People continue to move to North Carolina, which we like to see for our real estate investments. From 2020-2023, North Carolina ranks 3rd in the nation for positive population change.
State population changes are affected by births and deaths, but also by migration from one state to another. Part of North Carolina’s increase in population is due to people moving into the state.
Here are the overall migration inflows to North Carolina over time, according to the US Census Bureau.
| Year | Population | Lived in another US State 1 year ago | Percent of Population from Migration |
| 2023 | 10,719,307 | 339,255 | 3.2% |
| 2022 | 10,588,557 | 341,582 | 3.2% |
| 2021 | 10,446,881 | 336,681 | 3.2% |
| 2020 | not available | not available | not available |
| 2019 | 10,371,906 | 315,215 | 3.0% |
| 2018 | 10,274,540 | 318,681 | 3.1% |
Where are they coming from?
The table below shows the top states with with people moving into North Carolina. It shows the state, then the number of people who lived in that state in 2022, but live in North Carolina in 2023.
| State | Number of People who lived in that state in 2022, and live in NC in 2023 | As a % of 2023 Inflow Migration (339,255) |
| Alabama | 39,931 | 11.8% |
| South Carolina | 31,358 | 9.2% |
| New York | 29,175 | 8.6% |
| Virginia | 25,555 | 7.5% |
| Georgia | 23,519 | 6.9% |
| California | 21,084 | 6.2% |
| Texas | 17,335 | 5.1% |
| Pennsylvania | 13,040 | 3.8% |
| Maryland | 12,649 | 3.7% |
| New Jersey | 9,290 | 2.7% |
An increase in population is beneficial to real estate investors. More people directly increases demand for housing and retail, also incentivizes businesses to locate where their customers and employees are plentiful.
Doug has held income properties in North Carolina for more than 20 years. He holds a North Carolina broker’s license, and is a member of the National Association of Realtors and the Triangle Real Estate Investors Association. A lifelong learner, he holds an MBA and a PhD in business, and continues his education by attending meetings of the Society of Exchange Counselors and the National Counsel of Exchangors. In addition to his extensive real estate activities, Doug enjoyed a successful career in academia, achieving the rank of Full Professor in the Cameron School of Business at UNC Wilmington. He was honored with research and teaching awards, served as Director of the MS Computer Science and Information Systems program, and was awarded the endowed position Distinguished Professor of Information Systems.