0.9 pts
83Caswell County4.4-0.3 pts
84Edgecombe County4.4+0.5 pts
85Mitchell County4.4+0.3 pts
86Graham County4.3+1.1 pts
87Randolph County4.2+0.1 pts
88Caldwell County4.2-0.4 pts
89Pamlico County4.1-0.6 pts
90Surry County3.8+0.1 pts
91Person County3.8-0.1 pts
92Camden County3.6-2 pts
93Clay County3.5+1 pts
94Bladen County3.5+0.8 pts
95Ashe County3.5+0.8 pts
96Halifax County3.3+0.4 pts
97Beaufort County3.2+0.4 pts
98Robeson County3-0.1 pts
99Sampson County2.5-0.9 pts
100Wilkes County2.1-0 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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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, 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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, 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b07003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties?period=2022. 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, 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b07003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties?period=2022.

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, 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b07003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2022,
  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, 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b07003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties?period=2022. 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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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, 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b07003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties?period=2022.
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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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 16.6% in 2022, 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 2.1% in 2022.

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