CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

34.29° N · 77.77° W · GEOID 3753475

Porters Neck

New Hanover County, North Carolina · part of the Wilmington, NC metro

North CarolinaPorters Neck, NCPorters NeckPorters Neck

The short answer

Porters Neck is home to 7,654 people. Median household income is $119,979 a year and median rent is $1,503 a month, 15.0% 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 $569,700, about 4.8x annual median household income.

Porters Neck stands out on how people work. Unemployment is 12.5%, against 3.2% in its closest peers. Also notable: OpenStreetMap shows 0 parks per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 95% of places its size. It is the lowest of 161 North Carolina places we track.

52OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Average

Porters Neck scores better than 52% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 54th of 161 in North Carolina.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%59
Economy 20%42
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%20
Education 10%93
Commute 10%54
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,503
10% above the median place
Median household income
$119,979
49% above the median place
Median home value
$569,700
78% above the median place
Unemployment
12.5%
155% above the median place

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 Porters Neck

  • Value for moneyRent is about 24% lower than we would expect for a place with these incomes, education levels, housing age and household types in the same metro area. That can mean good value, or drawbacks these figures do not capture, such as crime, schools or location. Experimental
  • HousingHomeowners pay a median of about 0.5% of home value a year in property tax, less than in 91% of the 2,266 places under 10,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Porters Neck

New Hanover County gains about 9.4 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in14,308
Moved out12,641
Net+1,667

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Brunswick County, NC1,2012,149−948
Pender County, NC7961,445−649
Wake County, NC1,015707+308
Duplin County, NC180

Within North Carolina, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within North CarolinaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$81K
Leavers$65K

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

Who moves here
8.3% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 4.4% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into New Hanover County report $80,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $65,300, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$60,100 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,503 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,329 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $569,700.
Getting to work
24 minutes each way on average; 34.4% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Davidson, NC matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
8.3%
45% above the median place
Moved from another state1
4.4%
122% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
9.4
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasurePorters NeckAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year18.3%45% above
Moved from another state1County figure4.4%122% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure9.4above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$80,55814% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$65,3407% below
02

What it costs to live here

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 96 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

Porters Neck15.0%
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
$60,120
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
15.0%
26% below the median place
Home price to income
4.8x
25% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
15%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$105,000
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Porters Neck, $1,503 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.1 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Porters Neck, but easier on the budget

Places that match Porters Neck on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Davidson, NC8211.9% vs 15.0%$45,800Compare
Lake Norman of Iredell, NC829.2% vs 15.0%$57,000Compare
Ashton-Sandy Spring, MD759.4% vs 15.0%$52,300Compare
Tega Cay, SC7411.9% vs 15.0%$23,600Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Porters Neck.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Porters Neck? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
0.5%
49% below the median place
Median year built1
2003
1% above the median place
Homeownership1
82.6%
24% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasurePorters NeckAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,50310% above
Rent to income115.0%26% below
Property tax rate10.5%49% below
Home price to income14.8x25% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure96.44% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,7056% above
HUD area median income4County figure$109,2002% above
Property tax paid (median)1$2,63619% below
Median home value1$569,70078% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.7%46% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure69.4%35% above
Homeownership182.6%24% above
Renters paying 30%+149.2%3% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,32924% above
Vacant homes1County figure12.7%79% above
Median year built120031% above
03

Work and pay

34% of workers skip the commute by working from home, which keeps total commuting time lower than in 87% of places.

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Unemployment1
12.5%
155% above the median place
Works from home1
34.4%
176% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Income per person$65,370 +63%
Median household income$119,979 +49%
Mean commute24 min −2%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasurePorters NeckAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$119,97949% above
Income per person1$65,37063% above
Unemployment112.5%155% above
Average annual pay6County figure$65,2811% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure6.0%62% above
Jobs6County figure131,69613% below
Poverty rate1County figure12.3%14% above
Mean commute124 min2% below
Works from home134.4%176% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Median age is 50.6, 30% above the median place.

