Housing data for Wilson, NC
Wilson, NC has an estimated 48,370 residents and 22,934 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Wilson County.
50.9% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $971 a month.
Its population shrank measurably since 2015–2019 (−1.8%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 48,370 (±38)
- Housing units
- 22,934 (±436)
- Households that rent
- 50.9%
- Median gross rent
- $971
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −1.8%
What stands out in Wilson
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 12.0% (±1.9 points) in Wilson, higher than in Wilson County (7.6%).
Median real estate taxes: $1,860 (±$134) in Wilson, higher than in Wilson County ($1,471).
Households that rent: 50.9% (±2.6 points) in Wilson, higher than in Wilson County (40.0%).
Households that moved in since 2020: 27.8% (±3.3 points) in Wilson, higher than in Wilson County (22.5%).
- Types of homes in Wilson
- Property taxes in Wilson
- Renters and owners in Wilson
- How long people stay in Wilson
Housing in Wilson at a glance
- Median rent: $971 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $938 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 46.1% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 50.9% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $52,485 median household income
- Home values: $210,700 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,436 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $1,860 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 12.0% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 56.2% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 46.4% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 6.5% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 62.2% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 21.3 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 475 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: −1.8% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 27.8% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 3.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Wilson against Wilson County, its state and the nation
| Wilson | Wilson County | North Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 48,370 (±38) | 79,290 (exact) | 10,730,404 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 22,934 (±436) | 37,053 (±46) | 4,895,668 (±642) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 50.9% (±2.6 points) | 40.0% (±1.8 points) | 33.4% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $971 (±$42) | $953 (±$35) | $1,228 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $52,485 (±$4,430) | $56,423 (±$3,380) | $72,388 (±$324) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $210,700 (±$11,636) | $186,000 (±$8,936) | $288,900 (±$1,086) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,860 (±$134) | $1,471 (±$56) | $1,896 (±$8) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 46.4% (±3.7 points) | 42.4% (±2.7 points) | 33.9% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 21.3 minutes (±1.1) | 22.5 minutes (±0.8) | 25.1 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 86.4% (±2.2 points) | 85.7% (±1.7 points) | 90.1% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 39.5 years (±1.6) | 40.6 years (±0.4) | 39.1 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Wilson covers 31.6 square miles of land, about 1,532 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Wilson has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 49,272 (±49) | 48,370 (±38) | −1.8% | Measurable decrease |
| Housing units | 22,057 (±405) | 22,934 (±436) | +4.0% | Measurable increase |
| Median gross rent | $762 (±$18) | $971 (±$42) | +27.4% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $142,700 (±$6,252) | $210,700 (±$11,636) | +47.7% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $42,036 (±$3,083) | $52,485 (±$4,430) | +24.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,254 (±$69) | $1,436 (±$75) | +14.5% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,707 (±$73) | $1,860 (±$134) | +9.0% | Down after inflation |
| Households that rent | 50.7% (±2.4 points) | 50.9% (±2.6 points) | +0.2 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 4.3% (±1.6 points) | 6.5% (±2.3 points) | +2.2 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.
Crime reported to police in Wilson
In 2025, the Wilson Police Department reported 475 violent and 2,168 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across Wilson County, the departments that report recorded 361 violent and 1,717 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
ZIP codes in Wilson
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27896 | 28% | 19,455 | $1,063 | $242,700 | $75,696 |
| 27893 | 19% | 38,512 | $947 | $158,600 | $42,810 |
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 Wilson
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elm City | 6.5 mi | $859 | $109,300 | 41.9% |
| Black Creek | 6.5 mi | $868 | $112,200 | 39.9% |
| Lucama | 7.4 mi | $980 | $115,500 | 48.5% |
| Sims | 7.5 mi | $1,027 | $196,900 | 14.8% |
| Saratoga | 10 mi | $800 | $97,900 | 30.9% |
| Stantonsburg | 11 mi | $919 | $132,600 | 25.0% |
| Bailey | 11 mi | $814 | $155,700 | 41.7% |
| Sharpsburg | 11 mi | $954 | $121,900 | 47.2% |
Places in North Carolina most like Wilson
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mount | $957 | $165,700 | $55,534 | 51.0% |
| Siler City | $1,000 | $154,600 | $46,566 | 44.0% |
| Sanford | $1,052 | $245,400 | $57,586 | 46.7% |
| Statesville | $1,000 | $248,000 | $52,880 | 48.4% |
| Raeford | $833 | $201,800 | $46,494 | 42.9% |
| Morganton | $944 | $221,700 | $51,355 | 45.3% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across North Carolina.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Wilson, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $843 | $849 | $1,069 | $1,356 | $1,658 |
HUD income limits for Wilson, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $17,650 | $29,400 | $47,050 |
| 2 people | $21,640 | $33,600 | $53,800 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $37,800 | $60,500 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $42,000 | $67,200 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $45,400 | $72,600 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $48,750 | $78,000 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $52,100 | $83,350 |
| 8 people | $55,450 | $55,450 | $88,750 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Wilson County, NC, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $84,000.
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 Wilson
What is the average rent in Wilson, NC?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Wilson is $971 (±$42) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Wilson?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Wilson, NC is $739 (±$43) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Wilson rent-burdened?
46.1% of renting households in Wilson pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Wilson?
Wilson has an estimated 10,375 (±553) renting households, 50.9% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Wilson?
The median household income in Wilson is $52,485 (±$4,430) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Wilson, NC?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $210,700 (±$11,636) for owner-occupied homes in Wilson (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Wilson growing?
In Wilson, the number of residents went from 49,272 in 2015–2019 to 48,370 in 2020–2024 (−1.8%), a measurable decrease.
What ZIP codes are in Wilson?
The ZIP codes that cover Wilson are 27896, 27893.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 27896?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 27896 is $1,063 (±$120) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Wilson city, North Carolina
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Wilson city, North Carolina
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Wilson city, North Carolina
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Wilson city, North Carolina
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Wilson city, North Carolina
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Wilson city, North Carolina
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Wilson city, North Carolina
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Wilson County, NC
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Wilson County, NC
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Wilson Police Department (ORI NC0980100)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- 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 Wilson city, North Carolina (place:74540, 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 .