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Cost of living, pay and housing

35.52° N · 80.35° W · GEOID 3726800

Gold Hill

Rowan County, North Carolina · part of the Charlotte, NC metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_gross_rent

North CarolinaGold Hill, NCGold HillGold Hill

The short answer

Gold Hill is home to 914 people. Median household income is $73,187 a year and median rent is $1,013 a month, 16.6% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $279,600, about 3.8x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,013
26% below the median place
Median household income
$73,187
9% below the median place
Median home value
$279,600
12% below the median place
Unemployment
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Gold Hill

  • Household income has grown -5.9% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 161 North Carolina places.
  • 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 142 North Carolina places.
  • Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 112 North Carolina places.
  • Households average 3.50 people, larger than in 97% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 161 North Carolina places.
  • 92% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 92% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 83 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Gold Hill

Rowan County gains about 11.8 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in7,612
Moved out6,248
Net+1,364

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within North Carolina, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within North CarolinaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$53K
Leavers$50K

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

Who moves here
6.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Rowan County report $53,200 a year in income on average; those leaving, $49,800, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$40,500 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,013 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,429 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $279,600.
Getting to work
26 minutes each way on average; 8.4% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Omak, WA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Income of households moving out7
$49,807
29% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
11.8
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureGold HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.0%5% above
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure11.8above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$53,19525% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$49,80729% below
02

What it costs to live here

Homeownership is 91.6%, 38% above the median place.

Gold Hill16.6%
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
$40,520
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
16.6%
19% below the median place
Home price to income
3.8x
1% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
17%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$62,500
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Gold Hill, $1,013 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.3 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Gold Hill.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Gold Hill? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
91.6%
38% above the median place
Property tax rate1
0.6%
30% below the median place
Median year built1
1993
1% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureGold HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$1,01326% below
Rent to income116.6%19% below
Property tax rate10.6%30% below
Home price to income13.8x1% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure97.34% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,26222% below
HUD area median income4County figure$79,00026% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,79645% below
Median home value1$279,60012% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.1%29% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure66.3%29% above
Homeownership191.6%38% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure46.7%8% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1County figure$1,42924% below
Vacant homes1County figure9.3%32% above
Median year built119931% above
03

Work and pay

Unemployment is 0.0%, below the median place (median 4.9%).

Unemployment1
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)
Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$19,627
51% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureGold HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$73,1879% below
Income per person1$19,62751% below
Unemployment10.0%below (median 4.9%)
Average annual pay6County figure$60,9258% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure6.0%62% above
Jobs6County figure51,12166% below
Poverty rate112.4%15% above
Mean commute1County figure26 min5% above
Works from home1County figure8.4%33% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 0.0%, below the median place (median 8.8%).

Born abroad1
0.0%
below the median place (median 8.8%)
No health insurance1
0.0%
below the median place (median 6.4%)
Household size1
3.5
40% above the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureGold HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population19146646th largest
Median age1County figure40.44% above
Bachelor's or higher1County figure23.3%27% below
High school or higher1County figure88.9%4% below
Household size13.540% above
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance10.0%below (median 6.4%)
Homes with broadband182.4%11% below
05

Life in Gold Hill

1 site is on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark.

  • Isenhour, Daniel, House and Farm listed 2000

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars15.6 −25%
Shops28.8 −5%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.9 −5%
Doctors' offices and clinics12.4 −39%
Child care centers1.7 −26%

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

Public schools10
1
89% below the median place
Public school students10
275
94% below the median place
Students per teacher10
15.3
1% below the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureGold HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10189% below
Public school students1027594% below
Students per teacher1015.31% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure15.625% below
Shops per 10k8County figure28.85% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.95% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure12.439% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.726% below
National Register listings9192% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Heat wave risk is 50.9, 43% below 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 Gold Hill. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk12
50.9
43% below the median place
Natural hazard risk12
82.9
10% below the median place
July average high11
89°F
2% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureGold HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure89°F2% above
January average low11County figure29°F16% above
Average temperature11County figure59°F8% above
Annual precipitation11County figure44.6 in2% above
Natural hazard risk12County figure82.910% below
Hurricane risk12County figure72.42% above
Tornado risk12County figure85.75% above
Wildfire risk12County figure47.722% below
Heat wave risk12County figure50.943% below
Median air quality index13County figure430% above
Good air days13County figure73.7%8% above
08

Places like Gold Hill

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

PlaceRentIncome
Omak, WA$1,002$76,544Compare
Decatur, TX$1,024$73,179Compare
Gloucester Point, VA$1,062$74,001Compare
Taylor, TX$1,074$75,508Compare
Taylor, TXGloucester Point, VADecatur, TXOmak, WAGold Hill, NCGold HillOmakDecaturGloucester PointTaylorGold HillOmakDecaturGloucester PointTaylor

Common questions

Is Gold Hill a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Household income has grown -5.9% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 161 North Carolina places. 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 142 North Carolina places. On cost, space and class size it scores 87 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Gold Hill expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 16.6% 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 $279,600.

What salary do you need to live in Gold Hill?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $40,520 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Gold Hill?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Omak, WA, Decatur, TX, Gloucester Point, VA and Taylor, TX.

Sources and methods

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

  1. 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
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. 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.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 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
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. 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 Gold Hill with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Gold Hill itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/gold-hill-north-carolina

Citytistics. “Gold Hill, North Carolina.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/gold-hill-north-carolina/

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