North Carolina housing market
Data through September 2026 · updated 2026-11-07 · free, from Zillow, Realtor.com, the Census Bureau and other public sources
Typical home value$332,159−0.2% YoY · prices are flat
Market right nowBuyer's marketMore homes for sale than last year, 23% have cut their price
Income needed to buy, per year$72,005About 1.0× the local median income ($74,055): affordable for a typical household
Days on market71 daysSlower than a year ago: buyers have time to negotiate
Next 12 months+0.5%Zillow expects prices to stay about flat
The typical home in North Carolina is worth $332,159, about the same as a year ago. That is slightly above what local incomes have historically supported: fair value is about $306,994, so the area is 8.2% overvalued. It is a buyer's market: homes take about 71 days to sell, listings are up 13% from a year ago, 23% of listings have had a price cut. Zillow expects prices to rise about 0.5% over the next year. A household needs about $72,005 a year to afford the typical home here at today's 7.18% mortgage rate (20% down, payment at 30% of income); the median household earns $74,055. In the latest IRS figures, 69,918 more people moved in than out.
Home value over time
Solid: typical home value · dashed: fair value (household income × the 20-year average price-to-income ratio). Sources: FHFA, Zillow, U.S. Census Bureau.
Prices and affordability
| Typical home value | $332,159 |
| Change in 1 year | −0.2% |
| Overvalued % | +8.2% |
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| Fair home value | $306,994 |
| Change in 5 years | +22.0% |
| Zillow forecast, next 12 months | +0.5% |
| Home value to income | 4.5× |
| Monthly mortgage payment (20% down) | $1,800 |
| Income needed to afford it | $72,005 |
| Property tax rate | 0.66% |
Rent and investing
| HUD Fair Market Rent, 2 bedrooms | $1,445 |
Market activity
| Listings vs a year ago | +13.2% |
| Days on market | 71 |
| Listings with a price cut | 22.8% |
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| Homes for sale | 50,180 |
| Pending sales per 100 listings | 34 |
| Asking price per sq ft | $212 |
People and jobs
| Median household income | $74,055 |
| Population change (1 year) | +1.3% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% |
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| Population | 11,197,968 |
| Income adjusted for cost of living | $78,531 |
| Net moves in (IRS) | +69,918 |
| Cost of living (US = 100) | 94.3 |
Schools, risk and environment
| FEMA hazard risk score (0 to 100) | 83.8 |
| Unhealthy air days a year | 0 |
| Flood risk score | 85.7 |
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| Wildfire risk score | 53.9 |
| Walkability (1 to 20) | 7.4 |
| Road, rail and air noise | 55 dB |
Questions people ask
- Is North Carolina overvalued?
- Home prices in North Carolina are slightly above what local incomes have historically supported: fair value is about $306,994, so the area is 8.2% overvalued.
- Is North Carolina a buyer's or seller's market?
- North Carolina is a buyer's market: homes take about 71 days to sell, listings are up 13% from a year ago, 23% of listings have had a price cut.
- Are home prices going down in North Carolina?
- Home values in North Carolina are down 0.2% over the last year. Zillow's forecast for the next 12 months is +0.5%.
- How much do you need to earn to buy a home in North Carolina?
- A household needs about $72,005 a year to afford the typical home in North Carolina at today's 7.18% mortgage rate (20% down, payment at 30% of income); the median household earns $74,055.
Metro areas
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCVirginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NCRaleigh-Cary, NCGreensboro-High Point, NCWinston-Salem, NCDurham-Chapel Hill, NCWilmington, NCAsheville, NCFayetteville, NCHickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NCJacksonville, NCBurlington, NCGreenville, NCRocky Mount, NCGoldsboro, NCPinehurst-Southern Pines, NC
Counties
Alamance CountyAlexander CountyAlleghany CountyAnson CountyAshe CountyAvery CountyBeaufort CountyBertie CountyBladen CountyBrunswick CountyBuncombe CountyBurke CountyCabarrus CountyCaldwell CountyCamden CountyCarteret CountyCaswell CountyCatawba CountyChatham CountyCherokee CountyChowan CountyClay CountyCleveland CountyColumbus CountyCraven CountyCumberland CountyCurrituck CountyDare CountyDavidson CountyDavie CountyDuplin CountyDurham CountyEdgecombe CountyForsyth CountyFranklin CountyGaston CountyGates CountyGraham CountyGranville CountyGreene CountyGuilford CountyHalifax CountyHarnett CountyHaywood CountyHenderson CountyHertford CountyHoke CountyHyde CountyIredell CountyJackson CountyJohnston CountyJones CountyLee CountyLenoir CountyLincoln CountyMacon CountyMadison CountyMartin CountyMcDowell CountyMecklenburg CountyMitchell CountyMontgomery CountyMoore CountyNash CountyNew Hanover CountyNorthampton CountyOnslow CountyOrange CountyPamlico CountyPasquotank CountyPender CountyPerquimans CountyPerson CountyPitt CountyPolk CountyRandolph CountyRichmond CountyRobeson CountyRockingham CountyRowan CountyRutherford CountySampson CountyScotland CountyStanly CountyStokes CountySurry CountySwain CountyTransylvania CountyTyrrell CountyUnion CountyVance CountyWake CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWatauga CountyWayne CountyWilkes CountyWilson CountyYadkin CountyYancey County