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

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

Washington County had the highest rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income) of 100 counties in 2021, at 67.9%. McDowell County had the lowest, at 31.2%. The median was 47.4% and the figure for North Carolina was 47.2%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest67.9Washington County
Lowest31.2McDowell County
Median47.4100 counties
North Carolina47.2History

Map of counties, 2021

Alamance County: 47.3 %Alexander County: 32.6 %Alleghany County: 40.9 %Anson County: 46.9 %Ashe County: 42.4 %Avery County: 46.2 %Beaufort County: 50.7 %Bertie County: 53.8 %Bladen County: 54.9 %Brunswick County: 49.4 %Buncombe County: 53 %Burke County: 43 %Cabarrus County: 44.4 %Caldwell County: 39.6 %Camden County: 33.2 %Carteret County: 49.8 %Caswell County: 52.5 %Catawba County: 34.5 %Chatham County: 46.8 %Cherokee County: 49.9 %Chowan County: 42.2 %Clay County: 51.7 %Cleveland County: 50.4 %Columbus County: 52.8 %Craven County: 44.7 %Cumberland County: 51 %Currituck County: 51.2 %Dare County: 52.6 %Davidson County: 49.7 %Davie County: 48.6 %Duplin County: 43.9 %Durham County: 47.5 %Edgecombe County: 44.9 %Forsyth County: 46.7 %Franklin County: 48.3 %Gaston County: 46.7 %Gates County: 32.1 %Graham County: 45.2 %Granville County: 46.2 %Greene County: 46.8 %Guilford County: 48.5 %Halifax County: 57.3 %Harnett County: 41.8 %Haywood County: 53.3 %Henderson County: 45.5 %Hertford County: 55 %Hoke County: 49.9 %Hyde County: 59.9 %Iredell County: 41.9 %Jackson County: 51.3 %Johnston County: 50.2 %Jones County: 58.1 %Lee County: 41.7 %Lenoir County: 45.3 %Lincoln County: 43.5 %McDowell County: 31.2 %Macon County: 48.5 %Madison County: 48.6 %Martin County: 47.6 %Mecklenburg County: 46.2 %Mitchell County: 37.6 %Montgomery County: 37.7 %Moore County: 42.6 %Nash County: 45.5 %New Hanover County: 52.4 %Northampton County: 54.9 %Onslow County: 49 %Orange County: 52 %Pamlico County: 47.2 %Pasquotank County: 47.4 %Pender County: 50.6 %Perquimans County: 53.4 %Person County: 55 %Pitt County: 50.4 %Polk County: 39.6 %Randolph County: 46.6 %Richmond County: 51.8 %Robeson County: 48.9 %Rockingham County: 48.3 %Rowan County: 43.6 %Rutherford County: 50.6 %Sampson County: 41.9 %Scotland County: 46.7 %Stanly County: 39.9 %Stokes County: 46.5 %Surry County: 41.8 %Swain County: 40.6 %Transylvania County: 40.8 %Tyrrell County: 42.2 %Union County: 39.5 %Vance County: 50.4 %Wake County: 45.1 %Warren County: 51 %Washington County: 67.9 %Watauga County: 63.5 %Wayne County: 47.9 %Wilkes County: 47.5 %Wilson County: 47.8 %Yadkin County: 55.8 %Yancey County: 43.2 %
  • Under 42
  • 42 to 45
  • 45 to 47
  • 47 to 50
  • 50 to 52
  • 52 and over
%, 2021. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2021

Washington County: 67.9 %Washington County67.9Watauga County: 63.5 %Watauga County63.5Hyde County: 59.9 %Hyde County59.9Jones County: 58.1 %Jones County58.1Halifax County: 57.3 %Halifax County57.3Yadkin County: 55.8 %Yadkin County55.8Hertford County: 55 %Hertford County55Person County: 55 %Person County55Northampton County: 54.9 %Northampton County54.9Bladen County: 54.9 %Bladen County54.9Bertie County: 53.8 %Bertie County53.8Perquimans County: 53.4 %Perquimans County53.4Haywood County: 53.3 %Haywood County53.3Buncombe County: 53 %Buncombe County53Columbus County: 52.8 %Columbus County52.8Dare County: 52.6 %Dare County52.6Caswell County: 52.5 %Caswell County52.5New Hanover County: 52.4 %New Hanover County52.4Orange County: 52 %Orange County52Richmond County: 51.8 %Richmond County51.8Clay County: 51.7 %Clay County51.7Jackson County: 51.3 %Jackson County51.3Currituck County: 51.2 %Currituck County51.2Warren County: 51 %Warren County51Cumberland County: 51 %Cumberland County51Beaufort County: 50.7 %Beaufort County50.7Pender County: 50.6 %Pender County50.6Rutherford County: 50.6 %Rutherford County50.6Vance County: 50.4 %Vance County50.4Pitt County: 50.4 %Pitt County50.4Cleveland County: 50.4 %Cleveland County50.4Johnston County: 50.2 %Johnston County50.2Cherokee County: 49.9 %Cherokee County49.9Hoke County: 49.9 %Hoke County49.9Carteret County: 49.8 %Carteret County49.8Davidson County: 49.7 %Davidson County49.7Brunswick County: 49.4 %Brunswick County49.4Onslow County: 49 %Onslow County49Robeson County: 48.9 %Robeson County48.9Davie County: 48.6 %Davie County48.6Washington County: 67.9 %Washington County67.9Watauga County: 63.5 %Watauga County63.5Hyde County: 59.9 %Hyde County59.9Jones County: 58.1 %Jones County58.1Halifax County: 57.3 %Halifax County57.3Yadkin County: 55.8 %Yadkin County55.8Hertford County: 55 %Hertford County55Person County: 55 %Person County55Northampton County: 54.9 %Northampton County54.9Bladen County: 54.9 %Bladen County54.9Bertie County: 53.8 %Bertie County53.8Perquimans County: 53.4 %Perquimans County53.4Haywood County: 53.3 %Haywood County53.3Buncombe County: 53 %Buncombe County53Columbus County: 52.8 %Columbus County52.8Dare County: 52.6 %Dare County52.6Caswell County: 52.5 %Caswell County52.5New Hanover County: 52.4 %New Hanover County52.4Orange County: 52 %Orange County52Richmond County: 51.8 %Richmond County51.8Clay County: 51.7 %Clay County51.7Jackson County: 51.3 %Jackson County51.3Currituck County: 51.2 %Currituck County51.2Warren County: 51 %Warren County51Cumberland County: 51 %Cumberland County51Beaufort County: 50.7 %Beaufort County50.7Pender County: 50.6 %Pender County50.6Rutherford County: 50.6 %Rutherford County50.6Vance County: 50.4 %Vance County50.4Pitt County: 50.4 %Pitt County50.4Cleveland County: 50.4 %Cleveland County50.4Johnston County: 50.2 %Johnston County50.2Cherokee County: 49.9 %Cherokee County49.9Hoke County: 49.9 %Hoke County49.9Carteret County: 49.8 %Carteret County49.8Davidson County: 49.7 %Davidson County49.7Brunswick County: 49.4 %Brunswick County49.4Onslow County: 49 %Onslow County49Robeson County: 48.9 %Robeson County48.9Davie County: 48.6 %Davie County48.6
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021 (%)
1Washington County67.9
2Watauga County63.5
3Hyde County59.9
4Jones County58.1
5Halifax County57.3
6Yadkin County55.8
7Hertford County55
8Person County55
9Northampton County54.9
10Bladen County54.9
11Bertie County53.8
12Perquimans County53.4
13Haywood County53.3
14Buncombe County53
15Columbus County52.8
16Dare County52.6
17Caswell County52.5
18New Hanover County52.4
19Orange County52
20Richmond County51.8
21Clay County51.7
22Jackson County51.3
23Currituck County51.2
24Warren County51
25Cumberland County51
26Beaufort County50.7
27Pender County50.6
27Rutherford County50.6
29Vance County50.4
30Pitt County50.4
31Cleveland County50.4
32Johnston County50.2
33Cherokee County49.9
34Hoke County49.9
35Carteret County49.8
36Davidson County49.7
37Brunswick County49.4
38Onslow County49
39Robeson County48.9
40Davie County48.6
41Madison County48.6
42Macon County48.5
43Guilford County48.5
44Franklin County48.3
45Rockingham County48.3
46Wayne County47.9
47Wilson County47.8
48Martin County47.6
49Durham County47.5
50Wilkes County47.5
51Pasquotank County47.4
52Alamance County47.3
53Pamlico County47.2
54Anson County46.9
55Chatham County46.8
56Greene County46.8
57Scotland County46.7
58Gaston County46.7
59Forsyth County46.7
60Randolph County46.6
61Stokes County46.5
62Avery County46.2
63Granville County46.2
64Mecklenburg County46.2
65Nash County45.5
66Henderson County45.5
67Lenoir County45.3
68Graham County45.2
69Wake County45.1
70Edgecombe County44.9
71Craven County44.7
72Cabarrus County44.4
73Duplin County43.9
74Rowan County43.6
75Lincoln County43.5
76Yancey County43.2
77Burke County43
78Moore County42.6
79Ashe County42.4
80Tyrrell County42.2
81Chowan County42.2
82Sampson County41.9
83Iredell County41.9
84Harnett County41.8
85Surry County41.8
86Lee County41.7
87Alleghany County40.9
88Transylvania County40.8
89Swain County40.6
90Stanly County39.9
91Caldwell County39.6
91Polk County39.6
93Union County39.5
94Montgomery County37.7
95Mitchell County37.6
96Catawba County34.5
97Camden County33.2
98Alexander County32.6
99Gates County32.1
100McDowell County31.2

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 counties 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. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-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 (Counties in North Carolina by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-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, Counties in North Carolina by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-counties?period=2021. 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. Counties in North Carolina by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-counties?period=2021.

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, Counties in North Carolina by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2021,
  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: Counties in North Carolina by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-counties?period=2021. 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. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-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: Counties in North Carolina by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/north-carolina-counties?period=2021.
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. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties 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":"province","within":"North Carolina","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=rent_burden_30_plus_share&level=province&within=North%20Carolina&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

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

Washington County, with 67.9% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

McDowell County, with 31.2% in 2021.

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. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings