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Pamlico County, NC

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
94
6% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$209,800
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+57.3%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$909
national $1,348
Homeownership
83%
national 65%
Unemployment
3.7%
national 3.6%
Household income
$61,624
national $78,538
Median age
54.1 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the statewide price level for North Carolina (state avg).

The cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. The median home is valued at $209,800 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 57% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $909 a month. Unemployment averaged 3.7% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $61,624. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Pamlico County, NC saw a net gain of 125 tax-filing households and a net gain of 278 individuals. Against a population of about 12,423, that is a net inflow of about 22 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area gained $17.4M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 108 households, came from Craven County; the largest outflow, about 110 households, went to Craven County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net gain of 211 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
+$17.4M
nominal dollars
Net households
+125
tax returns
Net people
+278
exemptions

+22.4 net people per 1,000 residents (population 12,423)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$33.9M
Moved out$16.4M
Net +$17.4M (nominal)
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Pamlico County within North Carolina

Pamlico County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other North Carolina counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
Loading map…

Where movers came from

  1. 1Craven County, NC108$6.4M
  2. 2Wake County, NC23$2.2M
  3. 3Beaufort County, NC20$1.1M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Craven County, NC110$5M
  2. 2Beaufort County, NC21$656K
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Craven County, NC108110-2+$1.4M
Beaufort County, NC2021-1+$471K
Wake County, NC23

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: +$124.9M (+1,530 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$3.3M-143
2013-$1.6M-76
2014+$8.1M+124
2015+$679K-28
2016+$5.9M+133
2017+$9.3M+29
2018+$13.2M+264
2019+$8.5M+157
2020+$19.1M+289
2021+$23.4M+292
2022+$24.2M+211
2023+$17.4M+278
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 278 more people moved into Pamlico County, NC than left (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net gain of about $17.4M in income (nominal) — in a county of 12,431 people.

Population
12,431
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
+22.4
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about +224 people.
Net income per resident
+$1,403
nominal dollars
+$17.4M total across 12,431 residents.

The rate lets you compare Pamlico County, NC with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+92
Deaths
-227
Net domestic migration
+301
Net international migration
+5
Total change
+176

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Pamlico County, NC run about 6% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $106 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$57,095
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
18% below the U.S. average
Price level
94.4
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 5.6% lower than average
What that income buys
$60,483
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
14% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

This county isn't in a metro area that BEA prices separately, so cost of living shows the North Carolina (state avg) figure.

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents80.8
Goods96.8
Utilities83.6
Other services98.7

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Pamlico County, NC

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
54.1
years
Median household income
$61,624
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
22% below the U.S. median
College degree
25%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
12.4%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
24 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
85%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 74%Hispanic 5%Black 18%Asian 1%Other 2%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$209,800
owner-occupied homes
31% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$909
gross rent per month
33% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
83%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+9.8%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+57%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
93new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 100%Multifamily 0%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
3.7%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
4,888
4,707 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
3.3%
April 2026 · ▼ 0.1 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Pamlico County, NC has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
20242,6765,22971R +32.07,976
20202,7134,84969R +28.07,631
20162,4484,258164R +26.36,870
20122,6474,05164R +20.86,762
20082,8383,82351R +14.76,712
20042,3353,67924R +22.36,038
20002,1882,99955R +15.55,242

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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