Best In North Carolina Real Estate™: Wilmington

Wilmington leads North Carolina in net migration decline—374 fewer households moved into the area from other counties between 2021-22 and 2022-23, according to IRS Statistics of Income data analyzed by ALEX Intelligence. This marks a pivotal shift: the market is no longer growing via new arrivals, but sustaining itself through retention. What does this mean for long-term real estate strategy in the Cape Fear region? How do you build value in a market where population growth has plateaued? The full data: https://alex-companies.com/data/2026-11-13-wilmington-mig-trend-net Year-Over-Year Change in Net Migration, top 10 (ALEX Intelligence — U.S. Internal Revenue Service 2023) #1 Cumberland County, NC — 72 #2 Carteret County, NC — 38 #3 Davidson County, NC — 37 #4 Columbus County, NC — 33 #5 Sampson County, NC — 30 #6 Wayne County, NC — 29 #7 Charleston County, SC — 28 #8 Broward County, FL — 23 #9 Harnett County, NC — 16 #10 Bladen County, NC — 16 Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Slide 1: Donald (Donnie) Pardue from Sanford, North Carolina, USA (CC BY 2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=15725695; Slide 2: Upstateherd (CC BY-SA 4.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=122367277; Slide 3: Idawriter (CC BY-SA 3.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=53837069; Slide 4: Farragutful (CC BY-SA 4.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=86133435 Source: https://alex-companies.com/data/2026-11-13-wilmington-mig-trend-net View and join any or all of our communities — AI, quantum, and real estate: https://alex-companies.com/reports/linkedin-groups If there's an AI, quantum, or real estate community you'd like to see us convene, tell us — this portfolio grows by request. Real Estate Strategy & Intelligence Leader. Democratized Blue Ocean Strategist & Operator. Diane Hart Alexander, MBA, MHA Chair & CEO, ALEX Companies Designated Broker, Alexander Tiffany Southwest, LLC dba ALEX.realestate, et.al. Texas License #574877-B · Broker License #565194-BB [email protected] · +1 713.591.9902