countyscore

Best Counties for Retirement in North Carolina 2026

100 counties ranked with the Retiree lens of the County Fit Score.

Top 5 Retirement Counties in North Carolina

1Mitchell County
71.4
baseline 69.4
2Yancey County
68.4
baseline 67
3Madison County
67.3
baseline 65.8
4Stokes County
66.7
baseline 63.2
5Avery County
63.5
baseline 60.7

All 100 Retirement-Ranked Counties in North Carolina

RankCountyCounty Fit Scorebaseline CountyScoreDelta
1Mitchell County, NC71.469.4+2
2Yancey County, NC68.467+1.4
3Madison County, NC67.365.8+1.5
4Stokes County, NC66.763.2+3.5
5Avery County, NC63.560.7+2.8
6Alleghany County, NC61.961.3+0.6
7Caswell County, NC61.458.9+2.5
8Transylvania County, NC60.455.8+4.6
9Currituck County, NC60.356+4.3
10Alexander County, NC59.656.7+2.9
11Clay County, NC58.756.3+2.4
12Gates County, NC58.155.7+2.4
13Polk County, NC57.753.8+3.9
14Graham County, NC56.554+2.5
15Watauga County, NC56.454.1+2.3
16Wake County, NC55.753.4+2.3
17Hyde County, NC54.959.8-4.9
18Jackson County, NC54.455.6-1.2
19Ashe County, NC53.651.2+2.4
20Macon County, NC53.356.4-3.1
21Swain County, NC51.951.6+0.3
22Pasquotank County, NC51.845.6+6.2
23Jones County, NC51.559.8-8.3
24Yadkin County, NC51.450.6+0.8
25Tyrrell County, NC50.756-5.3
26Dare County, NC50.651.3-0.7
27Pamlico County, NC50.655.8-5.2
28Catawba County, NC50.548.9+1.6
29Brunswick County, NC50.246+4.2
30Cherokee County, NC50.247.4+2.8
31Perquimans County, NC50.247.8+2.4
32Beaufort County, NC50.150.4-0.3
33Chowan County, NC49.847.9+1.9
34Moore County, NC49.749.3+0.4
35Wilkes County, NC49.649.1+0.5
36Camden County, NC49.440.9+8.5
37Henderson County, NC49.148+1.1
38Orange County, NC48.549.8-1.3
39Lincoln County, NC48.245.5+2.7
40Nash County, NC48.147.8+0.3
41Union County, NC48.146.5+1.6
42Person County, NC4843+5
43Davie County, NC47.944.4+3.5
44Surry County, NC47.650.2-2.6
45Stanly County, NC47.445.3+2.1
46Carteret County, NC46.544.1+2.4
47Caldwell County, NC46.445.8+0.6
48Northampton County, NC46.245.6+0.6
49Haywood County, NC46.144+2.1
50McDowell County, NC45.446.3-0.9
51Rutherford County, NC45.344.7+0.6
52Granville County, NC45.140.4+4.7
53Iredell County, NC45.142.6+2.5
54Montgomery County, NC45.148-2.9
55Cabarrus County, NC44.142+2.1
56Cleveland County, NC43.241.9+1.3
57New Hanover County, NC43.140+3.1
58Franklin County, NC4338.5+4.5
59Pender County, NC4345.8-2.8
60Chatham County, NC42.440.4+2
61Buncombe County, NC42.141.7+0.4
62Johnston County, NC41.643.3-1.7
63Bertie County, NC41.541.1+0.4
64Davidson County, NC41.238.6+2.6
65Burke County, NC40.540.2+0.3
66Lenoir County, NC4038.2+1.8
67Randolph County, NC4040.2-0.2
68Craven County, NC39.638.1+1.5
69Onslow County, NC39.539.3+0.2
70Greene County, NC39.143.4-4.3
71Columbus County, NC3940.7-1.7
72Hoke County, NC38.635.5+3.1
73Rockingham County, NC38.539.2-0.7
74Anson County, NC38.438+0.4
75Alamance County, NC38.335.6+2.7
76Hertford County, NC38.337.8+0.5
77Rowan County, NC38.338.5-0.2
78Harnett County, NC38.235.2+3
79Warren County, NC3838.4-0.4
80Lee County, NC37.836.1+1.7
81Durham County, NC37.634.3+3.3
82Duplin County, NC37.536.5+1
83Sampson County, NC37.236.3+0.9
84Mecklenburg County, NC3733.4+3.6
85Washington County, NC3736.2+0.8
86Forsyth County, NC36.834+2.8
87Bladen County, NC36.439.3-2.9
88Pitt County, NC36.233.4+2.8
89Guilford County, NC35.834.8+1
90Vance County, NC34.534.6-0.1
91Wayne County, NC34.432.5+1.9
92Richmond County, NC3434.1-0.1
93Martin County, NC33.233.6-0.4
94Scotland County, NC32.937.4-4.5
95Gaston County, NC32.832+0.8
96Wilson County, NC32.129.5+2.6
97Halifax County, NC30.431-0.6
98Robeson County, NC29.532-2.5
99Cumberland County, NC28.926.4+2.5
100Edgecombe County, NC27.627.1+0.5

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best county for retirement in North Carolina?

Based on the Retiree lens, Mitchell County ranks as the top retirement county in North Carolina with a County Fit Score of 71.4. The baseline CountyScore remains visible for context.

How many counties in North Carolina are ranked for retirement?

We rank 100 counties in North Carolina with the Retiree lens, using independent importance values for health, safety, taxes, cost, disaster risk, water, and weather.

Also Browse North Carolina Counties For

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Retirement Rankings by State

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

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