Cities in North Carolina by residents who moved from another state in the past year, 2024

Spring Lake, NC had the highest residents who moved from another state in the past year of 93 cities in 2024, at 18%. Rolesville, NC had the lowest, at 0.3%. The median was 3.1% and the figure for North Carolina was 3%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Median3.193 cities
North Carolina3History

Top 40 cities, 2024

Spring Lake, NC: 18 %Spring Lake, NC18Elon, NC: 14.7 %Elon, NC14.7Jacksonville, NC: 13.9 %Jacksonville, NC13.9Havelock, NC: 9 %Havelock, NC9Davidson, NC: 7.5 %Davidson, NC7.5Morrisville, NC: 7.4 %Morrisville, NC7.4Fayetteville, NC: 7.2 %Fayetteville, NC7.2Carrboro, NC: 7.2 %Carrboro, NC7.2Wilmington, NC: 6.8 %Wilmington, NC6.8Chapel Hill, NC: 5.9 %Chapel Hill, NC5.9Southern Pines, NC: 5.9 %Southern Pines, NC5.9Laurinburg, NC: 5.5 %Laurinburg, NC5.5Waxhaw, NC: 5.4 %Waxhaw, NC5.4Pinehurst, NC: 5.4 %Pinehurst, NC5.4Greenville, NC: 5.4 %Greenville, NC5.4Asheville, NC: 5.2 %Asheville, NC5.2Cary, NC: 5.1 %Cary, NC5.1Kings Mountain, NC: 5 %Kings Mountain, NC5Boone, NC: 4.9 %Boone, NC4.9Goldsboro, NC: 4.8 %Goldsboro, NC4.8Mooresville, NC: 4.7 %Mooresville, NC4.7Pineville, NC: 4.6 %Pineville, NC4.6Summerfield, NC: 4.5 %Summerfield, NC4.5Durham, NC: 4.5 %Durham, NC4.5Aberdeen, NC: 4.5 %Aberdeen, NC4.5New Bern, NC: 4.4 %New Bern, NC4.4Huntersville, NC: 4.3 %Huntersville, NC4.3Elizabeth City, NC: 4.3 %Elizabeth City, NC4.3Garner, NC: 4.2 %Garner, NC4.2Zebulon, NC: 4.1 %Zebulon, NC4.1Knightdale, NC: 4 %Knightdale, NC4Kernersville, NC: 4 %Kernersville, NC4Charlotte, NC: 4 %Charlotte, NC4Hendersonville, NC: 3.9 %Hendersonville, NC3.9Cornelius, NC: 3.8 %Cornelius, NC3.8Winston-Salem, NC: 3.8 %Winston-Salem, NC3.8Leland, NC: 3.7 %Leland, NC3.7Mebane, NC: 3.7 %Mebane, NC3.7Lenoir, NC: 3.6 %Lenoir, NC3.6Raleigh, NC: 3.5 %Raleigh, NC3.5Spring Lake, NC: 18 %Spring Lake, NC18Elon, NC: 14.7 %Elon, NC14.7Jacksonville, NC: 13.9 %Jacksonville, NC13.9Havelock, NC: 9 %Havelock, NC9Davidson, NC: 7.5 %Davidson, NC7.5Morrisville, NC: 7.4 %Morrisville, NC7.4Fayetteville, NC: 7.2 %Fayetteville, NC7.2Carrboro, NC: 7.2 %Carrboro, NC7.2Wilmington, NC: 6.8 %Wilmington, NC6.8Chapel Hill, NC: 5.9 %Chapel Hill, NC5.9Southern Pines, NC: 5.9 %Southern Pines, NC5.9Laurinburg, NC: 5.5 %Laurinburg, NC5.5Waxhaw, NC: 5.4 %Waxhaw, NC5.4Pinehurst, NC: 5.4 %Pinehurst, NC5.4Greenville, NC: 5.4 %Greenville, NC5.4Asheville, NC: 5.2 %Asheville, NC5.2Cary, NC: 5.1 %Cary, NC5.1Kings Mountain, NC: 5 %Kings Mountain, NC5Boone, NC: 4.9 %Boone, NC4.9Goldsboro, NC: 4.8 %Goldsboro, NC4.8Mooresville, NC: 4.7 %Mooresville, NC4.7Pineville, NC: 4.6 %Pineville, NC4.6Summerfield, NC: 4.5 %Summerfield, NC4.5Durham, NC: 4.5 %Durham, NC4.5Aberdeen, NC: 4.5 %Aberdeen, NC4.5New Bern, NC: 4.4 %New Bern, NC4.4Huntersville, NC: 4.3 %Huntersville, NC4.3Elizabeth City, NC: 4.3 %Elizabeth City, NC4.3Garner, NC: 4.2 %Garner, NC4.2Zebulon, NC: 4.1 %Zebulon, NC4.1Knightdale, NC: 4 %Knightdale, NC4Kernersville, NC: 4 %Kernersville, NC4Charlotte, NC: 4 %Charlotte, NC4Hendersonville, NC: 3.9 %Hendersonville, NC3.9Cornelius, NC: 3.8 %Cornelius, NC3.8Winston-Salem, NC: 3.8 %Winston-Salem, NC3.8Leland, NC: 3.7 %Leland, NC3.7Mebane, NC: 3.7 %Mebane, NC3.7Lenoir, NC: 3.6 %Lenoir, NC3.6Raleigh, NC: 3.5 %Raleigh, NC3.5
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Spring Lake, NC18+3.5 pts
2Elon, NC14.7-3.3 pts
3Jacksonville, NC13.9-1.8 pts
4Havelock, NC9+0.6 pts
5Davidson, NC7.5-1.4 pts
6Morrisville, NC7.4+0.7 pts
7Fayetteville, NC7.2-0.5 pts
8Carrboro, NC7.2-0.5 pts
9Wilmington, NC6.8+0.6 pts
10Chapel Hill, NC5.9+0.3 pts
11Southern Pines, NC5.9+0.9 pts
12Laurinburg, NC5.5+1.3 pts
13Waxhaw, NC5.40 pts
14Pinehurst, NC5.4-1.8 pts
15Greenville, NC5.40 pts
16Asheville, NC5.2+0.1 pts
17Cary, NC5.1-0.7 pts
18Kings Mountain, NC5+2.5 pts
19Boone, NC4.9+0.1 pts
20Goldsboro, NC4.8-0 pts
21Mooresville, NC4.7-0.9 pts
22Pineville, NC4.6+0.4 pts
23Summerfield, NC4.5-0.9 pts
24Durham, NC4.5-0.1 pts
25Aberdeen, NC4.5-0.3 pts
26New Bern, NC4.40 pts
27Huntersville, NC4.3+0.1 pts
28Elizabeth City, NC4.3-0.7 pts
29Garner, NC4.2-1.6 pts
30Zebulon, NC4.1-1.5 pts
31Knightdale, NC4+0.7 pts
32Kernersville, NC4+0.1 pts
33Charlotte, NC4-0.2 pts
34Hendersonville, NC3.9-0.5 pts
35Cornelius, NC3.8+0.4 pts
36Winston-Salem, NC3.8+0.2 pts
37Leland, NC3.7+0.2 pts
38Mebane, NC3.7+1.1 pts
39Lenoir, NC3.6+1.8 pts
40Raleigh, NC3.5-0.2 pts
41Wake Forest, NC3.5-0.5 pts
42Apex, NC3.4-0.2 pts
43Hope Mills, NC3.4-0.2 pts
44Newton, NC3.2-0.5 pts
45Fuquay-Varina, NC3.20 pts
46Concord, NC3.1+0.6 pts
