Counties in North Carolina by per capita personal income

Orange County had the highest per capita personal income of 100 counties in 2016, at $58,957. Warren County had the lowest, at $28,698. The median was $35,560 and the figure for North Carolina was $42,607. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest58,957Orange County
Lowest28,698Warren County
Median35,560100 counties
North Carolina42,607History

Map of counties, 2016

Alamance County: 36,898 USDAlexander County: 33,915 USDAlleghany County: 35,095 USDAnson County: 33,532 USDAshe County: 32,962 USDAvery County: 31,964 USDBeaufort County: 40,357 USDBertie County: 34,455 USDBladen County: 34,650 USDBrunswick County: 43,626 USDBuncombe County: 43,186 USDBurke County: 32,740 USDCabarrus County: 41,823 USDCaldwell County: 32,377 USDCamden County: 44,934 USDCarteret County: 46,959 USDCaswell County: 32,073 USDCatawba County: 40,997 USDChatham County: 57,869 USDCherokee County: 29,848 USDChowan County: 36,614 USDClay County: 31,839 USDCleveland County: 33,910 USDColumbus County: 31,610 USDCraven County: 41,298 USDCumberland County: 35,564 USDCurrituck County: 44,216 USDDare County: 51,806 USDDavidson County: 36,117 USDDavie County: 44,165 USDDuplin County: 35,783 USDDurham County: 45,378 USDEdgecombe County: 32,880 USDForsyth County: 44,565 USDFranklin County: 33,863 USDGaston County: 37,414 USDGates County: 37,592 USDGraham County: 30,481 USDGranville County: 35,357 USDGreene County: 29,120 USDGuilford County: 42,138 USDHalifax County: 33,808 USDHarnett County: 32,463 USDHaywood County: 37,606 USDHenderson County: 40,789 USDHertford County: 30,802 USDHoke County: 30,429 USDHyde County: 35,556 USDIredell County: 46,882 USDJackson County: 30,927 USDJohnston County: 37,308 USDJones County: 37,945 USDLee County: 37,239 USDLenoir County: 36,780 USDLincoln County: 41,592 USDMcDowell County: 31,920 USDMacon County: 35,847 USDMadison County: 31,442 USDMartin County: 32,122 USDMecklenburg County: 55,211 USDMitchell County: 32,853 USDMontgomery County: 33,480 USDMoore County: 48,674 USDNash County: 38,290 USDNew Hanover County: 43,493 USDNorthampton County: 32,828 USDOnslow County: 43,517 USDOrange County: 58,957 USDPamlico County: 39,325 USDPasquotank County: 36,540 USDPender County: 37,296 USDPerquimans County: 39,177 USDPerson County: 35,110 USDPitt County: 39,533 USDPolk County: 44,317 USDRandolph County: 34,293 USDRichmond County: 33,324 USDRobeson County: 29,112 USDRockingham County: 34,116 USDRowan County: 34,425 USDRutherford County: 30,851 USDSampson County: 34,409 USDScotland County: 30,057 USDStanly County: 36,117 USDStokes County: 34,470 USDSurry County: 35,452 USDSwain County: 36,455 USDTransylvania County: 40,137 USDTyrrell County: 34,109 USDUnion County: 49,158 USDVance County: 33,035 USDWake County: 54,317 USDWarren County: 28,698 USDWashington County: 34,387 USDWatauga County: 34,450 USDWayne County: 36,184 USDWilkes County: 34,846 USDWilson County: 37,877 USDYadkin County: 34,829 USDYancey County: 31,937 USD
  • Under 32K
  • 32K to 34K
  • 34K to 36K
  • 36K to 38K
  • 38K to 44K
  • 44K and over
USD, 2016. Source: BEA, CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Orange County: 58,957 USDOrange County58,957Chatham County: 57,869 USDChatham County57,869Mecklenburg County: 55,211 USDMecklenburg County55,211Wake County: 54,317 USDWake County54,317Dare County: 51,806 USDDare County51,806Union County: 49,158 USDUnion County49,158Moore County: 48,674 USDMoore County48,674Carteret County: 46,959 USDCarteret County46,959Iredell County: 46,882 USDIredell County46,882Durham County: 45,378 USDDurham County45,378Camden County: 44,934 USDCamden County44,934Forsyth County: 44,565 USDForsyth County44,565Polk County: 44,317 USDPolk County44,317Currituck County: 44,216 USDCurrituck County44,216Davie County: 44,165 USDDavie County44,165Brunswick County: 43,626 USDBrunswick County43,626Onslow County: 43,517 USDOnslow County43,517New Hanover County: 43,493 USDNew Hanover County43,493Buncombe County: 43,186 USDBuncombe County43,186Guilford County: 42,138 USDGuilford County42,138Cabarrus County: 41,823 USDCabarrus County41,823Lincoln County: 41,592 USDLincoln County41,592Craven County: 41,298 USDCraven County41,298Catawba County: 40,997 USDCatawba County40,997Henderson County: 40,789 USDHenderson County40,789Beaufort County: 40,357 USDBeaufort County40,357Transylvania County: 40,137 USDTransylvania County40,137Pitt County: 39,533 USDPitt County39,533Pamlico County: 39,325 USDPamlico County39,325Perquimans County: 39,177 USDPerquimans County39,177Nash County: 38,290 USDNash County38,290Jones County: 37,945 USDJones County37,945Wilson County: 37,877 USDWilson County37,877Haywood County: 37,606 USDHaywood County37,606Gates County: 37,592 USDGates County37,592Gaston County: 37,414 USDGaston County37,414Johnston