Data / Rankings / Per capita income (US five-year survey estimate) / Counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina by per capita income (US five-year survey estimate)

Chatham County had the highest per capita income (US five-year survey estimate) of 100 counties in 2021, at $48,143. Hyde County had the lowest, at $18,826. The median was $28,045 and the figure for North Carolina was $34,209. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest48,143Chatham County
Lowest18,826Hyde County
Median28,045100 counties
North Carolina34,209History

Map of counties, 2021

Alamance County: 29,592 USDAlexander County: 28,385 USDAlleghany County: 27,185 USDAnson County: 23,070 USDAshe County: 26,721 USDAvery County: 25,647 USDBeaufort County: 29,322 USDBertie County: 24,023 USDBladen County: 25,975 USDBrunswick County: 38,071 USDBuncombe County: 36,057 USDBurke County: 27,524 USDCabarrus County: 35,275 USDCaldwell County: 26,507 USDCamden County: 30,964 USDCarteret County: 36,310 USDCaswell County: 25,916 USDCatawba County: 30,972 USDChatham County: 48,143 USDCherokee County: 25,319 USDChowan County: 28,399 USDClay County: 33,729 USDCleveland County: 24,505 USDColumbus County: 22,718 USDCraven County: 30,847 USDCumberland County: 26,899 USDCurrituck County: 37,630 USDDare County: 41,148 USDDavidson County: 28,049 USDDavie County: 33,783 USDDuplin County: 23,296 USDDurham County: 39,602 USDEdgecombe County: 23,048 USDForsyth County: 32,867 USDFranklin County: 29,580 USDGaston County: 30,607 USDGates County: 26,443 USDGraham County: 23,604 USDGranville County: 29,340 USDGreene County: 19,989 USDGuilford County: 33,737 USDHalifax County: 22,573 USDHarnett County: 26,962 USDHaywood County: 31,302 USDHenderson County: 33,905 USDHertford County: 22,772 USDHoke County: 24,398 USDHyde County: 18,826 USDIredell County: 37,667 USDJackson County: 28,040 USDJohnston County: 31,585 USDJones County: 24,550 USDLee County: 27,488 USDLenoir County: 25,473 USDLincoln County: 35,929 USDMcDowell County: 27,316 USDMacon County: 30,526 USDMadison County: 29,070 USDMartin County: 25,389 USDMecklenburg County: 43,919 USDMitchell County: 28,125 USDMontgomery County: 25,821 USDMoore County: 39,507 USDNash County: 29,082 USDNew Hanover County: 39,934 USDNorthampton County: 25,240 USDOnslow County: 26,625 USDOrange County: 45,681 USDPamlico County: 30,073 USDPasquotank County: 28,542 USDPender County: 33,625 USDPerquimans County: 29,209 USDPerson County: 31,026 USDPitt County: 29,696 USDPolk County: 33,485 USDRandolph County: 26,760 USDRichmond County: 22,088 USDRobeson County: 20,294 USDRockingham County: 27,092 USDRowan County: 27,964 USDRutherford County: 26,147 USDSampson County: 24,480 USDScotland County: 23,230 USDStanly County: 28,334 USDStokes County: 29,117 USDSurry County: 27,873 USDSwain County: 25,889 USDTransylvania County: 32,718 USDTyrrell County: 20,549 USDUnion County: 40,270 USDVance County: 25,248 USDWake County: 45,425 USDWarren County: 27,823 USDWashington County: 22,356 USDWatauga County: 28,552 USDWayne County: 27,684 USDWilkes County: 26,374 USDWilson County: 26,186 USDYadkin County: 28,606 USDYancey County: 27,194 USD
  • Under 24K
  • 24K to 27K
  • 27K to 28K
  • 28K to 30K
  • 30K to 34K
  • 34K and over
USD, 2021. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19301: per capita income in the past 12 months, in inflation-adjusted dollars of the final year. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2021

