Data / Rankings / Rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income) / Cities in North Carolina

Cities in North Carolina by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income)

Elon, NC had the highest rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income) of 93 cities in 2022, at 84.8%. Harrisburg, NC had the lowest, at 25.7%. The median was 48.2% and the figure for North Carolina was 47.6%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest84.8Elon, NC
Lowest25.7Harrisburg, NC
Median48.293 cities
North Carolina47.6History

Top 40 cities, 2022

Elon, NC: 84.8 %Elon, NC84.8Boone, NC: 79 %Boone, NC79Zebulon, NC: 75.6 %Zebulon, NC75.6Kings Mountain, NC: 66.1 %Kings Mountain, NC66.1Pineville, NC: 62.7 %Pineville, NC62.7Morehead City, NC: 60.8 %Morehead City, NC60.8Chapel Hill, NC: 59.6 %Chapel Hill, NC59.6Wendell, NC: 59.6 %Wendell, NC59.6Tarboro, NC: 59.4 %Tarboro, NC59.4Rolesville, NC: 58.8 %Rolesville, NC58.8Smithfield, NC: 58.1 %Smithfield, NC58.1Lexington, NC: 57.1 %Lexington, NC57.1Weddington, NC: 56.7 %Weddington, NC56.7Henderson, NC: 55.4 %Henderson, NC55.4Wilmington, NC: 55.3 %Wilmington, NC55.3Laurinburg, NC: 54.8 %Laurinburg, NC54.8Knightdale, NC: 54.8 %Knightdale, NC54.8Reidsville, NC: 54.2 %Reidsville, NC54.2Gastonia, NC: 53.9 %Gastonia, NC53.9Waynesville, NC: 53.8 %Waynesville, NC53.8Asheville, NC: 53.7 %Asheville, NC53.7Jacksonville, NC: 53.6 %Jacksonville, NC53.6Leland, NC: 53.5 %Leland, NC53.5Eden, NC: 52.8 %Eden, NC52.8Shelby, NC: 52.8 %Shelby, NC52.8Hendersonville, NC: 52.4 %Hendersonville, NC52.4Fayetteville, NC: 51.8 %Fayetteville, NC51.8Greensboro, NC: 51.7 %Greensboro, NC51.7Concord, NC: 51.5 %Concord, NC51.5Salisbury, NC: 51.4 %Salisbury, NC51.4Mount Holly, NC: 51 %Mount Holly, NC51Monroe, NC: 50.9 %Monroe, NC50.9Greenville, NC: 50.5 %Greenville, NC50.5Roanoke Rapids, NC: 50.4 %Roanoke Rapids, NC50.4Goldsboro, NC: 50.2 %Goldsboro, NC50.2Mebane, NC: 50.1 %Mebane, NC50.1Raleigh, NC: 50 %Raleigh, NC50Statesville, NC: 49.8 %Statesville, NC49.8New Bern, NC: 49.8 %New Bern, NC49.8Mount Airy, NC: 49.7 %Mount Airy, NC49.7Elon, NC: 84.8 %Elon, NC84.8Boone, NC: 79 %Boone, NC79Zebulon, NC: 75.6 %Zebulon, NC75.6Kings Mountain, NC: 66.1 %Kings Mountain, NC66.1Pineville, NC: 62.7 %Pineville, NC62.7Morehead City, NC: 60.8 %Morehead City, NC60.8Chapel Hill, NC: 59.6 %Chapel Hill, NC59.6Wendell, NC: 59.6 %Wendell, NC59.6Tarboro, NC: 59.4 %Tarboro, NC59.4Rolesville, NC: 58.8 %Rolesville, NC58.8Smithfield, NC: 58.1 %Smithfield, NC58.1Lexington, NC: 57.1 %Lexington, NC57.1Weddington, NC: 56.7 %Weddington, NC56.7Henderson, NC: 55.4 %Henderson, NC55.4Wilmington, NC: 55.3 %Wilmington, NC55.3Laurinburg, NC: 54.8 %Laurinburg, NC54.8Knightdale, NC: 54.8 %Knightdale, NC54.8Reidsville, NC: 54.2 %Reidsville, NC54.2Gastonia, NC: 53.9 %Gastonia, NC53.9Waynesville, NC: 53.8 %Waynesville, NC53.8Asheville, NC: 53.7 %Asheville, NC53.7Jacksonville, NC: 53.6 %Jacksonville, NC53.6Leland, NC: 53.5 %Leland, NC53.5Eden, NC: 52.8 %Eden, NC52.8Shelby, NC: 52.8 %Shelby, NC52.8Hendersonville, NC: 52.4 %Hendersonville, NC52.4Fayetteville, NC: 51.8 %Fayetteville, NC51.8Greensboro, NC: 51.7 %Greensboro, NC51.7Concord, NC: 51.5 %Concord, NC51.5Salisbury, NC: 51.4 %Salisbury, NC51.4Mount Holly, NC: 51 %Mount Holly, NC51Monroe, NC: 50.9 %Monroe, NC50.9Greenville, NC: 50.5 %Greenville, NC50.5Roanoke Rapids, NC: 50.4 %Roanoke Rapids, NC50.4Goldsboro, NC: 50.2 %Goldsboro, NC50.2Mebane, NC: 50.1 %Mebane, NC50.1Raleigh, NC: 50 %Raleigh, NC50Statesville, NC: 49.8 %Statesville, NC49.8New Bern, NC: 49.8 %New Bern, NC49.8Mount Airy, NC: 49.7 %Mount Airy, NC49.7
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Elon, NC84.8-1.3 pts
2Boone, NC79+2.3 pts
3Zebulon, NC75.6-4.3 pts
4Kings Mountain, NC66.1+4.6 pts
5Pineville, NC62.7+3.4 pts
6Morehead City, NC60.8+3.5 pts
7Chapel Hill, NC59.6-0.2 pts
8Wendell, NC59.6+0.9 pts
9Tarboro, NC59.4+11.9 pts
10Rolesville, NC58.8+8 pts
11Smithfield, NC58.1+0.3 pts
12Lexington, NC57.1-3.6 pts
13Weddington, NC56.7+41.5 pts
14Henderson, NC55.4+1.2 pts
15Wilmington, NC55.3+1.5 pts
16Laurinburg, NC54.8+2.5 pts
17Knightdale, NC54.8+3.5 pts
18Reidsville, NC54.2-2.7 pts
19Gastonia, NC53.9+1.1 pts
20Waynesville, NC53.8-1.8 pts
