Ranked from official statistics; every city opens its own guide.
Ranking CITY (100 largest of North Carolina) Official statistics Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year (via Census Reporter) · Data: ACS 2020–2024
Among the 100 largest places in North Carolina, Smithfield Lenoir and Mount Airy . Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.
What the ranking shows Across the 100 places in North Carolina that we cover, the median is $1,269 and the average $1,309; the figure runs from $658 (Smithfield ) to $2,640 (Harrisburg ). That is a spread of 4.0 times between the two ends. The state figure is $1,228; 54 of the 100 places are above it and 46 at or below.
How to use it The first five are Smithfield , Lenoir , Mount Airy , Laurinburg , Eden . A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: low rent can reflect a smaller job market or older housing stock, so look at income and commute too. Use the Compare tab on each city page to see how two places differ across income, rent, commute and education, and check the county page for the local job market.
Sort: # City County Median rent a month Population Median household income A–Z / Smallest first ▲ Z–A / Largest first ▼
# ⇅ City ⇅ County ⇅ Median rent a month ⇅ Population ⇅ Median household income ⇅ 1 Smithfield Johnston County $658 12,116 $43,270 2 Lenoir Caldwell County $664 18,299 $49,910 3 Mount Airy Surry County $725 10,633 $40,275 4 Laurinburg Scotland County $774 15,087 $42,170 5 Eden Rockingham County $799 15,356 $47,260 6 Reidsville Rockingham County $822 14,585 $42,921 7 Tarboro Edgecombe County $843 10,770 $49,796 8 Henderson Vance County $848 14,885 $39,969 9 Washington Beaufort County $856 9,726 $40,186 10 Roanoke Rapids Halifax County $858 14,856 $53,690 11 Lumberton Robeson County $866 18,859 $42,877 12 Kinston Lenoir County $867 19,505 $36,878 13 Thomasville Davidson County $879 27,321 $60,935 14 Albemarle Stanly County $880 16,762 $46,881 15 Lexington Davidson County $893 19,690 $43,128 16 Asheboro Randolph County $906 27,580 $47,197 17 Morganton Burke County $944 17,646 $51,355 18 Shelby Cleveland County $945 22,100 $48,376 19 Rocky Mount Nash County $957 54,297 $55,534 20 Kings Mountain Cleveland County $959 12,039 $49,564 21 Lincolnton Lincoln County $965 11,783 $46,320 22 Wilson Wilson County $971 48,370 $52,485 23 Goldsboro Wayne County $971 34,383 $48,540 24 Statesville Iredell County $1,000 29,894 $52,880 25 Greenville Pitt County $1,007 92,857 $49,748 26 Archdale Randolph County $1,034 12,087 $64,757 27 Burlington Alamance County $1,051 59,610 $56,880 28 Sanford Lee County $1,052 31,478 $57,586 29 Hickory Catawba County $1,063 44,258 $64,576 30 Waynesville Haywood County $1,070 10,502 $54,923 31 Salisbury Rowan County $1,071 35,825 $53,716 32 Graham Alamance County $1,071 18,048 $56,239 33 New Bern Craven County $1,081 32,734 $61,031 34 Kernersville Forsyth County $1,082 27,830 $71,918 35 Rolesville Wake County $1,085 10,766 $149,565 36 Winston-Salem Forsyth County $1,087 252,037 $59,268 37 Newton Catawba County $1,091 13,333 $62,015 38 Lewisville Forsyth County $1,095 13,828 $100,917 39 Boone Watauga County $1,111 20,032 $30,065 40 High Point Guilford County $1,116 116,245 $64,561 41 Elizabeth City Pasquotank County $1,117 18,871 $52,141 42 Morehead City Carteret County $1,134 9,806 $56,233 43 Hope Mills Cumberland County $1,141 17,939 $65,774 44 Greensboro Guilford County $1,172 301,198 $61,515 45 Piney Green (unincorporated) Onslow County $1,202 14,078 $72,177 46 Gastonia Gaston County $1,204 82,884 $64,059 47 Monroe Union County $1,246 36,759 $72,540 48 Fayetteville Cumberland County $1,250 210,815 $58,407 49 Anderson Creek (unincorporated) Harnett County $1,251 13,927 $87,287 50 Mount Holly Gaston County $1,256 18,208 $79,385 51 Clemmons Forsyth County $1,269 21,871 $87,655 52 Havelock Craven County $1,280 17,691 $58,408 53 Mebane Alamance County $1,283 19,538 $83,174 54 Kannapolis Cabarrus County $1,319 57,890 $73,836 55 Lake Norman of Catawba (unincorporated) Catawba County $1,319 9,906 $112,656 56 Jacksonville Onslow County $1,321 71,279 $57,697 57 Lake Norman of Iredell (unincorporated) Iredell County $1,327 12,494 $173,542 58 Hendersonville Henderson County $1,332 15,408 $53,449 59 Spring Lake Cumberland County $1,351 11,573 $51,958 60 Southern Pines Moore County $1,354 16,420 $88,535 61 Belmont Gaston County $1,365 15,546 $94,883 62 Hillsborough Orange County $1,368 9,724 $98,163 63 Wilmington New Hanover County $1,395 120,805 $66,738 64 Asheville Buncombe County $1,402 94,535 $71,102 65 Concord Cabarrus County $1,451 108,719 $86,921 66 Wendell Wake County $1,457 13,064 $95,787 67 Myrtle Grove (unincorporated) New Hanover County $1,463 12,637 $113,463 68 Carrboro Orange County $1,470 21,204 $85,743 69 Durham Durham County $1,508 291,467 $81,619 70 Summerfield Guilford County $1,521 11,116 $160,275 71 Mint Hill Mecklenburg County $1,528 27,556 $100,860 72 Winterville Pitt County $1,534 10,725 $83,193 73 Garner Wake County $1,549 34,473 $78,756 74 Pineville Mecklenburg County $1,552 11,055 $69,354 75 Raleigh Wake County $1,572 481,031 $85,395 76 Wake Forest Wake County $1,596 52,844 $123,802 77 Charlotte Mecklenburg County $1,612 903,844 $82,068 78 Chapel Hill Orange County $1,613 61,607 $85,989 79 Mooresville Iredell County $1,626 52,381 $89,647 80 Davidson Mecklenburg County $1,652 15,660 $166,556 81 Clayton Johnston County $1,661 29,320 $78,822 82 Pinehurst Moore County $1,664 18,256 $109,802 83 Knightdale Wake County $1,674 20,214 $103,220 84 Fuquay-Varina Wake County $1,720 40,485 $115,497 85 Cornelius Mecklenburg County $1,722 32,783 $113,767 86 Leland Brunswick County $1,735 29,607 $91,977 87 Cary Wake County $1,738 179,306 $134,905 88 Matthews Mecklenburg County $1,764 30,577 $108,611 89 Murraysville (unincorporated) New Hanover County $1,777 16,339 $81,167 90 Huntersville Mecklenburg County $1,834 63,969 $120,516 91 Waxhaw Union County $1,840 22,275 $131,894 92 Morrisville Wake County $1,858 31,422 $125,396 93 Stallings Union County $1,882 16,886 $115,974 94 Apex Wake County $1,902 70,630 $144,135 95 Weddington Union County $1,927 13,805 $190,766 96 Spout Springs (unincorporated) Harnett County $2,010 11,242 $92,402 97 Holly Springs Wake County $2,021 45,248 $135,578 98 Indian Trail Union County $2,077 42,036 $108,483 99 Elon Alamance County $2,080 11,032 $84,773 100 Harrisburg Cabarrus County $2,640 19,633 $148,254
Other rankings for North Carolina Largest Cities · Cities With the Highest Household Income · Cities Where Rent Takes the Smallest Share of Income · Cities With the Lowest Unemployment · Cities in the Highest-Paying Counties · Most College-Educated Cities · Cities With the Most Homeowners · Cities With the Most Remote Work · Cities With the Shortest Commutes
Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. Figures describe the city itself.