Chatham County: 48,143 USDChatham County48,143Orange County: 45,681 USDOrange County45,681Wake County: 45,425 USDWake County45,425Mecklenburg County: 43,919 USDMecklenburg County43,919Dare County: 41,148 USDDare County41,148Union County: 40,270 USDUnion County40,270New Hanover County: 39,934 USDNew Hanover County39,934Durham County: 39,602 USDDurham County39,602Moore County: 39,507 USDMoore County39,507Brunswick County: 38,071 USDBrunswick County38,071Iredell County: 37,667 USDIredell County37,667Currituck County: 37,630 USDCurrituck County37,630Carteret County: 36,310 USDCarteret County36,310Buncombe County: 36,057 USDBuncombe County36,057Lincoln County: 35,929 USDLincoln County35,929Cabarrus County: 35,275 USDCabarrus County35,275Henderson County: 33,905 USDHenderson County33,905Davie County: 33,783 USDDavie County33,783Guilford County: 33,737 USDGuilford County33,737Clay County: 33,729 USDClay County33,729Pender County: 33,625 USDPender County33,625Polk County: 33,485 USDPolk County33,485Forsyth County: 32,867 USDForsyth County32,867Transylvania County: 32,718 USDTransylvania County32,718Johnston County: 31,585 USDJohnston County31,585Haywood County: 31,302 USDHaywood County31,302Person County: 31,026 USDPerson County31,026Catawba County: 30,972 USDCatawba County30,972Camden County: 30,964 USDCamden County30,964Craven County: 30,847 USDCraven County30,847Gaston County: 30,607 USDGaston County30,607Macon County: 30,526 USDMacon County30,526Pamlico County: 30,073 USDPamlico County30,073Pitt County: 29,696 USDPitt County29,696Alamance County: 29,592 USDAlamance County29,592Franklin County: 29,580 USDFranklin County29,580Granville County: 29,340 USDGranville County29,340Beaufort County: 29,322 USDBeaufort County29,322Perquimans County: 29,209 USDPerquimans County29,209Stokes County: 29,117 USDStokes County29,117Chatham County: 48,143 USDChatham County48,143Orange County: 45,681 USDOrange County45,681Wake County: 45,425 USDWake County45,425Mecklenburg County: 43,919 USDMecklenburg County43,919Dare County: 41,148 USDDare County41,148Union County: 40,270 USDUnion County40,270New Hanover County: 39,934 USDNew Hanover County39,934Durham County: 39,602 USDDurham County39,602Moore County: 39,507 USDMoore County39,507Brunswick County: 38,071 USDBrunswick County38,071Iredell County: 37,667 USDIredell County37,667Currituck County: 37,630 USDCurrituck County37,630Carteret County: 36,310 USDCarteret County36,310Buncombe County: 36,057 USDBuncombe County36,057Lincoln County: 35,929 USDLincoln County35,929Cabarrus County: 35,275 USDCabarrus County35,275Henderson County: 33,905 USDHenderson County33,905Davie County: 33,783 USDDavie County33,783Guilford County: 33,737 USDGuilford County33,737Clay County: 33,729 USDClay County33,729Pender County: 33,625 USDPender County33,625Polk County: 33,485 USDPolk County33,485Forsyth County: 32,867 USDForsyth County32,867Transylvania County: 32,718 USDTransylvania County32,718Johnston County: 31,585 USDJohnston County31,585Haywood County: 31,302 USDHaywood County31,302Person County: 31,026 USDPerson County31,026Catawba County: 30,972 USDCatawba County30,972Camden County: 30,964 USDCamden County30,964Craven County: 30,847 USDCraven County30,847Gaston County: 30,607 USDGaston County30,607Macon County: 30,526 USDMacon County30,526Pamlico County: 30,073 USDPamlico County30,073Pitt County: 29,696 USDPitt County29,696Alamance County: 29,592 USDAlamance County29,592Franklin County: 29,580 USDFranklin County29,580Granville County: 29,340 USDGranville County29,340Beaufort County: 29,322 USDBeaufort County29,322Perquimans County: 29,209 USDPerquimans County29,209Stokes County: 29,117 USDStokes County29,117
USD. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19301: per capita income in the past 12 months, in inflation-adjusted dollars of the final year. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021
USD
1Chatham County48,143
2Orange County45,681
3Wake County45,425
4Mecklenburg County43,919
5Dare County41,148
6Union County40,270
7New Hanover County39,934
8Durham County39,602
9Moore County39,507
10Brunswick County38,071
11Iredell County37,667
12Currituck County37,630
13Carteret County36,310
14Buncombe County36,057
15Lincoln County35,929
16Cabarrus County35,275
17Henderson County33,905
18Davie County33,783
19Guilford County33,737
20Clay County33,729
21Pender County33,625
22Polk County33,485
23Forsyth County32,867
24Transylvania County32,718
25Johnston County31,585
26Haywood County31,302
27Person County31,026
28Catawba County30,972
29Camden County30,964
30Craven County30,847
31Gaston County30,607
32Macon County30,526
33Pamlico County30,073
34Pitt County29,696
35Alamance County29,592
36Franklin County29,580
37Granville County29,340
38Beaufort County29,322
39Perquimans County29,209
40Stokes County29,117
41Nash County29,082
42Madison County29,070
43Yadkin County28,606
44Watauga County28,552
45Pasquotank County28,542
46Chowan County28,399
47Alexander County28,385
48Stanly County28,334
49Mitchell County28,125
50Davidson County28,049
51Jackson County28,040
52Rowan County27,964
53Surry County27,873
54Warren County27,823
55Wayne County27,684
56Burke County27,524
57Lee County27,488
58McDowell County27,316
59Yancey County27,194
60Alleghany County27,185
61Rockingham County27,092
62Harnett County26,962
63Cumberland County26,899
64Randolph County26,760
65Ashe County26,721
66Onslow County26,625
67Caldwell County26,507
68Gates County26,443
69Wilkes County26,374
70Wilson County26,186
71Rutherford County26,147
72Bladen County25,975
73Caswell County25,916
74Swain County25,889
75Montgomery County25,821
76Avery County25,647
77Lenoir County25,473
78Martin County25,389
79Cherokee County25,319
80Vance County25,248
81Northampton County25,240
82Jones County24,550
83Cleveland County24,505
84Sampson County24,480
85Hoke County24,398
86Bertie County24,023
87Graham County23,604
88Duplin County23,296
89Scotland County23,230
90Anson County23,070
91Edgecombe County23,048
92Hertford County22,772
93Columbus County22,718
94Halifax County22,573
95Washington County22,356
96Richmond County22,088
97Tyrrell County20,549
98Robeson County20,294
99Greene County19,989
100Hyde County18,826

