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

Elon, NC had the highest residents who moved from another state in the past year of 93 cities in 2022, at 17.4%. Tarboro, NC had the lowest, at 0.3%. The median was 3.2% and the figure for North Carolina was 3.1%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest17.4Elon, NC
Lowest0.3Tarboro, NC
Median3.293 cities
North Carolina3.1History

Top 40 cities, 2022

Elon, NC: 17.4 %Elon, NC17.4Jacksonville, NC: 17.1 %Jacksonville, NC17.1Spring Lake, NC: 17 %Spring Lake, NC17Davidson, NC: 9 %Davidson, NC9Fayetteville, NC: 8 %Fayetteville, NC8Havelock, NC: 7.8 %Havelock, NC7.8Pinehurst, NC: 7.3 %Pinehurst, NC7.3Carrboro, NC: 6.9 %Carrboro, NC6.9Cary, NC: 6 %Cary, NC6Garner, NC: 5.9 %Garner, NC5.9Morrisville, NC: 5.8 %Morrisville, NC5.8Southern Pines, NC: 5.6 %Southern Pines, NC5.6Asheville, NC: 5.6 %Asheville, NC5.6Greenville, NC: 5.6 %Greenville, NC5.6Wilmington, NC: 5.3 %Wilmington, NC5.3Chapel Hill, NC: 5.2 %Chapel Hill, NC5.2Goldsboro, NC: 5.2 %Goldsboro, NC5.2Mooresville, NC: 5.1 %Mooresville, NC5.1Huntersville, NC: 4.8 %Huntersville, NC4.8Durham, NC: 4.6 %Durham, NC4.6Hendersonville, NC: 4.6 %Hendersonville, NC4.6New Bern, NC: 4.5 %New Bern, NC4.5Boone, NC: 4.4 %Boone, NC4.4Waxhaw, NC: 4.4 %Waxhaw, NC4.4Cornelius, NC: 4.3 %Cornelius, NC4.3Elizabeth City, NC: 4.3 %Elizabeth City, NC4.3Charlotte, NC: 4.2 %Charlotte, NC4.2Laurinburg, NC: 4.1 %Laurinburg, NC4.1Pineville, NC: 4 %Pineville, NC4Lincolnton, NC: 3.9 %Lincolnton, NC3.9Indian Trail, NC: 3.9 %Indian Trail, NC3.9Apex, NC: 3.9 %Apex, NC3.9Leland, NC: 3.8 %Leland, NC3.8Mount Airy, NC: 3.8 %Mount Airy, NC3.8Stallings, NC: 3.7 %Stallings, NC3.7Fuquay-Varina, NC: 3.7 %Fuquay-Varina, NC3.7Wake Forest, NC: 3.7 %Wake Forest, NC3.7Aberdeen, NC: 3.6 %Aberdeen, NC3.6Morehead City, NC: 3.6 %Morehead City, NC3.6Kernersville, NC: 3.5 %Kernersville, NC3.5Elon, NC: 17.4 %Elon, NC17.4Jacksonville, NC: 17.1 %Jacksonville, NC17.1Spring Lake, NC: 17 %Spring Lake, NC17Davidson, NC: 9 %Davidson, NC9Fayetteville, NC: 8 %Fayetteville, NC8Havelock, NC: 7.8 %Havelock, NC7.8Pinehurst, NC: 7.3 %Pinehurst, NC7.3Carrboro, NC: 6.9 %Carrboro, NC6.9Cary, NC: 6 %Cary, NC6Garner, NC: 5.9 %Garner, NC5.9Morrisville, NC: 5.8 %Morrisville, NC5.8Southern Pines, NC: 5.6 %Southern Pines, NC5.6Asheville, NC: 5.6 %Asheville, NC5.6Greenville, NC: 5.6 %Greenville, NC5.6Wilmington, NC: 5.3 %Wilmington, NC5.3Chapel Hill, NC: 5.2 %Chapel Hill, NC5.2Goldsboro, NC: 5.2 %Goldsboro, NC5.2Mooresville, NC: 5.1 %Mooresville, NC5.1Huntersville, NC: 4.8 %Huntersville, NC4.8Durham, NC: 4.6 %Durham, NC4.6Hendersonville, NC: 4.6 %Hendersonville, NC4.6New Bern, NC: 4.5 %New Bern, NC4.5Boone, NC: 4.4 %Boone, NC4.4Waxhaw, NC: 4.4 %Waxhaw, NC4.4Cornelius, NC: 4.3 %Cornelius, NC4.3Elizabeth City, NC: 4.3 %Elizabeth City, NC4.3Charlotte, NC: 4.2 %Charlotte, NC4.2Laurinburg, NC: 4.1 %Laurinburg, NC4.1Pineville, NC: 4 %Pineville, NC4Lincolnton, NC: 3.9 %Lincolnton, NC3.9Indian Trail, NC: 3.9 %Indian Trail, NC3.9Apex, NC: 3.9 %Apex, NC3.9Leland, NC: 3.8 %Leland, NC3.8Mount Airy, NC: 3.8 %Mount Airy, NC3.8Stallings, NC: 3.7 %Stallings, NC3.7Fuquay-Varina, NC: 3.7 %Fuquay-Varina, NC3.7Wake Forest, NC: 3.7 %Wake Forest, NC3.7Aberdeen, NC: 3.6 %Aberdeen, NC3.6Morehead City, NC: 3.6 %Morehead City, NC3.6Kernersville, NC: 3.5 %Kernersville, NC3.5
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Elon, NC17.4+4.1 pts
2Jacksonville, NC17.1-1.9 pts
3Spring Lake, NC17-0.6 pts
4Davidson, NC9+1 pts
5Fayetteville, NC8-0.3 pts
6Havelock, NC7.8-2.3 pts
7Pinehurst, NC7.3-0.5 pts
8Carrboro, NC6.9+1.1 pts
9Cary, NC6+0.2 pts
10Garner, NC5.9-1.1 pts
11Morrisville, NC5.8-0 pts
12Southern Pines, NC5.6+0.3 pts
13Asheville, NC5.6+0.3 pts
14Greenville, NC5.6-0.7 pts
15Wilmington, NC5.3+0.1 pts
16Chapel Hill, NC5.2-0.7 pts