County: 37,308 USDJohnston County37,308Pender County: 37,296 USDPender County37,296Lee County: 37,239 USDLee County37,239Alamance County: 36,898 USDAlamance County36,898Orange County: 58,957 USDOrange County58,957Chatham County: 57,869 USDChatham County57,869Mecklenburg County: 55,211 USDMecklenburg County55,211Wake County: 54,317 USDWake County54,317Dare County: 51,806 USDDare County51,806Union County: 49,158 USDUnion County49,158Moore County: 48,674 USDMoore County48,674Carteret County: 46,959 USDCarteret County46,959Iredell County: 46,882 USDIredell County46,882Durham County: 45,378 USDDurham County45,378Camden County: 44,934 USDCamden County44,934Forsyth County: 44,565 USDForsyth County44,565Polk County: 44,317 USDPolk County44,317Currituck County: 44,216 USDCurrituck County44,216Davie County: 44,165 USDDavie County44,165Brunswick County: 43,626 USDBrunswick County43,626Onslow County: 43,517 USDOnslow County43,517New Hanover County: 43,493 USDNew Hanover County43,493Buncombe County: 43,186 USDBuncombe County43,186Guilford County: 42,138 USDGuilford County42,138Cabarrus County: 41,823 USDCabarrus County41,823Lincoln County: 41,592 USDLincoln County41,592Craven County: 41,298 USDCraven County41,298Catawba County: 40,997 USDCatawba County40,997Henderson County: 40,789 USDHenderson County40,789Beaufort County: 40,357 USDBeaufort County40,357Transylvania County: 40,137 USDTransylvania County40,137Pitt County: 39,533 USDPitt County39,533Pamlico County: 39,325 USDPamlico County39,325Perquimans County: 39,177 USDPerquimans County39,177Nash County: 38,290 USDNash County38,290Jones County: 37,945 USDJones County37,945Wilson County: 37,877 USDWilson County37,877Haywood County: 37,606 USDHaywood County37,606Gates County: 37,592 USDGates County37,592Gaston County: 37,414 USDGaston County37,414Johnston County: 37,308 USDJohnston County37,308Pender County: 37,296 USDPender County37,296Lee County: 37,239 USDLee County37,239Alamance County: 36,898 USDAlamance County36,898
USD. Source: BEA, CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
USD
Change on 2015
1Orange County58,957+3.4%
2Chatham County57,869+5.6%
3Mecklenburg County55,211+2.6%
4Wake County54,317+2.1%
5Dare County51,806+5.8%
6Union County49,158+3.6%
7Moore County48,674+0.7%
8Carteret County46,959+4.5%
9Iredell County46,882+1.7%
10Durham County45,378+2.1%
11Camden County44,934+3.4%
12Forsyth County44,565+1.1%
13Polk County44,317+3.7%
14Currituck County44,216+3.3%
15Davie County44,165+1.7%
16Brunswick County43,626+6.6%
17Onslow County43,517+2.4%
18New Hanover County43,493+2.6%
19Buncombe County43,186+3%
20Guilford County42,138-0.4%
21Cabarrus County41,823+3.3%
22Lincoln County41,592+3.2%
23Craven County41,298+1.4%
24Catawba County40,997+3.2%
25Henderson County40,789+4.6%
26Beaufort County40,357+3.1%
27Transylvania County40,137+7.6%
28Pitt County39,533+3%
29Pamlico County39,325+1.6%
30Perquimans County39,177+5.8%
31Nash County38,290+0.9%
32Jones County37,945+1.6%
33Wilson County37,877+1.9%
34Haywood County37,606+3.3%
35Gates County37,592+3%
36Gaston County37,414+1.3%
37Johnston County37,308+3%
38Pender County37,296+3.6%
39Lee County37,239+1.8%
40Alamance County36,898+1.8%
41Lenoir County36,780+2.4%
42Chowan County36,614+1.5%
43Pasquotank County36,540+2.9%
44Swain County36,455+4.2%
45Wayne County36,184+1.3%
46Davidson County36,117+2.7%
46Stanly County36,117+4.2%
48Macon County35,847+1%
49Duplin County35,783-2%
50Cumberland County35,564-0.4%
51Hyde County35,556+1.5%
52Surry County35,452+1.2%
53Granville County35,357+4.1%
54Person County35,110+1.5%
55Alleghany County35,095+1.8%
56Wilkes County34,846+0.6%
57Yadkin County34,829-0%
58Bladen County34,650+0.8%
59Stokes County34,470+2.8%
60Bertie County34,455+2.9%
61Watauga County34,450+3.7%
62Rowan County34,425+1.3%
63Sampson County34,409-1.6%
64Washington County34,387+3.3%
65Randolph County34,293+1.9%
66Rockingham County34,116+1.8%
67Tyrrell County34,109+14.9%
68Alexander County33,915+0.7%
69Cleveland County33,910+0.7%
70Franklin County33,863+3.3%
71Halifax County33,808+2.5%
72Anson County33,5320%
73Montgomery County33,480-0.1%
74Richmond County33,324+1.3%
75Vance County33,035+2%
76Ashe County32,962+3.8%
77Edgecombe County32,880+1.8%
78Mitchell County32,853+0.7%
79Northampton County32,828+4.4%
80Burke County32,740+3.3%
81Harnett County32,463+0.3%
82Caldwell County32,377+2.1%
83Martin County32,122+4.3%
84Caswell County32,073+3%
85Avery County31,964+2.9%
86Yancey County31,937+1.7%
87McDowell County31,920+3%
88Clay County31,8390%
89Columbus County31,610+3.4%
90Madison County31,442+1.9%
91Jackson County30,927+1.3%
92Rutherford County30,851+1.7%
93Hertford County30,802+1.7%
94Graham County30,481-0.8%
95Hoke County30,429+1.6%
96Scotland County30,057-0.3%
97Cherokee County29,848-2.1%
98Greene County29,120-0.9%
99Robeson County29,112+2.8%
100Warren County28,698+2.3%