Other periods

About this ranking

Total money income received in the past 12 months by people aged 15 and over, divided by the total population, including children, in US dollars adjusted to the last year of the period. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Survey-reported money income before taxes. Lower than BEA per_capita_personal_income, which also counts employer contributions, imputed income and government transfers in kind.

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 B19301: per capita income in the past 12 months, in inflation-adjusted dollars of the final year. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19301.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 B19301: per capita income in the past 12 months, in inflation-adjusted dollars of the final year (Counties in North Carolina by per capita income (US five-year survey estimate), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19301.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19301: per capita income in the past 12 months, in inflation-adjusted dollars of the final year, Counties in North Carolina by per capita income (US five-year survey estimate), 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19301.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/per-capita-income-acs/north-carolina-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19301: per capita income in the past 12 months, in inflation-adjusted dollars of the final year. Counties in North Carolina by per capita income (US five-year survey estimate), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19301.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/per-capita-income-acs/north-carolina-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19301: per capita income in the past 12 months, in inflation-adjusted dollars of the final year, Counties in North Carolina by per capita income (US five-year survey estimate), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19301.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/per-capita-income-acs/north-carolina-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19301: per capita income in the past 12 months, in inflation-adjusted dollars of the final year: Counties in North Carolina by per capita income (US five-year survey estimate), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19301.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/per-capita-income-acs/north-carolina-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19301: per capita income in the past 12 months, in inflation-adjusted dollars of the final year. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19301.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19301: per capita income in the past 12 months, in inflation-adjusted dollars of the final year: Counties in North Carolina by per capita income (US five-year survey estimate), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19301.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/per-capita-income-acs/north-carolina-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/per-capita-income-acs/north-carolina-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19301: per capita income in the past 12 months, in inflation-adjusted dollars of the final year. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b19301.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest per capita income (US five-year survey estimate)?

Chatham County, with $48,143 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest per capita income (US five-year survey estimate)?

Hyde County, with $18,826 in 2021.

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 B19301: per capita income in the past 12 months, in inflation-adjusted dollars of the final year. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Per capita income (US five-year survey estimate): other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings