Name: Cajah's Mountain, NC statistics
Creator: Citytistics

Moving to Cajah's Mountain

Caldwell County gains about 10.4 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in3,347

Moved out2,706

Net+641

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Catawba County, NC676620+56

Burke County, NC557533+24

Alexander County, NC134144−10

Watauga County, NC10847+61

Mecklenburg County, NC7268+4

Lincoln County, NC5381−28

Iredell County, NC6542+23

Wilkes County, NC4939+10

Within North Carolina, other states or abroad

Arrivals

67%33%

Leavers

76%24%

Within North CarolinaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$57K

Leavers$51K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Caldwell County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here: 3.4% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.5% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves: Households moving into Caldwell County report $56,900 a year in income on average; those leaving, $51,200, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need: $29,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy: Median rent is $729 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,216 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $201,800.
Getting to work: 27 minutes each way on average; 7.1% work from home.
If it is close but not quite: Carthage, TX matches it on character. Compare the two

Income of households moving out8
$51,247
27% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people8
10.4
above the median place (median -0.6)
Moved here in the past year1
3.4%
41% below the median place

All 5 moving measures

Measure	Cajah's Mountain	Vs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure	3.4%	41% below
Moved from another state1County figure	1.5%	24% below
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure	10.4	above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure	$56,902	19% below
Income of households moving out8County figure	$51,247	27% below

What it costs to live here

Median gross rent is $729, 47% below the median place.

Cajah's Mountain16.4%

Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent

$29,160

a year, at the 30% line

Rent to income

16.4%

20% below the median place

Home price to income

3.8x

1% below the median place

Could you afford it?

Your household income, before tax

The median rent would take

17%

comfortably under the 30% line

Left after rent, in US prices

$46,900

a year

Vs the typical household here

Same

as the median household

Uses the median rent in Cajah's Mountain, $729 a month, and local prices for everything else (94.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Cajah's Mountain, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

Place	Rent to income	More left a year
Alliance, NE	12.8% vs 16.4%	n/a	Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Cajah's Mountain.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Cajah's Mountain? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.

Property tax paid (median)1
$1,163
64% below the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,216
35% below the median place
Property tax rate1
0.6%
36% below the median place

All 16 cost and housing measures

Measure	Cajah's Mountain	Vs median
Median gross rent1	$729	47% below
Rent to income1	16.4%	20% below
Property tax rate1	0.6%	36% below
Home price to income1	3.8x	1% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure	88.5	12% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure	$1,147	29% below
HUD area median income4County figure	$85,200	21% below
Property tax paid (median)1	$1,163	64% below
Median home value1	$201,800	37% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure	3.4%	6% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure	62.1%	21% above
Homeownership1	75.3%	13% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure	39.8%	21% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1	$1,216	35% below
Vacant homes1County figure	11.9%	69% above
Median year built1	1976	0% below

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$23,061
42% below the median place
Median household income1
$53,361
34% below the median place

All 10 work and pay measures

Measure	Cajah's Mountain	Vs median
Median household income1	$53,361	34% below
Income per person1	$23,061	42% below
Unemployment1County figure	5.0%	3% above
Average annual pay6County figure	$52,038	21% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure	2.8%	24% below
Jobs6County figure	25,294	83% below
Poverty rate1	13.9%	29% above
Mean commute1	27 min	8% above
Works from home1County figure	7.1%	43% below
Commutes by transit1	0.0%	below (median 0.8%)

Who lives here

No health insurance is 17.4%, 172% above the median place.

