What is the median rent in Morehead City, NC?

Name: Median rent in Morehead City, NC, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in Morehead City, NC is $1,134 (±$85) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 2,587 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Morehead City, the median gross rent went from $863 in 2015–2019 to $1,134 in 2020–2024 (+31.4%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,134 (±$85)
Rented homes: 2,587 (±252)
$2,000 or more: 9.3%
Since 2015–2019: +31.4%

How much rent costs in Morehead City

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Morehead City	Carteret County	North Carolina	United States
Less than $500	9.6% (±5.0 points)	10.4%	6.6%	6.3%
$500 to $999	29.4% (±7.8 points)	30.9%	27.5%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	32.4% (±7.3 points)	32.0%	32.6%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	19.3% (±6.1 points)	18.0%	21.4%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	8.2% (±4.1 points)	5.9%	7.8%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	0.6% (±1.2 points)	1.5%	2.2%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	0.5% (±0.9 points)	1.3%	1.8%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,000 to $1,499, paid by 32.4% of renting households.

9.3% of rented homes in Morehead City cost $2,000 or more a month.

Morehead City against Carteret County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Morehead City	Carteret County	North Carolina	United States
Median gross rent	$1,134 (±$85)	$1,108 (±$48)	$1,228 (±$5)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	2,587 (±252)	7,121 (±486)	1,337,899 (±8,405)	42,849,984

In Morehead City, median gross rent is not measurably different from Carteret County ($1,108).

It is also lower than in North Carolina ($1,228).

It is lower than the national figure ($1,413).

In Carteret County, Morehead City ranks 9 of 13 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 183 of 586.

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

How rent in Morehead City has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$863 (±$41)	$1,134 (±$85)	+31.4%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	48.8% (±3.0 points)	53.3% (±4.4 points)	+4.5 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	3.8% (±2.5 points)	1.7% (±1.7 points)	−2.1 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.

Median gross rent in places near Morehead City

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Morehead City
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Morehead City	—	$1,134 (±$85)	—
Atlantic Beach	1.8 mi	$1,206 (±$151)	Not measurably different
Beaufort	5.0 mi	$835 (±$225)	Lower
Brandywine Bay	5.2 mi	$2,141 (±$348)	Higher
Pine Knoll Shores	5.7 mi	$1,750 (±$178)	Higher
Newport	8.5 mi	$896 (±$308)	Not measurably different
Broad Creek	10 mi	$908 (±$300)	Not measurably different
Harkers Island	11 mi	$1,125 (±$79)	Not measurably different
Cherry Branch	15 mi	$1,706 (±$103)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Beaufort, NC ($835).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Brandywine Bay, NC ($2,141), Pine Knoll Shores, NC ($1,750), Cherry Branch, NC ($1,706).

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

Median gross rent across Carteret County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
3	Cape Carteret	$1,745 (±$60)
4	Emerald Isle	$1,704 (±$268)
5	Cedar Point	$1,438 (±$495)
6	Atlantic Beach	$1,206 (±$151)
7	Peletier	$1,196 (±$139)
8	Bogue	$1,188 (±$444)
9	Morehead City	$1,134 (±$85)
10	Harkers Island	$1,125 (±$79)
11	Broad Creek	$908 (±$300)
12	Newport	$896 (±$308)
13	Beaufort	$835 (±$225)

Showing 11 of 13 places in Carteret County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

What you can do on Seayora in Morehead City

One account for renting, owning, managing and fixing homes, with these figures beside you.

Looking for a place to rent?

Browse homes for rent near Morehead City, save the ones you like and apply online.

Browse rentals · Create a renter account

Own or manage a rental?

List it, sign the lease and collect rent online, with the figures for Morehead City beside you.

Create a landlord account · See what landlords get

Do repairs, renovations or maintenance?

Get found by owners and renters near Morehead City, and send estimates and invoices from your phone.

Join as a pro · Find a pro

Questions about Morehead City

What is the average rent in Morehead City, NC?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Morehead City is $1,134 (±$85) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Morehead City?

In Morehead City, the median gross rent went from $863 in 2015–2019 to $1,134 in 2020–2024 (+31.4%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

How many rentals in Morehead City cost more than $2,000 a month?

9.3% of rented homes in Morehead City have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 9.6% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Morehead City higher than in Carteret County?

In Morehead City, median gross rent is not measurably different from Carteret County ($1,108).

It is also lower than in North Carolina ($1,228).

It is lower than the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

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) for Morehead City town, North Carolina (place:44320, in state:37).

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

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

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.