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 2023, at 85.1%. Morrisville, NC had the lowest, at 29.6%. The median was 48.3% and the figure for North Carolina was 47.8%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest85.1Elon, NC
Lowest29.6Morrisville, NC
Median48.393 cities
North Carolina47.8History

Top 40 cities, 2023

Elon, NC: 85.1 %Elon, NC85.1Zebulon, NC: 82.2 %Zebulon, NC82.2Weddington, NC: 79.8 %Weddington, NC79.8Kings Mountain, NC: 79.7 %Kings Mountain, NC79.7Boone, NC: 78.2 %Boone, NC78.2Pineville, NC: 64.4 %Pineville, NC64.4Morehead City, NC: 60 %Morehead City, NC60Chapel Hill, NC: 59.2 %Chapel Hill, NC59.2Tarboro, NC: 58.3 %Tarboro, NC58.3Smithfield, NC: 57.7 %Smithfield, NC57.7Laurinburg, NC: 57.2 %Laurinburg, NC57.2Hendersonville, NC: 55.2 %Hendersonville, NC55.2Wendell, NC: 55 %Wendell, NC55Asheville, NC: 54.2 %Asheville, NC54.2Pinehurst, NC: 54.1 %Pinehurst, NC54.1Henderson, NC: 54 %Henderson, NC54Wilmington, NC: 54 %Wilmington, NC54Concord, NC: 53.7 %Concord, NC53.7Winterville, NC: 53.4 %Winterville, NC53.4Jacksonville, NC: 53.3 %Jacksonville, NC53.3Salisbury, NC: 53.3 %Salisbury, NC53.3Garner, NC: 53.1 %Garner, NC53.1Clayton, NC: 53 %Clayton, NC53Waynesville, NC: 53 %Waynesville, NC53Elizabeth City, NC: 52.8 %Elizabeth City, NC52.8Greensboro, NC: 52.8 %Greensboro, NC52.8Gastonia, NC: 52.6 %Gastonia, NC52.6Morganton, NC: 52.5 %Morganton, NC52.5Monroe, NC: 52.3 %Monroe, NC52.3Eden, NC: 51.6 %Eden, NC51.6Leland, NC: 51.4 %Leland, NC51.4New Bern, NC: 51.3 %New Bern, NC51.3Mount Holly, NC: 51.2 %Mount Holly, NC51.2Statesville, NC: 51.2 %Statesville, NC51.2Raleigh, NC: 51.1 %Raleigh, NC51.1Indian Trail, NC: 51 %Indian Trail, NC51Fayetteville, NC: 50.9 %Fayetteville, NC50.9Reidsville, NC: 50.4 %Reidsville, NC50.4Sanford, NC: 50.2 %Sanford, NC50.2Greenville, NC: 49.7 %Greenville, NC49.7Elon, NC: 85.1 %Elon, NC85.1Zebulon, NC: 82.2 %Zebulon, NC82.2Weddington, NC: 79.8 %Weddington, NC79.8Kings Mountain, NC: 79.7 %Kings Mountain, NC79.7Boone, NC: 78.2 %Boone, NC78.2Pineville, NC: 64.4 %Pineville, NC64.4Morehead City, NC: 60 %Morehead City, NC60Chapel Hill, NC: 59.2 %Chapel Hill, NC59.2Tarboro, NC: 58.3 %Tarboro, NC58.3Smithfield, NC: 57.7 %Smithfield, NC57.7Laurinburg, NC: 57.2 %Laurinburg, NC57.2Hendersonville, NC: 55.2 %Hendersonville, NC55.2Wendell, NC: 55 %Wendell, NC55Asheville, NC: 54.2 %Asheville, NC54.2Pinehurst, NC: 54.1 %Pinehurst, NC54.1Henderson, NC: 54 %Henderson, NC54Wilmington, NC: 54 %Wilmington, NC54Concord, NC: 53.7 %Concord, NC53.7Winterville, NC: 53.4 %Winterville, NC53.4Jacksonville, NC: 53.3 %Jacksonville, NC53.3Salisbury, NC: 53.3 %Salisbury, NC53.3Garner, NC: 53.1 %Garner, NC53.1Clayton, NC: 53 %Clayton, NC53Waynesville, NC: 53 %Waynesville, NC53Elizabeth City, NC: 52.8 %Elizabeth City, NC52.8Greensboro, NC: 52.8 %Greensboro, NC52.8Gastonia, NC: 52.6 %Gastonia, NC52.6Morganton, NC: 52.5 %Morganton, NC52.5Monroe, NC: 52.3 %Monroe, NC52.3Eden, NC: 51.6 %Eden, NC51.6Leland, NC: 51.4 %Leland, NC51.4New Bern, NC: 51.3 %New Bern, NC51.3Mount Holly, NC: 51.2 %Mount Holly, NC51.2Statesville, NC: 51.2 %Statesville, NC51.2Raleigh, NC: 51.1 %Raleigh, NC51.1Indian Trail, NC: 51 %Indian Trail, NC51Fayetteville, NC: 50.9 %Fayetteville, NC50.9Reidsville, NC: 50.4 %Reidsville, NC50.4Sanford, NC: 50.2 %Sanford, NC50.2Greenville, NC: 49.7 %Greenville, NC49.7
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Elon, NC85.1+0.3 pts
2Zebulon, NC82.2+6.7 pts
3Weddington, NC79.8+23.1 pts
4Kings Mountain, NC79.7+13.6 pts
5Boone, NC78.2-0.8 pts
6Pineville, NC64.4+1.8 pts
7Morehead City, NC60-0.8 pts
8Chapel Hill, NC59.2-0.4 pts
9Tarboro, NC58.3-1.1 pts
10Smithfield, NC57.7-0.4 pts
11Laurinburg, NC57.2+2.4 pts
12Hendersonville, NC55.2+2.8 pts
13Wendell, NC55-4.6 pts
14Asheville, NC54.2+0.5 pts
15Pinehurst, NC54.1+11 pts
16Henderson, NC54-1.3 pts
17Wilmington, NC54-1.3 pts
18Concord, NC53.7+2.2 pts
19Winterville, NC53.4+10.3 pts
20Jacksonville, NC53.3-0.3 pts
21Salisbury, NC53.3+1.9 pts
22Garner, NC53.1+4.3 pts
23Clayton, NC53+4.8 pts
24Waynesville, NC53-0.9 pts
25Elizabeth City, NC52.8+4.5 pts
25Greensboro, NC52.8+1.1 pts
27Gastonia, NC52.6-1.3 pts
28Morganton, NC52.5+5 pts
29Monroe, NC52.3+1.4 pts
30Eden, NC51.6-1.2 pts
31Leland, NC51.4-2.1 pts
32New Bern, NC51.3+1.5 pts
33Mount Holly, NC51.2+0.3 pts
34Statesville, NC51.2+1.4 pts
35Raleigh, NC51.1+1.1 pts
36Indian Trail, NC51+10 pts
37Fayetteville, NC50.9-0.9 pts
38Reidsville, NC50.4-3.7 pts
39Sanford, NC50.2+1.4 pts
40Greenville, NC49.7-0.8 pts
41Carrboro, NC49-0.6 pts
42Winston-Salem, NC49+0.1 pts
43Charlotte, NC49+0.9 pts
44Cornelius, NC48.9+1.4 pts
44Lexington, NC48.9-8.2 pts
46Southern Pines, NC48.7+6.6 pts
47Lincolnton, NC48.3+2.3 pts
48Roanoke Rapids, NC48.3-2.1 pts
49Mebane, NC48-2 pts
50Goldsboro, NC48-2.1 pts
51Davidson, NC47.9+4.9 pts
52Hope Mills, NC47.8-0.6 pts
53Shelby, NC47.4-5.3 pts
54Burlington, NC47.3+1.8 pts
55Lumberton, NC47+0.4 pts
55Wilson, NC47-0.5 pts
57Spring Lake, NC46.8-1.3 pts
58Durham, NC46.5+0.5 pts
59Kinston, NC46.4-1.7 pts
60High Point, NC46.3-1.2 pts
61Knightdale, NC46.1-8.7 pts
62Newton, NC46+2.6 pts
63Asheboro, NC45.5-1.3 pts
64Mount Airy, NC45.2-4.5 pts
65Albemarle, NC45+1.7 pts
66Mint Hill, NC45+4.8 pts
67Belmont, NC44.9+2.1 pts
68Havelock, NC44.8+0.2 pts
69Thomasville, NC44.8-2.3 pts
70Kannapolis, NC44.7+0.2 pts
71Rocky Mount, NC44.4+0.2 pts
72Holly Springs, NC44+6.3 pts
73Clemmons, NC43.7-1.2 pts
74Archdale, NC42.8+6.3 pts
75Mooresville, NC42.7-1.3 pts
76Summerfield, NC42.4-5.8 pts
77Apex, NC42.3+2.7 pts
78Huntersville, NC42.2+2.1 pts
79Hickory, NC41-1.5 pts
80Stallings, NC40.9+0.9 pts
81Rolesville, NC40.8-18.1 pts
82Fuquay-Varina, NC40.5-6.7 pts
83Matthews, NC40.2-1 pts
84Kernersville, NC39.4+0.3 pts
85Aberdeen, NC39.3+6.6 pts
86Graham, NC39-3.4 pts
87Harrisburg, NC38.6+12.9 pts
88Wake Forest, NC38.4+1.2 pts
89Lenoir, NC37.5-8.3 pts
90Waxhaw, NC36.9-2 pts
91Cary, NC36.8+1.4 pts
92Lewisville, NC35.3+2.4 pts
93Morrisville, NC29.6+0.1 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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), 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25070.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-cities?period=2023. 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), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25070.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-cities?period=2023.

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), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25070.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_north_carolina_2023,
  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), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25070.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-cities?period=2023. 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25070.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-cities?period=2023.
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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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 85.1% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Morrisville, NC, with 29.6% in 2023.

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