What percentage of people rent in Sanford, NC?

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

46.7% (±3.2 points) of the occupied homes in Sanford, NC are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 5,307 renting households against 6,052 that own their home.

In Sanford, the share of households that rent went from 47.0% in 2015–2019 to 46.7% in 2020–2024 (−0.3 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 46.7% (±3.2 points)
Renting households: 5,307 (±435)
Median renter income: $41,657 (±$9,342)

Who rents and who owns in Sanford

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Sanford	Lee County	North Carolina	United States
Renter-occupied share	46.7% (±3.2 points)	32.7% (±2.7 points)	33.4% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	5,307 (±435)	8,218 (±673)	1,428,852 (±8,279)	45,017,354
Owning households	6,052 (±404)	16,927 (±743)	2,853,493 (±14,473)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.7 (±0.2)	2.6 (±0.1)	2.3 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.7 (±0.1)	2.6 (±0.1)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$41,657 (±$9,342)	$44,546 (±$3,955)	$48,010 (±$418)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$71,815 (±$10,047)	$78,316 (±$4,368)	$88,911 (±$521)	$100,009

In Sanford, the renter share is higher than in Lee County (32.7%).

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

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

Statewide, it ranks 130 of 663.

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

How renting in Sanford 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	47.0% (±3.3 points)	46.7% (±3.2 points)	−0.3 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$753 (±$19)	$1,052 (±$43)	+39.7%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$46,915 (±$2,066)	$57,586 (±$5,084)	+22.7%	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 Sanford

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Sanford
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Sanford	—	46.7% (±3.2 points)	—
Broadway	7.2 mi	21.5% (±9.9 points)	Lower
Goldston	11 mi	9.2% (±10.3 points)	Lower
Moncure	11 mi	24.6% (±21.0 points)	Lower
Cameron	12 mi	19.1% (±12.3 points)	Lower
Barbecue	14 mi	18.3% (±8.3 points)	Lower
Pittsboro	16 mi	30.4% (±9.0 points)	Lower
Spout Springs	17 mi	25.4% (±8.2 points)	Lower
Vass	18 mi	28.2% (±10.1 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Broadway, NC (21.5%), Goldston, NC (9.2%), Moncure, NC (24.6%).

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 Sanford

How many renters are there in Sanford?

Sanford has an estimated 5,307 (±435) renting households, 46.7% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Sanford?

In Sanford, the share of households that rent went from 47.0% in 2015–2019 to 46.7% in 2020–2024 (−0.3 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Sanford?

A renting household in Sanford has 2.7 people on average, against 2.7 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Sanford?

The median renting household in Sanford, NC has an income of $41,657 (±$9,342) a year, against $71,815 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 Sanford city, North Carolina (place:59280, 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.