Best Counties for Remote Workers in North Carolina 2026

100 counties ranked by cost of living, income, safety, and disaster resilience.

Top 5 Remote Work Counties in North Carolina

1Mitchell County

All 100 Remote-Work-Ranked Counties in North Carolina

Rank	County	Persona Score	Overall Score
1	Mitchell County, NC	69	70.9
2	Caswell County, NC	68	59.6
3	Stokes County, NC	65	62.4
4	Madison County, NC	61	65.6
5	Alexander County, NC	59	56.6
6	Yancey County, NC	57	68.3
7	Currituck County, NC	56	56.4
8	Avery County, NC	56	60.1
9	Gates County, NC	55	56.2
10	Yadkin County, NC	54	50.3
11	Jones County, NC	53	59.8
12	Wake County, NC	51	53.8
13	Swain County, NC	51	52.6
14	Graham County, NC	49	55.9
15	Transylvania County, NC	49	56.4
16	Nash County, NC	48	47.4
17	Davie County, NC	47	43.2
18	Northampton County, NC	46	45
19	Alleghany County, NC	46	59
20	Camden County, NC	46	40.4
21	Person County, NC	46	44.5
22	Catawba County, NC	45	49.3
23	Moore County, NC	45	48.6
24	Lincoln County, NC	45	45.6
25	Montgomery County, NC	45	46.5
26	Clay County, NC	45	56.1
27	Pender County, NC	44	44.9
28	Polk County, NC	44	52.6
29	Orange County, NC	44	49.6
30	Tyrrell County, NC	44	55
31	Chowan County, NC	44	48.1
32	Pasquotank County, NC	43	45.2
33	Beaufort County, NC	43	50.3
34	Granville County, NC	43	39.6
35	Johnston County, NC	42	43.5
36	Ashe County, NC	42	52.7
37	Cabarrus County, NC	42	42.2
38	Hyde County, NC	42	61.1
39	Stanly County, NC	42	45.1
40	Surry County, NC	42	50.3
41	Franklin County, NC	42	38.2
42	McDowell County, NC	42	47.8
43	Union County, NC	41	46.2
44	Wilkes County, NC	41	48.9
45	Perquimans County, NC	41	46.1
46	Pamlico County, NC	40	52.6
47	Macon County, NC	40	56
48	Brunswick County, NC	40	45.9
49	Caldwell County, NC	39	45.5
50	Chatham County, NC	39	40.7
51	Iredell County, NC	39	42.4
52	Jackson County, NC	39	55.5
53	Dare County, NC	38	51.3
54	Cherokee County, NC	38	46.9
55	Henderson County, NC	37	48.1
56	Rutherford County, NC	37	45.9
57	Cleveland County, NC	37	42.5
58	Columbus County, NC	36	40.7
59	Greene County, NC	36	43.5
60	Rockingham County, NC	36	39
61	Randolph County, NC	36	39.8
62	Lee County, NC	36	35.9
63	Carteret County, NC	35	44.1
64	Harnett County, NC	34	34.7
65	Hertford County, NC	34	39.1
66	Bertie County, NC	34	40.7
67	Rowan County, NC	33	39.2
68	Warren County, NC	33	36.9
69	Haywood County, NC	33	43.6
70	Sampson County, NC	33	36.3
71	Burke County, NC	32	41.4
72	Davidson County, NC	32	38.7
73	Lenoir County, NC	32	38.1
74	Bladen County, NC	32	39.2
75	Watauga County, NC	31	53.9
76	Craven County, NC	31	37.8
77	Anson County, NC	31	34.8
78	Washington County, NC	31	33.3
79	Martin County, NC	31	34.3
80	Hoke County, NC	31	35.4
81	Alamance County, NC	30	35.6
82	Mecklenburg County, NC	30	33.3
83	Richmond County, NC	30	32.8
84	Duplin County, NC	30	35.7
85	Durham County, NC	29	34.1
86	Buncombe County, NC	29	41.4
87	New Hanover County, NC	29	39.6
88	Gaston County, NC	29	31.8
89	Vance County, NC	29	33.8
90	Scotland County, NC	29	37.4
91	Onslow County, NC	28	39.3
92	Halifax County, NC	27	31.6
93	Guilford County, NC	27	34.6
94	Forsyth County, NC	27	33.8
95	Robeson County, NC	26	31.9
96	Wayne County, NC	25	32.1
97	Wilson County, NC	25	29.4
98	Pitt County, NC	24	33.6
99	Edgecombe County, NC	24	27.3
100	Cumberland County, NC	19	25.9

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best county for remote workers in North Carolina?

Based on our analysis of cost of living, income, safety, and disaster risk, Mitchell County ranks as the top remote work county in North Carolina with a remote worker score of 69.

How many counties in North Carolina are ranked for remote workers?

We rank 100 counties in North Carolina for remote work suitability, scoring each on cost of living (30%), income (30%), safety (25%), and disaster risk (15%).

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Data: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, FBI UCR, CDC, FEMA NRI, NCES, EPA SDWIS, 2019-2023 ACS — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.