Is North Carolina gaining or losing people?

Gaining. In 2022–23, 69,108 more people moved to North Carolina from other states than moved away.

See where they came from ↓
Moved in
295,243
people
Moved out
226,135
people
Net change
+69,108 people
In households (tax returns): 170,751 in, 131,633 out, +39,118 net

Where are people moving to North Carolina from?

People, 2022–23

  1. Florida34,859
  2. Virginia26,310
  3. South Carolina25,354
  4. New York23,548
  5. California18,066
  6. Texas15,847

Where are people from North Carolina moving?

People, 2022–23

  1. South Carolina32,282
  2. Florida25,024
  3. Virginia22,403
  4. Texas15,133
  5. Georgia15,003
  6. California10,665
Every state, in full ↓

Where North Carolina's newcomers came from across states

Blue lines show arrivals · thicker line = more people

Biggest net gain: New York (+13,219 people). Biggest net loss: South Carolina (−6,928).

Is this new?

North Carolina has gained households from moves in every year since 2013–14.

Net migration · households (tax returns)
13–1414–1515–1616–1717–1818–1919–2020–2121–22+39,11822–23†††
Net migration of North Carolina (Net migration · households (tax returns))
YearValue
2013–14+12,493
2014–15 †+10,373
2015–16+25,601
2016–17 †+38,850
2017–18+29,325
2018–19+24,712
2019–20+36,086
2020–21+40,828
2021–22+43,653
2022–23 †+39,118

The IRS changed its processing in 2014–15, 2016–17 and 2022–23. Compare years between the dotted lines.

Who's moving, by income?

Arriving households$80.2k avg
Leaving households$74.3k avg

Average adjusted gross income reported on the second-year tax return. It may have been earned before the move or in more than one location.

Not counted above

Moved within North Carolina
323,366 people
Arrived from abroad
6,106 people
Left for abroad
5,795 people

Net change only counts moves between states.

Which North Carolina counties are gaining?

Alamance County: +1,861 peopleAlexander County: +174 peopleAlleghany County: +37 peopleAnson County: +42 peopleAshe County: +230 peopleAvery County: +72 peopleBeaufort County: +149 peopleBertie County: +7 peopleBladen County: +264 peopleBrunswick County: +6,335 peopleBuncombe County: +1,226 peopleBurke County: +695 peopleCabarrus County: +2,408 peopleCaldwell County: +641 peopleCamden County: +78 peopleCarteret County: +718 peopleCaswell County: +259 peopleCatawba County: +1,602 peopleChatham County: +1,763 peopleCherokee County: +453 peopleChowan County: +123 peopleClay County: +273 peopleCleveland County: +905 peopleColumbus County: +107 peopleCraven County: +513 peopleCumberland County: −2,547 peopleCurrituck County: +555 peopleDare County: +109 peopleDavidson County: +2,407 peopleDavie County: +614 peopleDuplin County: +158 peopleDurham County: −1,172 peopleEdgecombe County: +353 peopleForsyth County: +804 peopleFranklin County: +2,029 peopleGaston County: +1,986 peopleGates County: +24 peopleGraham County: −7 peopleGranville County: +137 peopleGreene County: +179 peopleGuilford County: +659 peopleHalifax County: −165 peopleHarnett County: +2,576 peopleHaywood County: +691 peopleHenderson County: +937 peopleHertford County: −63 peopleHoke County: +401 peopleHyde County: +28 peopleIredell County: +3,283 peopleJackson County: +222 peopleJohnston County: +4,423 peopleJones County: +109 peopleLee County: +603 peopleLenoir County: +460 peopleLincoln County: +1,708 peopleMcDowell County: +132 peopleMacon County: +423 peopleMadison County: +258 peopleMartin County: +162 peopleMecklenburg County: +123 peopleMitchell County: +115 peopleMontgomery County: +181 peopleMoore County: +942 peopleNash County: +377 peopleNew Hanover County: +1,709 peopleNorthampton County: +72 peopleOnslow County: +521 peopleOrange County: −1,057 peoplePamlico County: +278 peoplePasquotank County: +159 peoplePender County: +2,001 peoplePerquimans County: +260 peoplePerson County: +438 peoplePitt County: +536 peoplePolk County: +210 peopleRandolph County: +777 peopleRichmond County: +63 peopleRobeson County: +435 peopleRockingham County: +819 peopleRowan County: +1,364 peopleRutherford County: +514 peopleSampson County: +309 peopleScotland County: +129 peopleStanly County: +1,218 peopleStokes County: +505 peopleSurry County: +185 peopleSwain County: +122 peopleTransylvania County: +280 peopleTyrrell County: −23 peopleUnion County: +4,221 peopleVance County: +43 peopleWake County: +7,037 peopleWarren County: +237 peopleWashington County: −39 peopleWatauga County: −291 peopleWayne County: +235 peopleWilkes County: +355 peopleWilson County: +265 peopleYadkin County: +388 peopleYancey County: +211 people

Net people, 2022–23, including moves within the state.

  1. ≤ −5k
  2. −5k to −1k
  3. −1k to −100
  4. −100 to +100
  5. +100 to +1k
  6. +1k to +5k
  7. ≥ +5k
Withheld

Growing most

  1. Wake County+7,037
  2. Brunswick County+6,335
  3. Johnston County+4,423
  4. Union County+4,221
  5. Iredell County+3,283
  6. Harnett County+2,576

Losing most

  1. Cumberland County−2,547
  2. Durham County−1,172
  3. Orange County−1,057
  4. Watauga County−291
  5. Halifax County−165
  6. Hertford County−63

Every state, in full

Moves between North Carolina and each state, 2022–23. Tap a column to sort.

Net trendhouseholds, 13–14 → 22–23, † breaks
Florida34,859 in25,024 out+9,835$77.3k$96.3k
Virginia26,310 in22,403 out+3,907$79.4k$68.8k
South Carolina25,354 in32,282 out−6,928$65.4k$84.2k
New York23,548 in10,329 out+13,219$76.4k$63.2k
California18,066 in10,665 out+7,401$97.4k$80.8k
Texas15,847 in15,133 out+714$87.5k$71.2k
Georgia15,632 in15,003 out+629$71.8k$69.5k
Pennsylvania11,748 in7,203 out+4,545$80.3k$65.3k
New Jersey10,675 in4,135 out+6,540$95.3k$71.3k
Maryland8,902 in5,771 out+3,131$83.0k$66.8k

Small charts: net households, 13–14 → 22–23, outlined bars = † years.

All counties in North Carolina

Counties and county equivalents, including historical geographies.

Cite this page

Moved Where. “Is North Carolina gaining or losing people?” movedwhere.com/state/north-carolina. Data: IRS Statistics of Income migration data, 2022–23.

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Common questions

How many people moved to North Carolina in 2022–23?

295,243 people moved to North Carolina from other states, and 226,135 left for other states.

Where do most people moving to North Carolina come from?

In 2022–23, the most came from Florida (34,859 people), Virginia (26,310 people), South Carolina (25,354 people).

Where does this data come from?

From the IRS Statistics of Income, U.S. Population Migration Data. State migration is counted when matched tax returns filed in 2022 and 2023 show addresses in different states. A household is one tax return; people counts everyone on it. Non-filers and unmatched returns are excluded. Domestic net migration is not total population change.

Why are there no “vs last year” changes?

The IRS changed how it processed this data in 2014–15, 2016–17 and 2022–23, so a change from one year to the next can reflect the method rather than real moves. We show levels, rankings and 10-year trends instead.