North Carolina migration, mapped
In 2022–23, 295,243 people moved into North Carolina and 226,135 moved out, a net of +69,108. Drag the year slider to watch the trend, hover any state to see the corridor, or click through to explore it.
The map couldn’t load. The numbers below still tell the story.
† IRS methodology change in this year’s files (see methodology)
What the flows say
- Biggest corridors: more arrivals come from Florida than anywhere else: 34,859 people in 2022–23. The top destination for leavers is South Carolina (32,282).
- Trend: net inflow has held roughly steady over the last three years, from +76,720 in 2020–21 to +69,108 in 2022–23†.
Population · 2025
11,197,968
▲ 1.3% year over year · growing
Peak population
11,197,968
highest in the series shown (since 1910)
Why the population is changing
- Growth driver: domestic migration added more people than anything else: +84,064 in 2025, ahead of births minus deaths (+15,129) and international migration (+46,890).
- Peak population: the 2025 estimate of 11,197,968 is the highest on record, in data going back to 1910.
Net income flow · 2022–23
+$3.9B
▲ $13.7B arrived · $9.8B left
Avg household income · movers
$80k in · $74k out
arrivals out-earn leavers by 8%
North Carolina wealth migration
- Money moved: households moving into North Carolina in 2022–23 reported $13.7B in income (AGI). Households leaving took $9.8B with them, a net gain of $3.9B.
- Income gap: the average household moving in reported $80k of income, vs $74k for leavers. Arrivals out-earn leavers by 8%.
Drill into a metro
IRS data goes deeper than states. Pick a metro to see its own corridors.
- Charlotte 2,938,830 people
- Raleigh 1,595,720 people
- Greensboro 805,945 people
- Winston-Salem 712,206 people
- Durham 625,485 people
- Wilmington 492,772 people
- Asheville 422,345 people
- Fayetteville 395,412 people
- Hickory 376,890 people
- Jacksonville 217,175 people
- Burlington 186,177 people
- Greenville 182,936 people
- Rocky Mount 148,486 people
- Goldsboro 122,278 people
- Pinehurst 110,619 people
About the data
Migration figures come from the official IRS state-to-state files (exemptions ≈ people). Population figures are Census Bureau estimates, and the peak checks every census back to 1910. Income figures are the total income (AGI) movers reported in the same IRS files. Dollars are not adjusted for inflation, and household averages divide by the number of returns. Years marked † had a change in how the IRS built the files. Full details, caveats, and a suggested citation on the methodology page.
Download this data (CSV), free to use with attribution.
Every year, thousands of people move to North Carolina
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