Housing data for Mills River, NC
Mills River, NC has an estimated 7,281 residents and 3,172 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a town in Henderson County.
14.4% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,551 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 7,281 (±22)
- Housing units
- 3,172 (±239)
- Households that rent
- 14.4%
- Median gross rent
- $1,551
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +0.4%
What stands out in Mills River
Median household income: $105,398 (±$13,380) in Mills River, higher than in Henderson County ($68,187).
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 0.0% (±2.3 points) in Mills River, lower than in Henderson County (6.4%).
Renters paying 30% or more of income: 23.4% (±19.6 points) in Mills River, lower than in Henderson County (47.7%).
Households that rent: 14.4% (±4.9 points) in Mills River, lower than in Henderson County (25.0%).
- Income and affordability in Mills River
- Types of homes in Mills River
- Renters and owners in Mills River
Housing in Mills River at a glance
- Median rent: $1,551 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $1,023 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent burden: 23.4% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 14.4% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $105,398 median household income
- Home values: $436,100 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,907 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $2,199 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 0.0% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 79.7% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 22.8% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 15.7% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 63.2% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 20.9 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +0.4% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 19.2% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 0.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Mills River against Henderson County, its state and the nation
| Mills River | Henderson County | North Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 7,281 (±22) | 118,484 (exact) | 10,730,404 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 3,172 (±239) | 58,044 (±60) | 4,895,668 (±642) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 14.4% (±4.9 points) | 25.0% (±1.5 points) | 33.4% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,551 (±$437) | $1,187 (±$55) | $1,228 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $105,398 (±$13,380) | $68,187 (±$3,678) | $72,388 (±$324) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $436,100 (±$46,517) | $351,400 (±$8,797) | $288,900 (±$1,086) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $2,199 (±$214) | $1,810 (±$62) | $1,896 (±$8) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 22.8% (±5.9 points) | 34.6% (±1.9 points) | 33.9% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 20.9 minutes (±1.5) | 22.5 minutes (±0.7) | 25.1 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 91.7% (±3.7 points) | 90.0% (±1.2 points) | 90.1% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 46.4 years (±2.1) | 47.5 years (±0.4) | 39.1 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Mills River covers 22.4 square miles of land, about 325 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Mills River has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 7,251 (±31) | 7,281 (±22) | +0.4% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 3,224 (±170) | 3,172 (±239) | −1.6% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $956 (±$239) | $1,551 (±$437) | +62.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $257,800 (±$20,655) | $436,100 (±$46,517) | +69.2% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $66,667 (±$5,766) | $105,398 (±$13,380) | +58.1% | Up after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,568 (±$105) | $1,907 (±$152) | +21.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,378 (±$105) | $2,199 (±$214) | +59.6% | Up after inflation |
| Households that rent | 19.4% (±4.9 points) | 14.4% (±4.9 points) | −5.0 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±5.7 points) | 15.7% (±12.4 points) | +15.7 percentage points | Measurable increase |
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 Henderson County
Mills River has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Henderson County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Henderson County recorded 135 violent and 1,014 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 Mills River
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28759 | 88% | 7,555 | $1,551 | $444,300 | $107,609 |
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 Mills River
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horse Shoe | 3.7 mi | — | $407,500 | 11.6% |
| Mountain Home | 5.0 mi | $1,240 | $400,000 | 24.6% |
| Etowah | 5.3 mi | $1,413 | $338,100 | 16.0% |
| Fletcher | 5.8 mi | $1,484 | $331,100 | 14.7% |
| Avery Creek | 5.9 mi | — | $412,900 | 6.5% |
| Balfour | 6.0 mi | $591 | $292,600 | 22.0% |
| Laurel Park | 6.8 mi | $1,418 | $433,100 | 13.5% |
| Valley Hill | 8.1 mi | — | $353,100 | 20.1% |
Places in North Carolina most like Mills River
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Myrtle Grove | $1,463 | $439,100 | $113,463 | 16.4% |
| Pinehurst | $1,664 | $476,600 | $109,802 | 14.8% |
| Oak Island | $1,339 | $456,500 | $85,872 | 10.3% |
| Bayshore | $1,532 | $525,800 | $94,632 | 16.1% |
| Southport | $1,426 | $437,700 | $87,641 | 19.8% |
| Cape Carteret | $1,745 | $375,700 | $86,136 | 20.4% |
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 Mills River, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,482 | $1,714 | $1,866 | $2,223 | $3,109 |
HUD income limits for Mills River, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $21,500 | $35,850 | $57,350 |
| 2 people | $24,600 | $40,950 | $65,550 |
| 3 people | $27,650 | $46,050 | $73,750 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $51,200 | $81,900 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $55,300 | $88,500 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $59,400 | $95,050 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $63,500 | $101,600 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $67,550 | $108,150 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Asheville, NC MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $103,200.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
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 Mills River
What is the average rent in Mills River, NC?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Mills River is $1,551 (±$437) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How many renters are there in Mills River?
Mills River has an estimated 393 (±130) renting households, 14.4% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Mills River?
The median household income in Mills River is $105,398 (±$13,380) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Mills River, NC?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $436,100 (±$46,517) for owner-occupied homes in Mills River (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Mills River?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Mills River, NC is $1,907 (±$152) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Mills River?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Mills River, NC is $2,199 (±$214) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Mills River growing?
In Mills River, the number of residents went from 7,251 in 2015–2019 to 7,281 in 2020–2024 (+0.4%), not a measurable change.
What ZIP codes are in Mills River?
The ZIP code that covers Mills River is 28759.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 28759?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 28759 is $1,551 (±$437) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Mills River town, North Carolina
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Mills River town, North Carolina
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Mills River town, North Carolina
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Mills River town, North Carolina
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Mills River town, North Carolina
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Mills River town, North Carolina
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Mills River town, North Carolina
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Asheville, NC MSA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Asheville, NC MSA
- 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 Mills River town, North Carolina (place:43260, 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 .