Other periods

About this ranking

Personal income of the residents of a place divided by its resident population at mid-year, in current US dollars.

More on how it is measured
  • Personal income is income from work, own businesses, property and government benefits, before income taxes.
  • United States: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional accounts, tables SAINC1 for the nation and states and CAINC1 for counties.

An average, not a median: high incomes pull it up. It includes employer contributions to pensions and health insurance and government benefits, so it is higher than wages or household cash income. For the typical household use median_household_income. Not the same as gdp_per_capita_usd.

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. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC1.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

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. Bureau of Economic Analysis. (2026). CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents (Counties in North Carolina by per capita personal income, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC1.zip

MLA 9

CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents, Counties in North Carolina by per capita personal income, 2016. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 5 Feb. 2026, https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC1.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/per-capita-personal-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2016. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. 2026. CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents. Counties in North Carolina by per capita personal income, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC1.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/per-capita-personal-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (2026) CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents, Counties in North Carolina by per capita personal income, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC1.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/per-capita-personal-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_north_carolina_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis}},
  title = {{CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents: Counties in North Carolina by per capita personal income, 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC1.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-11},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/per-capita-personal-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC1.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-11.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
TI  - CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents: Counties in North Carolina by per capita personal income, 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/05
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC1.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/per-capita-personal-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/per-capita-personal-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC1.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest per capita personal income?

Orange County, with $58,957 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Which county has the lowest per capita personal income?

Warren County, with $28,698 in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Per capita personal income: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings