Housing data for Cove Creek, NC
Cove Creek, NC has an estimated 1,629 residents and 809 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Watauga County.
18.1% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,601 a month.
Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+63.1%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,629 (±465)
- Housing units
- 809 (±192)
- Households that rent
- 18.1%
- Median gross rent
- $1,601
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +63.1%
What stands out in Cove Creek
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 0.0% (±8.8 points) in Cove Creek, lower than in Watauga County (18.2%).
Households that rent: 18.1% (±11.3 points) in Cove Creek, lower than in Watauga County (37.9%).
Homes built before 1980: 57.5% (±20.6 points) in Cove Creek, higher than in Watauga County (35.7%).
Households that moved in since 2020: 13.0% (±10.9 points) in Cove Creek, lower than in Watauga County (32.7%).
Housing in Cove Creek at a glance
- Median rent: $1,601 median gross rent a month (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent burden: 100.0% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 18.1% of households rent (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Income and affordability: $52,847 median household income
- Home values: $295,700 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,123 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $1,122 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 0.0% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 68.6% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 57.5% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 47.2% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 27.5 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +63.1% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 13.0% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crowding and facilities: 0.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Cove Creek against Watauga County, its state and the nation
| Cove Creek | Watauga County | North Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,629 (±465) | 55,123 (exact) | 10,730,404 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 809 (±192) | 33,355 (±69) | 4,895,668 (±642) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 18.1% (±11.3 points) | 37.9% (±2.4 points) | 33.4% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,601 (±$652) | $1,127 (±$85) | $1,228 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $52,847 (±$13,888) | $51,693 (±$3,285) | $72,388 (±$324) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $295,700 (±$76,520) | $358,900 (±$18,269) | $288,900 (±$1,086) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,122 (±$153) | $1,386 (±$51) | $1,896 (±$8) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 57.5% (±20.6 points) | 35.7% (±2.5 points) | 33.9% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 27.5 minutes (±5.6) | 21.2 minutes (±1.1) | 25.1 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 96.4% (±4.1 points) | 90.7% (±1.7 points) | 90.1% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 49.3 years (±19.7) | 31.4 years (±0.6) | 39.1 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Cove Creek covers 8.5 square miles of land, about 191 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Cove Creek has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 999 (±381) | 1,629 (±465) | +63.1% | Measurable increase |
| Housing units | 715 (±134) | 809 (±192) | +13.1% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $783 (±$349) | $1,601 (±$652) | +104.5% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $188,900 (±$54,125) | $295,700 (±$76,520) | +56.5% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $47,839 (±$7,147) | $52,847 (±$13,888) | +10.5% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,006 (±$163) | $1,123 (±$233) | +11.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $714 (±$210) | $1,122 (±$153) | +57.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 13.9% (±10.5 points) | 18.1% (±11.3 points) | +4.2 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±31.4 points) | 0.0% (±27.4 points) | 0.0 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Watauga County
Cove Creek has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Watauga County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Watauga County recorded 92 violent and 626 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
ZIP codes in Cove Creek
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28692 | 15% | 4,367 | $958 | $324,900 | $43,103 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Cove Creek
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beech Mountain | 7.7 mi | $1,137 | $443,500 | 10.7% |
| Boone | 8.5 mi | $1,111 | $411,100 | 73.8% |
| Foscoe | 9.4 mi | $928 | $325,800 | 26.6% |
| Seven Devils | 9.6 mi | $1,583 | $426,900 | 7.2% |
| Banner Elk | 10.0 mi | $849 | $458,100 | 31.1% |
| Sugar Mountain | 12 mi | $1,500 | $343,800 | 7.0% |
| Mountain City | 13 mi | $516 | $216,300 | 43.1% |
| Blowing Rock | 13 mi | $1,278 | $705,000 | 16.7% |
Places in North Carolina most like Cove Creek
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hemby Bridge | $1,544 | $298,400 | $71,688 | 15.0% |
| Saluda | $1,263 | $372,400 | $52,137 | 16.3% |
| Grimesland | $1,453 | $208,700 | $42,232 | 30.3% |
| Harkers Island | $1,125 | $313,100 | $60,000 | 10.6% |
| Pleasant Garden | $1,416 | $223,500 | $88,204 | 17.1% |
| New London | $1,234 | $296,200 | $61,875 | 29.5% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across North Carolina.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Cove Creek, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $916 | $1,124 | $1,311 | $1,737 | $2,191 |
HUD income limits for Cove Creek, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $18,850 | $31,400 | $50,250 |
| 2 people | $21,640 | $35,900 | $57,400 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $40,350 | $64,600 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $44,800 | $71,700 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $48,450 | $77,450 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $52,000 | $83,200 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $55,600 | $88,950 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $59,150 | $94,650 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Watauga County, NC, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $86,900.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Cove Creek is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Cove Creek
What is the median household income in Cove Creek?
The median household income in Cove Creek is $52,847 (±$13,888) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Cove Creek, NC?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $295,700 (±$76,520) for owner-occupied homes in Cove Creek (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Cove Creek?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Cove Creek, NC is $1,123 (±$233) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Cove Creek?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Cove Creek, NC is $1,122 (±$153) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many homes are in Cove Creek?
Cove Creek, NC has an estimated 809 (±192) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the most common home size in Cove Creek?
The most common size is 3 bedrooms, 50.3% of homes in Cove Creek, NC.
Is Cove Creek growing?
In Cove Creek, the number of residents went from 999 in 2015–2019 to 1,629 in 2020–2024 (+63.1%), a measurable increase.
What ZIP codes are in Cove Creek?
The ZIP code that covers Cove Creek is 28692.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 28692?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 28692 is $958 (±$293) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Cove Creek CDP, North Carolina
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Cove Creek CDP, North Carolina
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Cove Creek CDP, North Carolina
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Cove Creek CDP, North Carolina
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Cove Creek CDP, North Carolina
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Cove Creek CDP, North Carolina
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Cove Creek CDP, North Carolina
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Watauga County, NC
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Watauga County, NC
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Cove Creek CDP, North Carolina (place:15040, in state:37).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .