County-Level Data Resources : North Carolina Association of County Commissioners

NCACC’s Map Book shows some of the most commonly requested data sets, but further information is available in the data that state and federal agencies collect. The data sources listed below provide additional county-level data, summaries, or reports; some of these sources provide lower-level data as well, including municipal and zip code level information.

Agriculture and Environment
- USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service
  The US Department of Agriculture conducts hundreds of annual surveys and also conducts the national Census of Agriculture every 5 years. Data here include farm production, crop data, and farm economics. There is also a North Carolina specific page.
- USDA Annual Report of North Carolina Agriculture
  Hosted online by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences.
- USDA and Cornell University – Historical Censuses of Agriculture
  Compare current day back to 1840 with this repository of 28 prior Agricultural Censuses.
- Cornell University Daily Bird Migration by County
  For bird-watching and amusement, this site provides daily estimated updates about how many birds crossed a county’s airspace — data are available from March 1 to June 15 during spring migration and from August 1 to November 15 during fall migration.
Demographics
- US Census Bureau
  The easiest way to find county demographic data on the Census site is to search for the county using Quick Facts . Or, try this clickable map to see high level 2020 Census data.
- NC State Demographer’s Office
  The State Demographer’s office estimates state, county, and municipal populations, along with other work. Many of these datasets can be found using their online data portal. Specific links that may be of interest include:
Economy
- US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
  This interactive table lets users access Gross Domestic Product and Personal Income at the county level; additional indicators are provided at the state, municipal, and regional levels. Or use this link to access BEA’s county data summaries. For employment data, BEA provides county level job counts by industry.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
  BLS annually releases county level data from its Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, which measures employment and wages by industry as reported by employers. It also provides data on each county’s labor force from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program.
- County Business Patterns (US Census Bureau)
  The Census Bureau does so much more than just the decennial census. One great source of county economic information is County Business Patterns, an annual dataset that includes the number of establishments, employment, and annual payroll, all by county by industry. Use the main link above, go directly to this interactive table, or download data tables here.
- Quarterly Workforce Indicators (US Census Bureau)
  The Quarterly Workforce Indicators include employment, job creation, earnings, and other measures of employment and are available at the county level. Download the data, or use this interactive table to see county data (under “Filters”, click next to “Geography” to select one or more counties.
- Building Permits Survey (US Census Bureau)
  The Building Permits Survey covers new privately-owned residential construction. Data are available monthly and annually at the county level but must be downloaded in a comma delimited format and converted; scroll down to “ASCII files by State, MSA, County or Place.” Or, use the visualizer to see county data in a line graph.
- NC Department of Commerce: Labor and Economic Analysis Division (LEAD)
  LEAD provides state and regional labor market data and analysis. Their commuting profiles pull from census data to show commuting characteristics of county residents, such as how many residents work outside of their home county.
- Realtor.com^® Economic Research
  Realtor.com^® Economic Research provides monthly housing inventory data at the county level, including median home listing prices, average days on market, and number of homes listed for sale.
Education
- North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI)
  For public and charter schools in North Carolina, DPI is the best source of information. A few parts of the site that may be of interest are:
  - Public Schools Statistical Profile: Extensive data on most aspects of public schooling in the state, including enrollment and financial data. For comparison data, DPI also provides older Statistical Profiles back to 1975.
  - For more current information than the annual Statistical Profile provides, DPI publishes monthly Average Daily Membership (ADM) information.
  - This page shows school allotments, which feed into school funding formulas.
  - Capital funding reports, including lottery funding information, are available from this page .
  - DPI’s State of the Teaching Profession report provides annual data about teacher retention and other administrative issues, some of which is available at the school district level.
  - Note: Some DPI reports are organized by LEA code; this page shows codes for all 115 LEAs.
- Non-Public Education Division of NC DOA
  The Non-Public Education Division oversees homeschooling across the state and annually releases the North Carolina Home School Statistical Summary.
  The division also publishes private school statistics here.
- myFutureNC is a statewide organization working on educational attainment. Their education attainment profiles are available for all 100 counties.
Health & Human Services
- NC Medicaid at the Department of Health and Human Services
  - County level Medicaid enrollment is available under the “by county” tab on this Medicaid dashboard. Or for a deep dive, download enrollment data by county in Microsoft Excel format.
- The State Center for Health Statistics (SCHS) at the Department of Health and Human Services
  - The County Health Data Book is produced annually and covers vital records and a wide range of health topics.
  - The Center also publishes a variety of additional county level statistics and reports.
- Opioid and Substance Use Data
  - The North Carolina Opioid Settlement website contains a wealth of information related to the drug overdose crisis, including estimates of county settlement payments by year from the national opioid settlements.
  - The Department of Health and Human Services hosts the NC Opioid and Substance Use Action Plan Data Dashboard which displays state, regional, and local data metrics and local actions included in the North Carolina Opioid and Substance Use Action Plan, including overdose deaths, drug overdose emergency department visits, community and law enforcement naloxone reversals, and the rate of individuals with opioid use disorder served by treatment programs.
- The North Carolina Institute of Medicine
  NCIOM is a leader in North Carolina health data. Access their County Health Profiles or consult their robust guide to other sources of North Carolina health data.
- County Health Rankings by the University of Wisconsin
  County Health Rankings and Roadmaps is a program of the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute. It provides extensive county-level health data. See their North Carolina page, or download the data here.
- US Department of Labor (DOL)
  In early 2023, the US DOL newly released county level data about child care prices and affordability. See the National Database of Childcare Prices here to view or download the data.
Justice & Public Safety
- North Carolina Judicial Branch
  The Judicial Branch produces a small number of reports with county level data, including:
- North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS)
  NCDPS produces an annual statistical report with a small number of county-level data sets about prisons and community corrections.
Tax & Finance
- State and Local Government Finance Division of the Department of State Treasurer
  The Division, which includes the Local Government Commission, is a repository of county and municipal finance data.
  - The Financial Analysis Tools and Reports page includes data about county debts and fund balances.
  - The Annual Financial Information Report tool lets users pull actual revenue and expenditure data at the county and municipal level, based on information self-reported by local governments.
  - County audits from the three most recent fiscal years are found here.
  - County debt, fund balances, property tax collection rates, and other fiscal health metrics that were formerly found in the annual “Management of Cash and Taxes and Fund Balance Available” memo are now found using the “Financial Reports” option in the State Treasurer’s Financial Reports and Analysis Tools interactive report system.
- Department of Revenue, Property Tax Division
  Your best resource for property tax information.
- Department of Revenue: Local Government Division
- Statistical Abstract of North Carolina Taxes
  This annual report contains county-level data for the following taxes:
  - State sales taxes (Tables 36-39)
  - Local Sales taxes (Tables 56-60)
  - Property taxes (Tables 72-74 and Table 78)
  - Other local taxes including Occupancy, Meals, Local Land Transfer, and License taxes (Tables 65 & 75)
  - Stamp Tax on Conveyances (Table 77)
  - Income taxes (Tables C1-C5)

County Data Resources