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 2023, at 17.9%. Roanoke Rapids, 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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Highest17.9Elon, NC
Median3.293 cities
North Carolina3.1History

Top 40 cities, 2023

Elon, NC: 17.9 %Elon, NC17.9Jacksonville, NC: 15.7 %Jacksonville, NC15.7Spring Lake, NC: 14.5 %Spring Lake, NC14.5Davidson, NC: 8.9 %Davidson, NC8.9Havelock, NC: 8.4 %Havelock, NC8.4Fayetteville, NC: 7.7 %Fayetteville, NC7.7Carrboro, NC: 7.7 %Carrboro, NC7.7Pinehurst, NC: 7.2 %Pinehurst, NC7.2Morrisville, NC: 6.8 %Morrisville, NC6.8Wilmington, NC: 6.2 %Wilmington, NC6.2Garner, NC: 5.8 %Garner, NC5.8Cary, NC: 5.8 %Cary, NC5.8Zebulon, NC: 5.6 %Zebulon, NC5.6Chapel Hill, NC: 5.6 %Chapel Hill, NC5.6Mooresville, NC: 5.5 %Mooresville, NC5.5Summerfield, NC: 5.4 %Summerfield, NC5.4Waxhaw, NC: 5.4 %Waxhaw, NC5.4Greenville, NC: 5.3 %Greenville, NC5.3Asheville, NC: 5.1 %Asheville, NC5.1Elizabeth City, NC: 5 %Elizabeth City, NC5Southern Pines, NC: 4.9 %Southern Pines, NC4.9Goldsboro, NC: 4.9 %Goldsboro, NC4.9Boone, NC: 4.8 %Boone, NC4.8Aberdeen, NC: 4.7 %Aberdeen, NC4.7Durham, NC: 4.6 %Durham, NC4.6Hendersonville, NC: 4.4 %Hendersonville, NC4.4New Bern, NC: 4.4 %New Bern, NC4.4Huntersville, NC: 4.2 %Huntersville, NC4.2Charlotte, NC: 4.2 %Charlotte, NC4.2Laurinburg, NC: 4.2 %Laurinburg, NC4.2Pineville, NC: 4.2 %Pineville, NC4.2Wake Forest, NC: 3.9 %Wake Forest, NC3.9Lincolnton, NC: 3.9 %Lincolnton, NC3.9Kernersville, NC: 3.9 %Kernersville, NC3.9Morehead City, NC: 3.9 %Morehead City, NC3.9Newton, NC: 3.8 %Newton, NC3.8Raleigh, NC: 3.7 %Raleigh, NC3.7Apex, NC: 3.6 %Apex, NC3.6Hope Mills, NC: 3.6 %Hope Mills, NC3.6Stallings, NC: 3.6 %Stallings, NC3.6Elon, NC: 17.9 %Elon, NC17.9Jacksonville, NC: 15.7 %Jacksonville, NC15.7Spring Lake, NC: 14.5 %Spring Lake, NC14.5Davidson, NC: 8.9 %Davidson, NC8.9Havelock, NC: 8.4 %Havelock, NC8.4Fayetteville, NC: 7.7 %Fayetteville, NC7.7Carrboro, NC: 7.7 %Carrboro, NC7.7Pinehurst, NC: 7.2 %Pinehurst, NC7.2Morrisville, NC: 6.8 %Morrisville, NC6.8Wilmington, NC: 6.2 %Wilmington, NC6.2Garner, NC: 5.8 %Garner, NC5.8Cary, NC: 5.8 %Cary, NC5.8Zebulon, NC: 5.6 %Zebulon, NC5.6Chapel Hill, NC: 5.6 %Chapel Hill, NC5.6Mooresville, NC: 5.5 %Mooresville, NC5.5Summerfield, NC: 5.4 %Summerfield, NC5.4Waxhaw, NC: 5.4 %Waxhaw, NC5.4Greenville, NC: 5.3 %Greenville, NC5.3Asheville, NC: 5.1 %Asheville, NC5.1Elizabeth City, NC: 5 %Elizabeth City, NC5Southern Pines, NC: 4.9 %Southern Pines, NC4.9Goldsboro, NC: 4.9 %Goldsboro, NC4.9Boone, NC: 4.8 %Boone, NC4.8Aberdeen, NC: 4.7 %Aberdeen, NC4.7Durham, NC: 4.6 %Durham, NC4.6Hendersonville, NC: 4.4 %Hendersonville, NC4.4New Bern, NC: 4.4 %New Bern, NC4.4Huntersville, NC: 4.2 %Huntersville, NC4.2Charlotte, NC: 4.2 %Charlotte, NC4.2Laurinburg, NC: 4.2 %Laurinburg, NC4.2Pineville, NC: 4.2 %Pineville, NC4.2Wake Forest, NC: 3.9 %Wake Forest, NC3.9Lincolnton, NC: 3.9 %Lincolnton, NC3.9Kernersville, NC: 3.9 %Kernersville, NC3.9Morehead City, NC: 3.9 %Morehead City, NC3.9Newton, NC: 3.8 %Newton, NC3.8Raleigh, NC: 3.7 %Raleigh, NC3.7Apex, NC: 3.6 %Apex, NC3.6Hope Mills, NC: 3.6 %Hope Mills, NC3.6Stallings, NC: 3.6 %Stallings, NC3.6
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Elon, NC17.9+0.5 pts
2Jacksonville, NC15.7-1.4 pts
3Spring Lake, NC14.5-2.6 pts
4Davidson, NC8.9-0.1 pts
5Havelock, NC8.4+0.7 pts
6Fayetteville, NC7.7-0.3 pts
7Carrboro, NC7.7+0.7 pts
8Pinehurst, NC7.2-0.1 pts
9Morrisville, NC6.8+1 pts
10Wilmington, NC6.2+0.9 pts
11Garner, NC5.8-0.1 pts
12Cary, NC5.8-0.2 pts
13Zebulon, NC5.6+4.3 pts
14Chapel Hill, NC5.6+0.3 pts
15Mooresville, NC5.5+0.4 pts
16Summerfield, NC5.4+2.1 pts
17Waxhaw, NC5.4+1 pts
18Greenville, NC5.3-0.3 pts
