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 2023, at 16.2%. Wilkes County had the lowest, at 1.9%. The median was 6.2% and the figure for North Carolina was 6.8%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest16.2Watauga County
Lowest1.9Wilkes County
Median6.2100 counties
North Carolina6.8History

Map of counties, 2023

Alamance County: 6.6 %Alexander County: 5.3 %Alleghany County: 6.1 %Anson County: 9 %Ashe County: 4.6 %Avery County: 10.2 %Beaufort County: 3.3 %Bertie County: 7.6 %Bladen County: 4.2 %Brunswick County: 7.8 %Buncombe County: 6.5 %Burke County: 4.5 %Cabarrus County: 6.6 %Caldwell County: 3.7 %Camden County: 4.7 %Carteret County: 7.5 %Caswell County: 5.8 %Catawba County: 5.8 %Chatham County: 6.2 %Cherokee County: 5 %Chowan County: 5.7 %Clay County: 5.2 %Cleveland County: 4.9 %Columbus County: 3.9 %Craven County: 7.9 %Cumberland County: 9.1 %Currituck County: 8.6 %Dare County: 7.4 %Davidson County: 4.3 %Davie County: 6.1 %Duplin County: 4.8 %Durham County: 8.6 %Edgecombe County: 5.7 %Forsyth County: 6.3 %Franklin County: 5.9 %Gaston County: 5 %Gates County: 6.1 %Graham County: 5.8 %Granville County: 7.3 %Greene County: 10.4 %Guilford County: 6.5 %Halifax County: 3.8 %Harnett County: 9.7 %Haywood County: 5.3 %Henderson County: 6.9 %Hertford County: 6.4 %Hoke County: 10.2 %Hyde County: 6.2 %Iredell County: 6.3 %Jackson County: 13 %Johnston County: 6.1 %Jones County: 5.3 %Lee County: 6 %Lenoir County: 4.9 %Lincoln County: 6.2 %McDowell County: 4.1 %Macon County: 7.8 %Madison County: 4.8 %Martin County: 6.5 %Mecklenburg County: 6.6 %Mitchell County: 5.8 %Montgomery County: 6.1 %Moore County: 7.8 %Nash County: 5.6 %New Hanover County: 9.5 %Northampton County: 6.4 %Onslow County: 12.4 %Orange County: 11.8 %Pamlico County: 5.3 %Pasquotank County: 8.6 %Pender County: 9.4 %Perquimans County: 8.7 %Person County: 3.5 %Pitt County: 10.6 %Polk County: 8.5 %Randolph County: 3.7 %Richmond County: 4.8 %Robeson County: 2.8 %Rockingham County: 5.3 %Rowan County: 6 %Rutherford County: 5.1 %Sampson County: 2.9 %Scotland County: 5.7 %Stanly County: 6.5 %Stokes County: 4.8 %Surry County: 4.1 %Swain County: 8.2 %Transylvania County: 7.6 %Tyrrell County: 10.2 %Union County: 7.2 %Vance County: 5.7 %Wake County: 6.5 %Warren County: 7.3 %Washington County: 6.4 %Watauga County: 16.2 %Wayne County: 6.7 %Wilkes County: 1.9 %Wilson County: 6.6 %Yadkin County: 4.8 %Yancey County: 5.3 %
  • Under 4.8
  • 4.8 to 5.6
  • 5.6 to 6.2
  • 6.2 to 6.6
  • 6.6 to 8.6
  • 8.6 and over
%, 2023. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2023

Watauga County: 16.2 %Watauga County16.2Jackson County: 13 %Jackson County13Onslow County: 12.4 %Onslow County12.4Orange County: 11.8 %Orange County11.8Pitt County: 10.6 %Pitt County10.6Greene County: 10.4 %Greene County10.4Hoke County: 10.2 %Hoke County10.2Tyrrell County: 10.2 %Tyrrell County10.2Avery County: 10.2 %Avery County10.2Harnett County: 9.7 %Harnett County9.7New Hanover County: 9.5 %New Hanover County9.5Pender County: 9.4 %Pender County9.4Cumberland County: 9.1 %Cumberland County9.1Anson County: 9 %Anson County9Perquimans County: 8.7 %Perquimans County8.7Currituck County: 8.6 %Currituck County8.6Durham County: 8.6 %Durham County8.6Pasquotank County: 8.6 %Pasquotank County8.6Polk County: 8.5 %Polk County8.5Swain County: 8.2 %Swain County8.2Craven County: 7.9 %Craven County7.9Macon County: 7.8 %Macon County7.8Moore County: 7.8 %Moore County7.8Brunswick County: 7.8 %Brunswick County7.8Bertie County: 7.6 %Bertie County7.6Transylvania County: 7.6 %Transylvania County7.6Carteret County: 7.5 %Carteret County7.5Dare County: 7.4 %Dare County7.4Granville County: 7.3 %Granville County7.3Warren County: 7.3 %Warren County7.3Union County: 7.2 %Union County7.2Henderson County: 6.9 %Henderson County6.9Wayne County: 6.7 %Wayne County6.7Cabarrus County: 6.6 %Cabarrus County6.6Alamance County: 6.6 %Alamance County6.6Mecklenburg County: 6.6 %Mecklenburg County6.6Wilson County: 6.6 %Wilson County6.6Wake County: 6.5 %Wake County6.5Buncombe County: 6.5 %Buncombe County6.5Guilford County: 6.5 %Guilford County6.5Watauga County: 16.2 %Watauga County16.2Jackson County: 13 %Jackson County13Onslow County: 12.4 %Onslow County12.4Orange County: 11.8 %Orange County11.8Pitt County: 10.6 %Pitt County10.6Greene County: 10.4 %Greene County10.4Hoke County: 10.2 %Hoke County10.2Tyrrell County: 10.2 %Tyrrell County10.2Avery County: 10.2 %Avery County10.2Harnett County: 9.7 %Harnett County9.7New Hanover County: 9.5 %New Hanover County9.5Pender County: 9.4 %Pender County9.4Cumberland County: 9.1 %Cumberland County9.1Anson County: 9 %Anson County9Perquimans County: 8.7 %Perquimans County8.7Currituck County: 8.6 %Currituck County8.6Durham County: 8.6 %Durham County8.6Pasquotank County: 8.6 %Pasquotank County8.6Polk County: 8.5 %Polk County8.5Swain County: 8.2 %Swain County8.2Craven County: 7.9 %Craven County7.9Macon County: 7.8 %Macon County7.8Moore County: 7.8 %Moore County7.8Brunswick County: 7.8 %Brunswick County7.8Bertie County: 7.6 %Bertie County7.6Transylvania County: 7.6 %Transylvania County7.6Carteret County: 7.5 %Carteret County7.5Dare County: 7.4 %Dare County7.4Granville County: 7.3 %Granville County7.3Warren County: 7.3 %Warren County7.3Union County: 7.2 %Union County7.2Henderson County: 6.9 %Henderson County6.9Wayne County: 6.7 %Wayne County6.7Cabarrus County: 6.6 %Cabarrus County6.6Alamance County: 6.6 %Alamance County6.6Mecklenburg County: 6.6 %Mecklenburg County6.6Wilson County: 6.6 %Wilson County6.6Wake County: 6.5 %Wake County6.5Buncombe County: 6.5 %Buncombe County6.5Guilford County: 6.5 %Guilford County6.5
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Watauga County16.2-0.4 pts
2Jackson County13-0.9 pts
3Onslow County12.4-0.8 pts
4Orange County11.8+0.8 pts
5Pitt County10.6-0.6 pts
6Greene County10.4-0.2 pts
7Hoke County10.2+0.5 pts
8Tyrrell County10.2+1.6 pts
9Avery County10.2+1.6 pts
10Harnett County9.7+0.1 pts
11New Hanover County9.5+0.5 pts
12Pender County9.4+0.1 pts
13Cumberland County9.1-0.4 pts
14Anson County9+0.2 pts