47Matthews, NC3.1-0.2 pts
48High Point, NC3.1+0.5 pts
49Lincolnton, NC3.1-0.9 pts
50Belmont, NC3+0.6 pts
51Greensboro, NC2.9+0.1 pts
52Weddington, NC2.9+0.4 pts
53Morehead City, NC2.8-1.1 pts
54Hickory, NC2.7+0.2 pts
55Stallings, NC2.7-0.9 pts
56Waynesville, NC2.6-0.7 pts
57Wendell, NC2.6-0.1 pts
58Salisbury, NC2.4+0.3 pts
59Indian Trail, NC2.3-0.2 pts
60Reidsville, NC2.3+0.5 pts
61Rocky Mount, NC2.3+0.2 pts
62Burlington, NC2.2-0.3 pts
62Harrisburg, NC2.2+0.7 pts
64Clemmons, NC2.1+0.4 pts
65Holly Springs, NC2-1 pts
66Eden, NC1.9-0.6 pts
67Monroe, NC1.8-0.1 pts
68Clayton, NC1.8-1.2 pts
69Gastonia, NC1.7-0.2 pts
69Lexington, NC1.7+0.3 pts
69Shelby, NC1.7-0.2 pts
72Statesville, NC1.7+0.2 pts
73Kannapolis, NC1.7+0.1 pts
74Kinston, NC1.60 pts
75Thomasville, NC1.6-0.5 pts
76Sanford, NC1.5-0.3 pts
77Archdale, NC1.4+0.4 pts
77Lumberton, NC1.4-0.5 pts
77Morganton, NC1.4-0.6 pts
80Mount Holly, NC1.3-1.1 pts
81Lewisville, NC1.2+0.1 pts
82Mount Airy, NC1.1-1.6 pts
83Graham, NC1.1-0.4 pts
83Mint Hill, NC1.1-0.4 pts
85Albemarle, NC1.1+0.6 pts
86Wilson, NC1-0.2 pts
87Henderson, NC0.9-1 pts
88Asheboro, NC0.8+0.1 pts
89Winterville, NC0.7-0.9 pts
90Smithfield, NC0.7-0.4 pts
91Roanoke Rapids, NC0.6+0.3 pts
92Tarboro, NC0.6-0.1 pts
93Rolesville, NC0.3-0.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 1 and over who lived in a different US state one year earlier, 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. For the nation it is everyone who changed state.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities 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 state in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). 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 state in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in North Carolina by residents who moved from another state 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 state in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in North Carolina by residents who moved from another state 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-state/north-carolina-cities. 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 state in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in North Carolina by residents who moved from another state 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-state/north-carolina-cities.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B07003: people aged 1 and over who moved from a different state in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in North Carolina by residents who moved from another state 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-state/north-carolina-cities (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_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 state in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in North Carolina by residents who moved from another state 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-state/north-carolina-cities. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B07003: people aged 1 and over who moved from a different state in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). 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 state in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in North Carolina by residents who moved from another state 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-state/north-carolina-cities
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-state/north-carolina-cities.
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 state in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). 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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Rank Cities in North Carolina by residents who moved from another state in the past year using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"moved_from_other_state_share","level":"municipality","within":"North Carolina","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=moved_from_other_state_share&level=municipality&within=North%20Carolina&limit=10

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Questions

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

Spring Lake, NC, with 18% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Rolesville, NC, with 0.3% 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 state in the past year, as a percentage of the population aged 1 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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

Cities in North Carolina: more rankings