Housing data for St. James, NC
St. James, NC has an estimated 7,072 residents and 4,321 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a town in Brunswick County.
3.6% of households rent.
Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+28.1%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 7,072 (±14)
- Housing units
- 4,321 (±326)
- Households that rent
- 3.6%
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +28.1%
What stands out in St. James
Working from home: 39.7% (±15.0 points) in St. James, higher than in Brunswick County (14.7%).
Median home value: $636,800 (±$31,813) in St. James, higher than in Brunswick County ($349,800).
Households that rent: 3.6% (±2.5 points) in St. James, lower than in Brunswick County (15.4%).
Average commute: 50.3 minutes (±19.4) in St. James, higher than in Brunswick County (25.7 minutes).
Housing in St. James at a glance
- Rent burden: 0.0% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 3.6% of households rent (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Income and affordability: $116,383 median household income
- Home values: $636,800 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $2,310 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $2,873 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 8.7% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 87.3% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Age of homes: 2.3% of homes were built before 1980 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Vacancy rate: 61.8% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 74.9% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 50.3 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +28.1% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 27.7% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 0.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room
St. James against Brunswick County, its state and the nation
| St. James | Brunswick County | North Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 7,072 (±14) | 152,568 (exact) | 10,730,404 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 4,321 (±326) | 99,077 (±98) | 4,895,668 (±642) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 3.6% (±2.5 points) | 15.4% (±1.2 points) | 33.4% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | — | $1,351 (±$52) | $1,228 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $116,383 (±$17,360) | $77,024 (±$2,734) | $72,388 (±$324) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $636,800 (±$31,813) | $349,800 (±$6,851) | $288,900 (±$1,086) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $2,873 (±$146) | $1,890 (±$42) | $1,896 (±$8) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 2.3% (±3.4 points) | 13.7% (±0.9 points) | 33.9% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 50.3 minutes (±19.4) | 25.7 minutes (±0.8) | 25.1 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 95.8% (±3.1 points) | 93.3% (±1.0 points) | 90.1% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 68.0 years (±1.3) | 56.4 years (±0.3) | 39.1 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
St. James covers 9.1 square miles of land, about 776 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How St. James has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 5,521 (±23) | 7,072 (±14) | +28.1% | Measurable increase |
| Housing units | 3,261 (±209) | 4,321 (±326) | +32.5% | Measurable increase |
| Median home value | $456,600 (±$18,922) | $636,800 (±$31,813) | +39.5% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $104,850 (±$13,284) | $116,383 (±$17,360) | +11.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $2,145 (±$133) | $2,310 (±$167) | +7.7% | Down after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $2,316 (±$115) | $2,873 (±$146) | +24.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 4.9% (±2.8 points) | 3.6% (±2.5 points) | −1.3 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±22.9 points) | 61.8% (±40.0 points) | +61.8 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 Brunswick County
St. James has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Brunswick County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Brunswick County recorded 199 violent and 1,120 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 St. James
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28461 | 12% | 23,762 | $1,352 | $428,600 | $82,692 |
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 St. James
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Island | 2.4 mi | $1,339 | $456,500 | 10.3% |
| Caswell Beach | 4.0 mi | — | $648,400 | 6.6% |
| Southport | 5.3 mi | $1,426 | $437,700 | 19.8% |
| Boiling Spring Lakes | 7.0 mi | $1,385 | $292,300 | 18.4% |
| Varnamtown | 7.6 mi | $1,087 | $293,800 | 6.3% |
| Bald Head Island | 8.7 mi | — | $1,367,200 | 1.9% |
| Bolivia | 9.1 mi | $1,167 | $290,000 | 12.9% |
| Kure Beach | 12 mi | $1,436 | $735,100 | 19.9% |
HUD Fair Market Rent for St. James, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,388 | $1,446 | $1,574 | $2,062 | $2,407 |
HUD income limits for St. James, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $20,850 | $34,750 | $55,550 |
| 2 people | $23,800 | $39,700 | $63,500 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $44,650 | $71,450 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $49,600 | $79,350 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $53,600 | $85,700 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $57,550 | $92,050 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $61,550 | $98,400 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $65,500 | $104,750 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Brunswick County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $99,200.
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 St. James
What is the median household income in St. James?
The median household income in St. James is $116,383 (±$17,360) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in St. James, NC?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $636,800 (±$31,813) for owner-occupied homes in St. James (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in St. James?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in St. James, NC is $2,310 (±$167) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in St. James?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in St. James, NC is $2,873 (±$146) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many homes are in St. James?
St. James, NC has an estimated 4,321 (±326) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the most common way to heat a home in St. James?
Electricity is the most common heating fuel in St. James, used by 74.9% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is St. James growing?
In St. James, the number of residents went from 5,521 in 2015–2019 to 7,072 in 2020–2024 (+28.1%), a measurable increase.
What ZIP codes are in St. James?
The ZIP code that covers St. James is 28461.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 28461?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 28461 is $1,352 (±$138) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — St. James town, North Carolina
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — St. James town, North Carolina
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — St. James town, North Carolina
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — St. James town, North Carolina
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — St. James town, North Carolina
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — St. James town, North Carolina
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — St. James town, North Carolina
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Brunswick County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Brunswick County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area
- 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 St. James town, North Carolina (place:58630, 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 .