What are the fastest-growing counties in North Carolina?
Brunswick County is the fastest-growing county in North Carolina: its population grew 4.81% a year from 2020 to 2025, to 174,702 residents (Census PEP Vintage 2025). Pender County (3.53%) and Franklin County (3.51%) follow. North Carolina as a whole grew 1.39% a year to 11,197,968 residents.
Data as of 2026-09-23. Population, growth and migration: PEP Vintage 2025 · 2020–2025. Income migration: IRS SOI 2022–2023 (2-yr lag).
Top 10 counties in North Carolina by population growth, 2020 to 2025
| Rank | County | Population | Growth (% per year) | Net domestic migration | Net international migration | IRS net AGI migration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brunswick County | 174,702 | 4.81% | +39,856 | +521 | +$504.0M |
| 2 | Pender County | 72,111 | 3.53% | +11,119 | +528 | +$118.1M |
| 3 | Franklin County | 82,037 | 3.51% | +11,499 | +870 | +$93.4M |
| 4 | Johnston County | 256,448 | 3.35% | +31,619 | +3,396 | +$165.5M |
| 5 | Currituck County | 33,158 | 3.14% | +4,648 | +139 | +$42.4M |
| 6 | Lincoln County | 98,654 | 2.51% | +10,993 | +818 | +$97.8M |
| 7 | Iredell County | 211,798 | 2.45% | +21,109 | +2,749 | +$130.2M |
| 8 | Harnett County | 150,137 | 2.34% | +11,847 | +1,617 | +$108.0M |
| 9 | Union County | 267,674 | 2.24% | +19,673 | +4,685 | +$199.3M |
| 10 | Wake County | 1,257,235 | 2.14% | +56,656 | +39,111 | +$374.0M |
Where are people moving in North Carolina?
Wake County gained the most people from elsewhere in the United States: net domestic migration of +56,656 from 2020 to 2025 (Census PEP Vintage 2025). The table ranks every North Carolina place with 10,000 or more residents by that figure; the IRS column shows net adjusted gross income migration for 2022 to 2023.
| Rank | County | Population | Growth (% per year) | Net domestic migration | Net international migration | IRS net AGI migration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wake County | 1,257,235 | 2.14% | +56,656 | +39,111 | +$374.0M |
| 2 | Brunswick County | 174,702 | 4.81% | +39,856 | +521 | +$504.0M |
| 3 | Johnston County | 256,448 | 3.35% | +31,619 | +3,396 | +$165.5M |
| 4 | Iredell County | 211,798 | 2.45% | +21,109 | +2,749 | +$130.2M |
| 5 | Union County | 267,674 | 2.24% | +19,673 | +4,685 | +$199.3M |
| 6 | New Hanover County | 245,959 | 1.67% | +16,966 | +3,088 | +$231.4M |
| 7 | Cabarrus County | 249,725 | 1.90% | +14,571 | +4,186 | +$110.7M |
| 8 | Gaston County | 246,558 | 1.52% | +14,262 | +4,003 | +$112.2M |
| 9 | Mecklenburg County | 1,233,383 | 2.02% | +12,833 | +65,638 | -$9.1M |
| 10 | Davidson County | 180,182 | 1.29% | +12,081 | +1,559 | +$84.9M |
Go past the headline numbers
The interactive Demographics map layer and the full report for a single place are part of paid plans.
Get the Demographics Report for Brunswick CountyFrequently asked questions
- What are the fastest-growing counties in North Carolina?
- By population growth from 2020 to 2025, the fastest are Brunswick County (4.81% a year), Pender County (3.53% a year), Franklin County (3.51% a year), Johnston County (3.35% a year) and Currituck County (3.14% a year) (Census PEP Vintage 2025). Only places with 10,000 or more residents are ranked.
- Where are people moving in North Carolina?
- By net domestic migration from 2020 to 2025, the largest gains are Wake County (+56,656), Brunswick County (+39,856) and Johnston County (+31,619) (Census PEP Vintage 2025).
- How fast is North Carolina growing overall?
- North Carolina grew 1.39% a year from 2020 to 2025, to 11,197,968 residents, with net migration of +699,433 people (Census PEP Vintage 2025).
- Where does this North Carolina data come from, and how current is it?
- Population, growth and migration come from the U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP Vintage 2025 · 2020–2025). Income migration comes from IRS Statistics of Income (IRS SOI 2022–2023 (2-yr lag)). Counties with fewer than 10,000 residents are not ranked (4 of 100 in North Carolina). Data last loaded 2026-09-23.
Data as of 2026-09-23: sources and periods
- Population, growth and migration
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program: PEP Vintage 2025 · 2020–2025. census.gov/programs-surveys/popest
- Income migration (net AGI)
- Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income migration data: IRS SOI 2022–2023 (2-yr lag). irs.gov/statistics/soi-tax-stats-migration-data
How to read the table
- Population is the Census July 1 estimate of the latest vintage.
- Growth is the compound annual rate over 2020 to 2025.
- Net domestic and international migration are cumulative people over 2020 to 2025.
- IRS net AGI migration is adjusted gross income that moved in, less what moved out, for 2022 to 2023. A plus sign means a net inflow.
- Places with fewer than 10,000 residents are left out of the rankings.