Moore County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 99,727. Its county seat is Carthage and its largest community Pinehurst. It is a border county between the Piedmont and the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

In the early years, the economy was dependent on agriculture and lumber. The lumber business expanded after railroads reached the area, improving access to markets. It lies at the northern edge of the area known as the Sandhills region, and developed resorts in the late 19th century, aided by railroads.

Since the early 21st century, Moore County comprises the Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Moore County is a part of the Fayetteville-Lumberton-Pinehurst, NC Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 693,299 in 2023, making it the 75th-largest CSA in the United States.

Archeological evidence indicates Siouan Native Americans inhabited the area eventually comprising Moore County from the early 500s until the 1600s. European settlers arrived in about 1739. In subsequent years, settlers of English, Ulster Scots, and German origin arrived by way of the Great Wagon Road and from the Cape Fear River valley, with most choosing to reside in the northern section of the eventual county. From the 1750s to the 1770s, the area received an influx of settlers from the Scottish Highlands, who mostly occupied the southeastern portions of the county and developed a naval stores industry with the area's longleaf pines. The Scots also brought African slaves to the area.

Settlement decreased during the American Revolutionary War. Settlers in the northern portion of the eventual county generally supported the Patriots, while the Highlands Scots in the southeastern area were mostly Loyalists. In July 1781 a Patriot–Loyalist skirmish took place at the House in the Horseshoe. Many Loyalists were socially ostracized after the end of the war. Moore County was formed in 1784, from part of Cumberland County. It was named after Alfred Moore, an officer in the American Revolutionary War and a later associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. A courthouse was erected the following year. The county's boundaries were redrawn several times between 1784 and 1829. The county's northern section benefited from economic development in the years after its creation. In 1796, a law was passed designating the county seat at a new community to be known as Carthage, where the courthouse was eventually moved in 1814. A new one was built six years later. Another one was built in 1840.

Many men from the county served in the American Civil War. In 1877, the Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad was established and laid through Moore, leading to the creation of new communities. Logging of the local pines increased and the rail towns of Cameron, Manly, Keyser, and Aberdeen were built to ship the lumber. Most of the county's old-growth pine forests were depleted by 1900. With large swathes of lands cleared and transportation links well-established, new health resort towns and mineral spas were created, such as Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Pinebluff, and Jackson Springs.

In 1897, the first golf courses were established in the county. The number of courses expanded over the years and drew in wealthy vacationers from New England and the Mid-Atlantic, who built seasonal homes in Pinehurst and Southern Pines. Fox hunting and polo and equestrian activities also grew in popularity. In 1907, parts of Moore and Chatham counties were combined to form Lee County. In 1922, the present Moore County Courthouse was built. In 1958, the Little River Township of Hoke County was annexed to Moore.

Moore County has many golf resorts in the Southern Pines/Pinehurst area, and hosted the 1996 and 2001 Women's U.S. Opens, as well as the 1999 and 2005 Men's U.S. Opens. The Women's Open returned to Southern Pines in 2007. In 2014, they consecutively hosted both the Women's and Men's Opens in the same year, a first in U.S. Open history.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 705.69 square miles (1,827.7 km), of which 697.68 square miles (1,807.0 km) is land and 8.00 square miles (20.7 km) (1.13%) is water. Moore County is bordered by Chatham, Lee, Harnett, Cumberland, Hoke, Scotland, Richmond, Montgomery County, and Randolph counties. It lies mostly within the Piedmont region, though some of the county extends into the state's Coastal Plain. Additionally, the county lies within the Sandhills region, and about two-thirds of its land are host to sandy soils. The county drains into the Cape Fear River Basin and Lumber River Basin. Local waterways include Pine Lake, Deep and Little Rivers and Aberdeen, Big Governors, Big Juniper, Drowning, Herds, McLendons, Sugar, and Little Crane Creeks.

Longleaf pine is native to the region. It grows in the Sandhills Game Land, a state nature preserve which covers part of Moore County, and the Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve, which resides wholly in the county. Fish present in the county include bass, sunfish, and Cape Fear shiner. The endangered red-cockaded woodpecker resides in the area.

As of the 2020 census, there were 99,727 people. Racially, 77 percent of county residents identified as white, 10 percent as black, 7.4 percent as Hispanic/Latino, 2.8 as Native American, and 1.3 percent as Asian. Compared to the rest of the state, the population of the county is older and more white. For the first time, the census classified the municipalities of Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen, Pinebluff, Taylortown, and Whispering Pines as constituting a contiguous urban area, due to the combined population of those areas exceeding 50,000 people.