17Goldsboro, NC5.20 pts
18Mooresville, NC5.1-0.4 pts
19Huntersville, NC4.8+0.2 pts
20Durham, NC4.6-0.1 pts
21Hendersonville, NC4.6+0.9 pts
22New Bern, NC4.5+0.4 pts
23Boone, NC4.40 pts
24Waxhaw, NC4.4+0.4 pts
25Cornelius, NC4.30 pts
25Elizabeth City, NC4.3-0.2 pts
27Charlotte, NC4.2+0.3 pts
28Laurinburg, NC4.1+1.1 pts
29Pineville, NC4-2.9 pts
30Lincolnton, NC3.9+0.9 pts
31Indian Trail, NC3.9+0.1 pts
32Apex, NC3.9-0.2 pts
33Leland, NC3.8-0.2 pts
33Mount Airy, NC3.8-1.1 pts
35Stallings, NC3.7+0.4 pts
36Fuquay-Varina, NC3.7+0.6 pts
37Wake Forest, NC3.7-0.1 pts
38Aberdeen, NC3.6+1.3 pts
39Morehead City, NC3.6+0.1 pts
40Kernersville, NC3.5+0.3 pts
40Raleigh, NC3.5+0.3 pts
42Kings Mountain, NC3.5+0.1 pts
43Winston-Salem, NC3.5+0.4 pts
44Clayton, NC3.4+0.3 pts
45Eden, NC3.3-0.6 pts
46Summerfield, NC3.3+1.3 pts
47Hope Mills, NC3.2+0.6 pts
48Greensboro, NC3.2+0.1 pts
49Waynesville, NC3.1+0.1 pts
50Matthews, NC3.1+0.1 pts
51Shelby, NC3-0.2 pts
52Wendell, NC2.9-0.1 pts
53Salisbury, NC2.9+0.1 pts
54High Point, NC2.9-0.1 pts
55Hickory, NC2.7+0.3 pts
56Morganton, NC2.6+0.5 pts
57Rolesville, NC2.5-0.9 pts
58Holly Springs, NC2.4-1 pts
58Thomasville, NC2.4+0.3 pts
60Rocky Mount, NC2.3+0.1 pts
61Knightdale, NC2.3+0.6 pts
62Burlington, NC2.3+0.3 pts
63Lumberton, NC2.3+0.6 pts
64Weddington, NC2.2-0.7 pts
65Lenoir, NC2.2+0.6 pts
66Concord, NC2.1-0.2 pts
67Gastonia, NC2.1-0.5 pts
68Lexington, NC2.1-0.5 pts
68Statesville, NC2.1-0.7 pts
70Clemmons, NC20 pts
71Harrisburg, NC2+0.1 pts
72Kannapolis, NC1.9-0.4 pts
73Winterville, NC1.8+0.9 pts
74Belmont, NC1.80 pts
75Newton, NC1.8-0.6 pts
76Kinston, NC1.7-0.2 pts
77Monroe, NC1.7-0.3 pts
78Graham, NC1.6+0.2 pts
79Mebane, NC1.5-0.2 pts
80Mount Holly, NC1.5-0.7 pts
81Mint Hill, NC1.4-1.3 pts
82Lewisville, NC1.4+0.1 pts
83Zebulon, NC1.3+0.2 pts
84Sanford, NC1.3+0.2 pts
85Reidsville, NC1.2+0.4 pts
86Smithfield, NC1-0.1 pts
87Wilson, NC1-0.1 pts
88Archdale, NC0.8-0.8 pts
89Asheboro, NC0.8-0.3 pts
90Albemarle, NC0.7-0.9 pts
91Henderson, NC0.70 pts
92Roanoke Rapids, NC0.40 pts
93Tarboro, NC0.3-0 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/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 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, 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 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, 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-state/north-carolina-cities?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 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, 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-state/north-carolina-cities?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 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, 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-state/north-carolina-cities?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_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 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, 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-state/north-carolina-cities?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 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/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 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, 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-state/north-carolina-cities?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-state/north-carolina-cities?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 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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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?

Elon, NC, with 17.4% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Tarboro, NC, with 0.3% 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 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