Median gross rent in North Carolina
At $1,077, the median gross rent in North Carolina is 17% below the national figure of $1,303, ranking 27 of 52, with Mecklenburg County the highest county at $1,413.
Gross rent includes utilities the tenant pays, so it is closer to what actually leaves the account each month than a headline asking rent.
| Rank | County | Typical figure | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mecklenburg County | $1,413 | 1,115,403 residents |
| 2 | Wake County | $1,412 | 1,132,103 residents |
| 3 | Orange County | $1,316 | 145,919 residents |
| 4 | Durham County | $1,301 | 325,101 residents |
| 5 | Union County | $1,274 | 240,109 residents |
| 6 | Dare County | $1,259 | 37,160 residents |
| 7 | New Hanover County | $1,249 | 228,134 residents |
| 8 | Currituck County | $1,217 | 28,616 residents |
| 9 | Buncombe County | $1,209 | 269,449 residents |
| 10 | Brunswick County | $1,187 | 139,721 residents |
| 11 | Cabarrus County | $1,185 | 226,396 residents |
| 12 | Camden County | $1,151 | 10,547 residents |
| 13 | Onslow County | $1,132 | 203,686 residents |
| 14 | Iredell County | $1,105 | 187,839 residents |
| 15 | Cumberland County | $1,098 | 335,207 residents |
| 16 | Moore County | $1,084 | 100,759 residents |
| 17 | Watauga County | $1,067 | 54,540 residents |
| 18 | Craven County | $1,056 | 101,098 residents |
| 19 | Guilford County | $1,049 | 539,557 residents |
| 20 | Pasquotank County | $1,039 | 40,454 residents |
| 21 | Pender County | $1,039 | 61,592 residents |
| 22 | Hoke County | $1,036 | 52,612 residents |
| 23 | Perquimans County | $1,033 | 13,053 residents |
| 24 | Henderson County | $1,032 | 116,469 residents |
| 25 | Harnett County | $1,022 | 134,718 residents |
| 26 | Carteret County | $1,009 | 68,353 residents |
| 27 | Gaston County | $1,005 | 228,972 residents |
| 28 | Chatham County | $995 | 76,754 residents |
| 29 | Polk County | $984 | 19,538 residents |
| 30 | Franklin County | $971 | 69,680 residents |
| 31 | Johnston County | $970 | 219,042 residents |
| 32 | Forsyth County | $969 | 383,739 residents |
| 33 | Alamance County | $959 | 171,779 residents |
| 34 | Haywood County | $954 | 62,152 residents |
| 35 | Granville County | $937 | 61,161 residents |
| 36 | Lincoln County | $928 | 87,933 residents |
| 37 | Rowan County | $925 | 147,067 residents |
| 38 | Lee County | $923 | 63,560 residents |
| 39 | Gates County | $921 | 10,509 residents |
| 40 | Hyde County | $917 | 4,636 residents |
Rent or buy: run it against your own numbers
Once you know the typical local rent, the buy-side question is whether a payment here beats it. An agent can price that out for your area.
Get matched with an agentRelated
- Rent vs buy calculator
- Median household income in North Carolina
- Median home value in North Carolina
- Median gross rent in California
- Median gross rent in Texas
- Median gross rent in Florida
- Median gross rent in New York
- Median gross rent in Pennsylvania
- Median gross rent in Illinois
- Median gross rent in Ohio
- Median gross rent in Georgia
Methodology
Every figure on this page comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates. We store one row per county and roll counties up to state level, weighting each county by its population so that large metros are not treated the same as very small counties.
The median gross rent shown for a state is that population-weighted figure, not a simple average of county values. National comparisons use the same method across all states, so the state-versus-U.S. gap you see is a like-for-like comparison.
These are survey estimates, not transaction records, and they describe typical households rather than any individual situation. Nothing here is personalised financial advice.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (5-year). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2022.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (5-year).