What is the median rent in Morganton, NC?

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

The median gross rent in Morganton, NC is $944 (±$40) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 3,055 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Morganton, the median gross rent went from $685 in 2015–2019 to $944 in 2020–2024 (+37.8%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $944 (±$40)
Rented homes: 3,055 (±347)
$2,000 or more: 2.4%
Since 2015–2019: +37.8%

How much rent costs in Morganton

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Morganton	Burke County	North Carolina	United States
Less than $500	14.5% (±5.8 points)	13.6%	6.6%	6.3%
$500 to $999	45.1% (±8.6 points)	50.2%	27.5%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	29.1% (±6.9 points)	28.1%	32.6%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	9.1% (±5.0 points)	6.9%	21.4%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	0.3% (±0.5 points)	0.4%	7.8%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	0.5% (±0.8 points)	0.2%	2.2%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	1.6% (±1.6 points)	0.6%	1.8%	6.8%

The most common range is $500 to $999, paid by 45.1% of renting households.

2.4% of rented homes in Morganton cost $2,000 or more a month.

Morganton against Burke County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Morganton	Burke County	North Carolina	United States
Median gross rent	$944 (±$40)	$884 (±$47)	$1,228 (±$5)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	3,055 (±347)	8,178 (±680)	1,337,899 (±8,405)	42,849,984

In Morganton, median gross rent is not measurably different from Burke County ($884).

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

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

In Burke County, Morganton ranks 1 of 10 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 302 of 586.

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

How rent in Morganton 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	$685 (±$27)	$944 (±$40)	+37.8%	Up after inflation
Households that rent	46.2% (±3.4 points)	45.3% (±4.5 points)	−0.9 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	8.6% (±4.6 points)	4.9% (±4.0 points)	−3.7 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 Morganton

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Morganton
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Morganton	—	$944 (±$40)	—
Salem	2.8 mi	$856 (±$164)	Not measurably different
Glen Alpine	4.7 mi	$871 (±$134)	Not measurably different
Drexel	5.3 mi	$590 (±$218)	Lower
Valdese	7.2 mi	$665 (±$301)	Not measurably different
Rutherford College	9.7 mi	$853 (±$501)	Not measurably different
Gamewell	10 mi	$808 (±$95)	Lower
Connelly Springs	11 mi	$884 (±$221)	Not measurably different
Cajah's Mountain	12 mi	$729 (±$115)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Drexel, NC ($590), Gamewell, NC ($808), Cajah's Mountain, NC ($729).

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

Median gross rent across Burke County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
1	Morganton	$944 (±$40)
2	Connelly Springs	$884 (±$221)
3	Glen Alpine	$871 (±$134)
4	Salem	$856 (±$164)
5	Rutherford College	$853 (±$501)
6	Rhodhiss	$846 (±$225)
7	Icard	$842 (±$214)

Showing 7 of 10 places in Burke 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 Morganton

What is the average rent in Morganton, NC?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Morganton is $944 (±$40) 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 Morganton?

In Morganton, the median gross rent went from $685 in 2015–2019 to $944 in 2020–2024 (+37.8%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

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

2.4% of rented homes in Morganton have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 14.5% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Morganton higher than in Burke County?

In Morganton, median gross rent is not measurably different from Burke County ($884).

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 Morganton city, North Carolina (place:44400, 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.