50 counties · Boom Town Index

Best Counties in North Carolina

The top-ranked counties in North Carolina on the Boom Town Index — where economic growth outpaces housing prices.

# County BTI Score Proj. Growth GDP Growth Pop Growth HV Ratio
01 Stanly County NC 91 +3.0% +3.4% +0.9% 5.7x
02 Davidson County NC 80 +2.1% +2.9% +0.9% 5.8x
03 Randolph County NC 78 +2.0% +7.6% +0.5% 5.1x
04 Granville County NC 75 +1.8% +2.9% +0.5% 3.4x
05 Sampson County NC 73 +1.7% +7.7% -0.2% 3.6x
06 Surry County NC 66 +1.4% +2.2% -0.0% 4.1x
07 Burke County NC 64 +1.3% +3.6% -0.0% 4.7x
08 Wilkes County NC 63 +1.3% +4.8% -0.3% 3.8x
09 Wilson County NC 62 +1.2% +2.6% -0.2% 3.0x
10 Harnett County NC 60 +1.2% +4.0% +1.2% 8.7x
11 Craven County NC 58 +1.0% +3.3% -0.3% 3.7x
12 Rutherford County NC 58 +1.0% +1.5% +0.1% 5.3x
13 Lenoir County NC 58 +1.0% +2.0% -0.5% 2.0x
14 Onslow County NC 58 +1.0% +3.0% +1.0% 4.1x
15 Lee County NC 57 +1.0% +10.4% +1.4% 3.6x
16 Pitt County NC 52 +0.8% +3.2% +0.3% 3.1x
17 Caldwell County NC 51 +0.8% +2.5% +0.0% 5.1x
18 Franklin County NC 50 +0.7% +7.9% +3.1% 6.6x
19 Cumberland County NC 48 +0.7% +2.3% +0.5% 2.9x
20 Watauga County NC 47 +0.6% +1.1% +0.9% 6.2x
21 Guilford County NC 46 +0.6% +2.6% +0.5% 3.2x
22 Carteret County NC 46 +0.6% +4.0% +0.6% 6.6x
23 Catawba County NC 46 +0.6% +2.0% +0.7% 3.3x
24 Forsyth County NC 44 +0.5% +0.3% +0.8% 2.9x
25 Rowan County NC 42 +0.5% +2.0% +0.9% 4.5x
26 Iredell County NC 42 +0.4% -0.6% +2.1% 4.5x
27 Rockingham County NC 41 +0.4% +3.6% +0.3% 4.4x
28 Hoke County NC 37 +0.3% +7.9% +0.8% 7.1x
29 Haywood County NC 35 +0.2% +1.3% +0.7% 7.0x
30 Alamance County NC 35 +0.2% +1.8% +1.5% 4.8x
31 Gaston County NC 35 +0.2% +4.1% +1.3% 5.4x
32 Moore County NC 35 +0.2% +3.5% +2.2% 6.4x
33 Cabarrus County NC 34 +0.2% +6.6% +2.4% 6.4x
34 Robeson County NC 30 +0.1% +0.2% -1.1% 2.6x
35 Union County NC 27 -0.1% +5.6% +1.9% 8.1x
36 Orange County NC 26 -0.2% +2.1% -1.0% 5.6x
37 Johnston County NC 25 -0.2% +8.2% +3.6% 5.9x
38 Pender County NC 24 -0.3% +5.4% +2.7% 7.8x
39 Brunswick County NC 24 -0.3% +1.8% +4.4% 6.4x
40 Lincoln County NC 23 -0.3% +6.8% +2.6% 5.9x
41 Nash County NC 23 -0.3% +4.0% +0.4% 2.8x
42 Columbus County NC 22 -0.4% -1.0% -1.3% 4.1x
43 New Hanover County NC 20 -0.5% +2.8% +1.3% 4.4x
44 Chatham County NC 19 -0.6% +1.3% +2.2% 12.9x
45 Henderson County NC 18 -0.7% +3.8% +0.7% 6.9x
46 Wake County NC 17 -0.8% +3.3% +1.7% 4.2x
47 Wayne County NC 17 -0.9% +2.8% -0.2% 3.4x
48 Durham County NC 15 -1.1% +5.9% +1.6% 2.3x
49 Cleveland County NC 13 -1.2% +1.8% +0.6% 3.3x
50 Mecklenburg County NC 12 -1.4% +3.4% +1.3% 2.6x

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