Historical population

Historical population Census Pop. Note %± 1790 3,870 — 1800 4,767 23.2% 1810 6,367 33.6% 1820 7,128 12.0% 1830 7,745 8.7% 1840 7,988 3.1% 1850 9,342 17.0% 1860 11,427 22.3% 1870 12,040 5.4% 1880 16,821 39.7% 1890 20,479 21.7% 1900 23,622 15.3% 1910 17,010 −28.0% 1920 21,388 25.7% 1930 28,215 31.9% 1940 30,969 9.8% 1950 33,129 7.0% 1960 36,733 10.9% 1970 39,048 6.3% 1980 50,505 29.3% 1990 59,013 16.8% 2000 74,769 26.7% 2010 88,247 18.0% 2020 99,727 13.0% 2023 (est.) 106,898 7.2% U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

Between 2010 and 2020, Moore County grew by 11,480 residents. The North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management projected in 2023 that the county's population will grow to be 146,972 in 2040 and 170,097 in 2050.

Carthage is the seat of Moore County. The county's government is led by a five-member board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected at-large but represent districts in which they reside. The board is responsible for levying taxes and appropriating county funds, issuing ordinances within the confines of state law, and overseeing county government administration. The commissioners appoint a county manager who leads the everyday function of county administration under the commissioners' direction. They also appoint their own clerk, a county attorney, and a tax administrator. In addition to the commissioners, county voters elect a register of deeds.

Moore County is a member of the Triangle J Council of Governments, a regional planning body. It is located in North Carolina's 9th congressional district, the North Carolina Senate's 21st district, and the North Carolina House of Representatives' 51st, 52nd, and 78th districts.

Moore County lies within the bounds of North Carolina's 29th Prosecutorial District, the 19D Superior Court District, and the 19D District Court District. County voters elect a sheriff.

Historical presidential election returns

United States presidential election results for Moore County, North Carolina Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies) No.  % No.  % No.  % 2020 36,764 63.02% 20,779 35.62% 796 1.36% 2016 30,490 62.62% 16,329 33.54% 1,873 3.85% 2012 29,495 63.55% 16,505 35.56% 415 0.89% 2008 27,314 60.26% 17,624 38.88% 390 0.86% 2004 24,714 64.39% 13,555 35.32% 113 0.29% 2000 19,882 63.52% 11,232 35.88% 187 0.60% 1996 14,760 55.74% 9,847 37.19% 1,872 7.07% 1992 12,448 46.81% 9,649 36.29% 4,494 16.90% 1988 14,543 65.37% 7,642 34.35% 63 0.28% 1984 14,681 67.40% 7,063 32.43% 38 0.17% 1980 10,158 53.71% 8,084 42.75% 669 3.54% 1976 7,577 50.45% 7,373 49.09% 70 0.47% 1972 9,406 70.68% 3,627 27.25% 275 2.07% 1968 5,322 43.74% 3,583 29.45% 3,263 26.82% 1964 5,162 44.71% 6,384 55.29% 0 0.00% 1960 5,815 51.17% 5,548 48.83% 0 0.00% 1956 5,238 52.55% 4,729 47.45% 0 0.00% 1952 5,442 51.79% 5,066 48.21% 0 0.00% 1948 2,719 40.28% 3,341 49.50% 690 10.22% 1944 2,663 41.78% 3,711 58.22% 0 0.00% 1940 2,587 37.40% 4,330 62.60% 0 0.00% 1936 2,481 35.71% 4,466 64.29% 0 0.00% 1932 2,459 36.20% 4,287 63.11% 47 0.69% 1928 3,290 55.49% 2,639 44.51% 0 0.00% 1924 1,974 41.27% 2,771 57.93% 38 0.79% 1920 2,279 45.97% 2,679 54.03% 0 0.00% 1916 1,047 43.52% 1,337 55.57% 22 0.91% 1912 252 11.92% 1,167 55.20% 695 32.88% 1908 1,077 48.84% 1,109 50.29% 19 0.86% 1904 1,178 44.88% 1,424 54.25% 23 0.88% 1900 2,029 55.63% 1,606 44.04% 12 0.33% 1896 1,948 46.75% 2,207 52.96% 12 0.29% 1892 1,460 37.65% 1,674 43.17% 744 19.19% 1888 1,826 47.51% 1,955 50.87% 62 1.61% 1884 1,468 45.32% 1,769 54.62% 2 0.06% 1880 1,367 48.03% 1,476 51.86% 3 0.11%

Politically, Moore County is dominated by the Republican Party. As of December 2022, the county hosts 15,812 registered Democrats, 31,387 Republicans, four members of the Green Party, 613 Libertarians, and 28,112 unaffiliated voters.

Moore County residents are on average wealthier than their statewide contemporaries. In mid-2021, the United States Census Bureau reported the county's median annual income as $63,324. As of December 2022, the poverty rate was about nine percent. Healthcare and social assistance, accommodation and food services, and retail are the largest-employing private sectors in Moore. Moore's economy also relies heavily on tourism, largely driven by golfing events. In 2021, the county benefitted from $673 million in tourism spending, giving it the 10th largest tourism economy among North Carolina's counties. Some county residents work in both civilian and military capacities at the U.S. Army's Fort Liberty in neighboring Cumberland County. Some manufacturing also takes place in Moore.