15Perquimans County8.7-0.3 pts
16Currituck County8.6+1.9 pts
16Durham County8.6+0.1 pts
18Pasquotank County8.6+0.3 pts
19Polk County8.5-0.8 pts
20Swain County8.2+0.1 pts
21Craven County7.9+0.2 pts
22Macon County7.8+0.5 pts
23Moore County7.8-0.3 pts
24Brunswick County7.8-0 pts
25Bertie County7.6-0 pts
26Transylvania County7.6+0.4 pts
27Carteret County7.5+0.3 pts
28Dare County7.4+1.2 pts
29Granville County7.3-1 pts
30Warren County7.3+0.7 pts
31Union County7.20 pts
32Henderson County6.9-0.3 pts
33Wayne County6.7-0.1 pts
34Cabarrus County6.6+0.1 pts
35Alamance County6.6-0.3 pts
36Mecklenburg County6.60 pts
36Wilson County6.6+0.8 pts
38Wake County6.5-0.2 pts
39Buncombe County6.5+0.1 pts
39Guilford County6.5-0.1 pts
39Stanly County6.5+0.8 pts
42Martin County6.5-0.7 pts
43Hertford County6.4-1.2 pts
44Washington County6.4-1.5 pts
45Northampton County6.4-0.5 pts
46Forsyth County6.3-0 pts
46Iredell County6.3-0.5 pts
48Chatham County6.2-0.2 pts
49Hyde County6.2+0.5 pts
50Lincoln County6.2-1.1 pts
51Montgomery County6.1+1 pts
52Gates County6.1-0.6 pts
53Davie County6.1+0.6 pts
54Johnston County6.1+0.5 pts
55Alleghany County6.1+0.4 pts
56Rowan County6-0.3 pts
57Lee County6+0.8 pts
58Franklin County5.9-1 pts
59Caswell County5.8+1.4 pts
60Graham County5.8+1.4 pts
61Catawba County5.8+0.1 pts
61Mitchell County5.8+1.3 pts
63Edgecombe County5.7+1.3 pts
63Scotland County5.7-0.9 pts
65Chowan County5.7-1.1 pts
65Vance County5.7+0.9 pts
67Nash County5.6-0.1 pts
68Jones County5.3-0.8 pts
69Pamlico County5.3+1.2 pts
70Haywood County5.3+0.2 pts
71Rockingham County5.3+0.2 pts
71Yancey County5.3+0.2 pts
73Alexander County5.3+0.6 pts
74Clay County5.2+1.6 pts
75Rutherford County5.1-0.8 pts
76Gaston County5-0.1 pts
77Cherokee County5-0.8 pts
78Cleveland County4.9-0.2 pts
79Lenoir County4.9-0.1 pts
80Duplin County4.8-0.1 pts
81Stokes County4.8-0.5 pts
82Madison County4.8-0.8 pts
83Richmond County4.8-0.2 pts
83Yadkin County4.8+0.3 pts
85Camden County4.7+1 pts
86Ashe County4.6+1.1 pts
87Burke County4.5-0.8 pts
88Davidson County4.3-0.1 pts
89Bladen County4.2+0.7 pts
90McDowell County4.1-0.7 pts
91Surry County4.1+0.3 pts
92Columbus County3.9-0.8 pts
93Halifax County3.8+0.5 pts
94Caldwell County3.7-0.5 pts
94Randolph County3.7-0.6 pts
96Person County3.5-0.3 pts
97Beaufort County3.3+0.1 pts
98Sampson County2.9+0.4 pts
99Robeson County2.8-0.2 pts
100Wilkes County1.9-0.2 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b07003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties?period=2023. 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, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b07003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties?period=2023.

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, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b07003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b07003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties?period=2023. 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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, 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b07003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-county/north-carolina-counties?period=2023.
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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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 16.2% in 2023, 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 1.9% in 2023.

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