21Asheville, NC53.7+0.7 pts
22Jacksonville, NC53.6-0.3 pts
23Leland, NC53.5+1.3 pts
24Eden, NC52.8+1.3 pts
25Shelby, NC52.8-1.4 pts
26Hendersonville, NC52.4+3.5 pts
27Fayetteville, NC51.8+0.7 pts
28Greensboro, NC51.7+1.5 pts
29Concord, NC51.5+6.8 pts
30Salisbury, NC51.4+1.4 pts
31Mount Holly, NC51+1.9 pts
32Monroe, NC50.9+2.5 pts
33Greenville, NC50.5-3 pts
34Roanoke Rapids, NC50.4-2.6 pts
35Goldsboro, NC50.2-1.6 pts
36Mebane, NC50.1-1.4 pts
37Raleigh, NC50+1.8 pts
38Statesville, NC49.8-3.3 pts
39New Bern, NC49.8+2 pts
40Mount Airy, NC49.7-1.2 pts
41Carrboro, NC49.6+4.6 pts
42Winston-Salem, NC48.9-0.1 pts
43Garner, NC48.8-4.3 pts
44Sanford, NC48.8+6.7 pts
45Hope Mills, NC48.4-0.5 pts
46Elizabeth City, NC48.3+1.1 pts
47Clayton, NC48.2-0.2 pts
48Spring Lake, NC48.2-0.8 pts
49Kinston, NC48.1+0.4 pts
50Summerfield, NC48.1-8.3 pts
51Charlotte, NC48.1+1.1 pts
52Morganton, NC47.6-1.4 pts
53Cornelius, NC47.5+2.4 pts
53High Point, NC47.5-0.7 pts
55Wilson, NC47.5-1.9 pts
56Fuquay-Varina, NC47.2+1.2 pts
57Thomasville, NC47.1-4 pts
58Asheboro, NC46.8-1.3 pts
59Lumberton, NC46.6-0.6 pts
60Durham, NC46-1 pts
61Lincolnton, NC46-0.9 pts
62Lenoir, NC45.8+0.6 pts
63Burlington, NC45.6+0.8 pts
64Clemmons, NC44.9+2.3 pts
65Havelock, NC44.6-1.1 pts
66Kannapolis, NC44.6-0.2 pts
67Rocky Mount, NC44.1-0.9 pts
68Mooresville, NC44+3.4 pts
69Newton, NC43.4+2 pts
70Albemarle, NC43.3-2.2 pts
71Pinehurst, NC43.1-3 pts
72Winterville, NC43-8.4 pts
73Davidson, NC43-5.7 pts
74Belmont, NC42.9+1.3 pts
75Hickory, NC42.5+3.1 pts
76Graham, NC42.3-3.4 pts
77Southern Pines, NC42.1+4.1 pts
78Matthews, NC41.2-0.3 pts
79Indian Trail, NC41+3.9 pts
80Mint Hill, NC40.2+1 pts
81Huntersville, NC40.2+2.6 pts
82Stallings, NC40+11.9 pts
83Apex, NC39.6+1 pts
84Kernersville, NC39.2+2.6 pts
85Waxhaw, NC38.9+0.2 pts
86Holly Springs, NC37.7+2.8 pts
87Wake Forest, NC37.3-0.5 pts
88Archdale, NC36.5-3.2 pts
89Cary, NC35.40 pts
90Lewisville, NC32.9+3.1 pts
91Aberdeen, NC32.7-6.3 pts
92Morrisville, NC29.5+0.9 pts
93Harrisburg, NC25.7-7.6 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Renter households whose gross rent (contract rent plus utilities and fuels the renter pays) was 30 percent or more of household income in the past 12 months, as a percentage of renter households for which that ratio can be computed. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Renters who pay no cash rent and households with no or negative income are left out of both the count and the base. 30 percent is the usual US threshold for rent burden. The EU housing cost overburden rate (housing_cost_overburden_rate) uses 40 percent of disposable income, all housing costs and people instead of households, so the two cannot be compared.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in North Carolina by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in North Carolina by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-cities?period=2022. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in North Carolina by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-cities?period=2022.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in North Carolina by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-cities?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_north_carolina_2022,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in North Carolina by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-cities?period=2022. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in North Carolina by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-cities?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-cities?period=2022.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Cities in North Carolina by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"rent_burden_30_plus_share","level":"municipality","within":"North Carolina","limit":10}
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Questions

Which city has the highest rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income)?

Elon, NC, with 84.8% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income)?

Harrisburg, NC, with 25.7% in 2022.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income): other rankings

Cities in North Carolina: more rankings