What percentage of people rent in Highlands, NC?

Name: Renters and owners in Highlands, NC, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

32.8% (±13.4 points) of the occupied homes in Highlands, NC are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 211 renting households against 432 that own their home.

In Highlands, the share of households that rent went from 38.5% in 2015–2019 to 32.8% in 2020–2024 (−5.7 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 32.8% (±13.4 points)
Renting households: 211 (±124)
Median renter income: $70,048 (±$68,068)

Who rents and who owns in Highlands

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Highlands	Macon County	North Carolina	United States
Renter-occupied share	32.8% (±13.4 points)	22.4% (±3.4 points)	33.4% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	211 (±124)	4,121 (±647)	1,428,852 (±8,279)	45,017,354
Owning households	432 (±94)	14,285 (±780)	2,853,493 (±14,473)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	1.3 (±0.2)	1.9 (±0.2)	2.3 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	1.8 (±0.2)	2.1 (±0.1)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$70,048 (±$68,068)	$40,837 (±$7,230)	$48,010 (±$418)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$92,500 (±$46,745)	$64,832 (±$3,302)	$88,911 (±$521)	$100,009

In Highlands, the renter share is not measurably different from Macon County (22.4%).

It is not measurably different from North Carolina (33.4%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (34.8%).

Statewide, it ranks 306 of 663.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Highlands has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	38.5% (±8.3 points)	32.8% (±13.4 points)	−5.7 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$946 (±$166)	$650 (±$533)	−31.3%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$54,226 (±$11,050)	$71,509 (±$8,961)	+31.9%	No measurable change after inflation

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.

Households that rent in places near Highlands

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Highlands
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Highlands	—	32.8% (±13.4 points)	—
Sky Valley	9.1 mi	40.6% (±19.9 points)	Not measurably different
Dillard	12 mi	18.4% (±10.8 points)	Not measurably different
Franklin	14 mi	41.8% (±8.5 points)	Not measurably different
Mountain City	14 mi	41.7% (±12.9 points)	Not measurably different
Forest Hills	17 mi	43.6% (±20.7 points)	Not measurably different
Clayton	17 mi	36.5% (±10.5 points)	Not measurably different
Salem	17 mi	19.4% (±17.0 points)	Not measurably different
Cullowhee	18 mi	89.1% (±4.7 points)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Cullowhee, NC (89.1%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

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 Highlands

How many renters are there in Highlands?

Highlands has an estimated 211 (±124) renting households, 32.8% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Highlands?

In Highlands, the share of households that rent went from 38.5% in 2015–2019 to 32.8% in 2020–2024 (−5.7 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Highlands?

A renting household in Highlands has 1.3 people on average, against 1.8 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Highlands?

The median renting household in Highlands, NC has an income of $70,048 (±$68,068) a year, against $92,500 for households that own their home.

Sources

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) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Highlands town, North Carolina (place:31360, in state:37).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

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.