What percentage of people rent in Morehead City, NC?

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

53.3% (±4.4 points) of the occupied homes in Morehead City, NC are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 2,756 renting households against 2,413 that own their home.

In Morehead City, the share of households that rent went from 48.8% in 2015–2019 to 53.3% in 2020–2024 (+4.5 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 53.3% (±4.4 points)
Renting households: 2,756 (±265)
Median renter income: $37,500 (±$8,117)

Who rents and who owns in Morehead City

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Morehead City	Carteret County	North Carolina	United States
Renter-occupied share	53.3% (±4.4 points)	25.3% (±1.6 points)	33.4% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	2,756 (±265)	8,092 (±588)	1,428,852 (±8,279)	45,017,354
Owning households	2,413 (±261)	23,885 (±511)	2,853,493 (±14,473)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	1.6 (±0.1)	1.9 (±0.1)	2.3 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.1 (±0.1)	2.2 (±0.0)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$37,500 (±$8,117)	$38,857 (±$5,218)	$48,010 (±$418)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$90,850 (±$13,012)	$85,430 (±$3,699)	$88,911 (±$521)	$100,009

In Morehead City, the renter share is higher than in Carteret County (25.3%).

It is also higher than in North Carolina (33.4%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Carteret County, Morehead City ranks 1 of 14 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 63 of 663.

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

How renting 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
Households that rent	48.8% (±3.0 points)	53.3% (±4.4 points)	+4.5 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$863 (±$41)	$1,134 (±$85)	+31.4%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$42,985 (±$3,069)	$56,233 (±$3,697)	+30.8%	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 Morehead City

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Morehead City
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Morehead City	—	53.3% (±4.4 points)	—
Atlantic Beach	1.8 mi	37.5% (±8.5 points)	Lower
Beaufort	5.0 mi	46.6% (±7.1 points)	Not measurably different
Brandywine Bay	5.2 mi	10.8% (±7.3 points)	Lower
Pine Knoll Shores	5.7 mi	1.8% (±1.3 points)	Lower
Newport	8.5 mi	38.6% (±8.4 points)	Lower
Indian Beach	9.5 mi	0.0% (±32.2 points)	Lower
Broad Creek	10 mi	14.8% (±5.7 points)	Lower
Harkers Island	11 mi	10.6% (±5.2 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Atlantic Beach, NC (37.5%), Brandywine Bay, NC (10.8%), Pine Knoll Shores, NC (1.8%).

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

Households that rent across Carteret County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Morehead City	53.3% (±4.4 points)
2	Beaufort	46.6% (±7.1 points)
3	Newport	38.6% (±8.4 points)
4	Atlantic Beach	37.5% (±8.5 points)
5	Peletier	22.5% (±9.0 points)
6	Cape Carteret	20.4% (±11.1 points)
7	Broad Creek	14.8% (±5.7 points)

Showing 7 of 14 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.

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Questions about Morehead City

How many renters are there in Morehead City?

Morehead City has an estimated 2,756 (±265) renting households, 53.3% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Morehead City?

In Morehead City, the share of households that rent went from 48.8% in 2015–2019 to 53.3% in 2020–2024 (+4.5 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Morehead City?

A renting household in Morehead City has 1.6 people on average, against 2.1 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Morehead City?

The median renting household in Morehead City, NC has an income of $37,500 (±$8,117) a year, against $90,850 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 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 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.