No health insurance1
17.4%
172% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
14.4%
55% below the median place
Household size1
3.1
24% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher84.1% −9%

Homes with broadband89.6% −3%

Median age40.3 +3%

All 9 people measures

Measure	Cajah's Mountain	Vs median
Population1	2,704	6646th largest
Population change since 20207	-0.1%	below (median 1.1%)
Median age1	40.3	3% above
Bachelor's or higher1	14.4%	55% below
High school or higher1	84.1%	9% below
Household size1	3.1	24% above
Born abroad1County figure	3.0%	66% below
No health insurance1	17.4%	172% above
Homes with broadband1	89.6%	3% below

Life in Cajah's Mountain

20 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%

Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%

Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%

Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k11.1 −1%

Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%

Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%

Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars16.0 −23%

Shops30.0 −1%

Arts, recreation and fitness2.7 −34%

Doctors' offices and clinics8.2 −59%

Child care centers1.9 −17%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9
8.2
59% below the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k9
16.0
23% below the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9
2.7
34% below the median place

All 16 schools and local life measures

Measure	Cajah's Mountain	Vs median
Public schools12County figure	26	189% above
Public school students12County figure	10,920	123% above
Students per teacher12County figure	17.8	16% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure	16.0	23% below
Shops per 10k9County figure	30.0	1% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure	2.7	34% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure	8.2	59% below
Child care centers per 10k9County figure	1.9	17% below
Parks per 10k10	0.0	below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k10	0.0	below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k10	0.0	below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k10	11.1	1% below
Libraries per 10k10	0.0	below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails10	0.0	below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi10	0.0	below (median 0.2)
National Register listings11County figure	20	54% above

Safety, weather and risk

Good air days is 97.1%, 42% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Cajah's Mountain. Larger places are fetched first.

Good air days15
97.1%
42% above the median place
Heat wave risk14
39.3
56% below the median place
Median air quality index15
36
16% below the median place

All 11 weather and risk measures

Measure	Cajah's Mountain	Vs median
July average high13County figure	87°F	0% above
January average low13County figure	28°F	10% above
Average temperature13County figure	57°F	4% above
Annual precipitation13County figure	52.9 in	21% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure	67.4	27% below
Hurricane risk14County figure	66.0	7% below
Tornado risk14County figure	62.1	24% below
Wildfire risk14County figure	52.0	15% below
Heat wave risk14County figure	39.3	56% below
Median air quality index15County figure	36	16% below
Good air days15County figure	97.1%	42% above

How it is changing

Five-year survey estimates, one point per release.

Median gross rent

Up 23.8% from 2019 to 2024.

Median household income

Up 20.0% from 2019 to 2024.

Median home value

Up 53.3% from 2019 to 2024.

Population estimate

Down 0.0% from 2020 to 2025.

Citytistics measures

Paycheck stretch

$47,300

left a year after rent, in US prices. Better than 16% of places

Pay vs rent

-0.6 pts

a year, rent outrunning pay. Better than 43% of places

Family fit

of 100 on cost, space and class size

Growth

of 100 on population and income growth

Measures only Citytistics publishes, built from the figures on this page. Scores of 100 beat every place we track. Formulas

Cajah's Mountain in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 17% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 16% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

Measure	Latest	2030 projection	Likely range	Avg. per year
Median rent	$729/mo (2024)	$930/mo	$760 to $1,130/mo	+4.2%
Median household income	$53,361 (2024)	$67,500	$57,000 to $80,000	+4.0%
Median home value	$201,800 (2024)	$290,000	$210,000 to $399,000	+6.2%
Population	2,702 (2025)	2,720	2,610 to 2,840	+0.1%

The median home would be worth 4.3 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.8 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

Places like Cajah's Mountain

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

Place	Rent	Income
Carthage, TX	$797	$51,250	Compare
Big Stone Gap, VA	$797	$54,581	Compare
Center Line, MI	$788	$54,703	Compare
Marion, NC	$762	$51,314	Compare

Nearby

Compare Cajah's Mountain with

Common questions

Is Cajah's Mountain a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Median rent is $729 a month, lower than in 95% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. Households average 3.10 people, larger than in 91% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 82 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Cajah's Mountain expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 16.4% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $201,800.

What salary do you need to live in Cajah's Mountain?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $29,160 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Cajah's Mountain?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Carthage, TX, Big Stone Gap, VA, Center Line, MI and Marion, NC.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Cajah's Mountain with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Cajah's Mountain itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/cajahs-mountain-north-carolina

Citytistics. “Cajah's Mountain, North Carolina.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/cajahs-mountain-north-carolina/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Cajah's Mountain

What stands out about Cajah's Mountain