19Asheville, NC5.1-0.5 pts
20Elizabeth City, NC5+0.7 pts
21Southern Pines, NC4.9-0.7 pts
22Goldsboro, NC4.9-0.3 pts
23Boone, NC4.8+0.4 pts
24Aberdeen, NC4.7+1.1 pts
25Durham, NC4.6-0 pts
26Hendersonville, NC4.4-0.2 pts
26New Bern, NC4.4-0.2 pts
28Huntersville, NC4.2-0.6 pts
29Charlotte, NC4.2-0 pts
30Laurinburg, NC4.2+0.1 pts
30Pineville, NC4.2+0.2 pts
32Wake Forest, NC3.9+0.3 pts
33Lincolnton, NC3.90 pts
34Kernersville, NC3.9+0.4 pts
35Morehead City, NC3.9+0.3 pts
36Newton, NC3.8+2 pts
37Raleigh, NC3.7+0.1 pts
38Apex, NC3.6-0.3 pts
39Hope Mills, NC3.6+0.3 pts
39Stallings, NC3.6-0.1 pts
41Leland, NC3.5-0.2 pts
42Winston-Salem, NC3.5+0.1 pts
43Cornelius, NC3.4-0.8 pts
44Waynesville, NC3.3+0.2 pts
45Knightdale, NC3.3+1 pts
45Matthews, NC3.3+0.2 pts
47Fuquay-Varina, NC3.2-0.5 pts
48Holly Springs, NC3+0.6 pts
49Clayton, NC3-0.4 pts
50Greensboro, NC2.9-0.3 pts
51Mount Airy, NC2.7-1 pts
52Wendell, NC2.7-0.3 pts
53High Point, NC2.6-0.2 pts
54Mebane, NC2.6+1.1 pts
55Concord, NC2.6+0.4 pts
56Indian Trail, NC2.6-1.4 pts
57Weddington, NC2.5+0.3 pts
58Burlington, NC2.5+0.3 pts
58Eden, NC2.5-0.8 pts
60Hickory, NC2.5-0.3 pts
61Kings Mountain, NC2.5-1 pts
62Mount Holly, NC2.4+0.9 pts
63Belmont, NC2.3+0.5 pts
64Salisbury, NC2.1-0.8 pts
65Thomasville, NC2.1-0.3 pts
66Rocky Mount, NC2-0.3 pts
67Monroe, NC2+0.3 pts
67Morganton, NC2-0.6 pts
69Shelby, NC2-1 pts
70Henderson, NC1.9+1.2 pts
71Lumberton, NC1.9-0.4 pts
72Gastonia, NC1.9-0.2 pts
73Reidsville, NC1.8+0.6 pts
74Lenoir, NC1.8-0.4 pts
75Sanford, NC1.8+0.4 pts
76Clemmons, NC1.7-0.2 pts
77Kinston, NC1.6-0.1 pts
78Winterville, NC1.6-0.3 pts
79Mint Hill, NC1.6+0.2 pts
80Harrisburg, NC1.5-0.4 pts
81Kannapolis, NC1.5-0.4 pts
82Graham, NC1.5-0.1 pts
82Statesville, NC1.5-0.6 pts
84Lexington, NC1.4-0.7 pts
85Lewisville, NC1.2-0.2 pts
86Wilson, NC1.1+0.1 pts
87Smithfield, NC1.10 pts
88Archdale, NC1+0.1 pts
89Asheboro, NC0.7-0.1 pts
90Tarboro, NC0.7+0.4 pts
91Albemarle, NC0.5-0.2 pts
92Rolesville, NC0.4-2.1 pts
93Roanoke Rapids, 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/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 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, 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 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, 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-state/north-carolina-cities?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 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, 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-state/north-carolina-cities?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 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, 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-state/north-carolina-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_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 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, 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-state/north-carolina-cities?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 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/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 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, 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-state/north-carolina-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/moved-from-another-state/north-carolina-cities?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 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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 17.9% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Roanoke Rapids, NC, with 0.3% 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 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