Median age1
50.6
30% above the median place
High school or higher1
97.9%
6% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
66.5%
107% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.2 −10%
Homes with broadband89.5% −3%
Born abroad9.6% +9%
All 8 people measures
MeasurePorters NeckAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population17,6545082nd largest
Median age150.630% above
Bachelor's or higher166.5%107% above
High school or higher197.9%6% above
Household size12.210% below
Born abroad19.6%9% above
No health insurance1County figure9.6%50% above
Homes with broadband189.5%3% below
05

Life in Porters Neck

The nearest National Park Service site is Moores Creek National Battlefield, about 23 miles away.

30 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k2.6 −72%
Grocery stores per 10k6.5 3.1×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k5.2 −53%
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.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Moores Creek National Battlefield 23 miles
  • Cape Lookout National Seashore 74 miles
  • Cape Hatteras National Seashore 146 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars33.5 +61%
Shops47.6 +57%
Arts, recreation and fitness7.4 +80%
Doctors' offices and clinics30.4 +50%
Child care centers2.4 +4%

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

Nearest National Park Service site10
22.5
27% below the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k8
33.5
61% above the median place
Shops per 10k8
47.6
57% above the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasurePorters NeckAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure50above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure27,460above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure15.51% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure33.561% above
Shops per 10k8County figure47.657% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure7.480% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure30.450% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.44% above
Parks per 10k90.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k92.672% below
Grocery stores per 10k96.5208% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k95.253% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1022.527% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles10150% below
National Register listings11County figure30131% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Hurricane risk is 99.1, 40% 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 Porters Neck. Larger places are fetched first.

Hurricane risk14
99.1
40% above the median place
Annual precipitation13
58.0 in
32% above the median place
Average temperature13
64°F
16% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasurePorters NeckAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure90°F3% above
January average low13County figure35°F38% above
Average temperature13County figure64°F16% above
Annual precipitation13County figure58.0 in32% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure96.14% above
Hurricane risk14County figure99.140% above
Tornado risk14County figure90.411% above
Wildfire risk14County figure83.035% above
Heat wave risk14County figure85.65% below
Median air quality index15County figure415% below
Good air days15County figure77.0%12% above
08

Porters Neck in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 15% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 15% 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. On projected 2030 affordability, Porters Neck does better than 58% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 58%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,503/mo (2024)$1,940/mo$1,590 to $2,360/mo+4.3%
Median household income$119,979 (2024)$152,500$129,000 to $180,500+4.1%
Median home value$569,700 (2024)$821,000$596,000 to $1,131,000+6.3%

The median home would be worth 5.4 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.7 now.

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

09

Places like Porters Neck

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

PlaceRentIncome
Shelburne, VT$1,439$109,583Compare
Mendota Heights, MN$1,631$132,768Compare
Gulf Breeze, FL$1,536$104,050Compare
Elkins Park, PA$1,606$129,852Compare
Elkins Park, PAGulf Breeze, FLMendota Heights, MNShelburne, VTPorters Neck, NCPorters NeckShelburneMendota HeightsGulf BreezeElkins ParkPorters NeckShelburneMendota HeightsGulf BreezeElkins Park

Places built like Porters Neck

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Porters Neck performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Porters Neck, NC15.0%5.7%/yrn/a
Heathrow, FL20.6%3.6%/yrn/aCompare
Fairview, TX21.4%3.0%/yr5.2%Compare
Gold River, CA16.8%8.0%/yrn/aCompare
Palm Valley, FL19.1%1.4%/yrn/aCompare
Snyderville, UT24.0%4.2%/yrn/aCompare
St. Augustine Beach, FL21.5%3.2%/yr0.1%Compare

Common questions

Is Porters Neck a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 52 out of 100, better than 52% of the places we rate and 54th of 161 in North Carolina. Rent is about 24% lower than we would expect for a place with these incomes, education levels, housing age and household types in the same metro area. That can mean good value, or drawbacks these figures do not capture, such as crime, schools or location. Homeowners pay a median of about 0.5% of home value a year in property tax, less than in 91% of the 2,266 places under 10,000 people we track. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Porters Neck expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 15.0% 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 $569,700.

What salary do you need to live in Porters Neck?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $60,120 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Porters Neck?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Shelburne, VT, Mendota Heights, MN, Gulf Breeze, FL and Elkins Park, PA.

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. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 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
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. 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 Porters Neck with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Porters Neck itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/porters-neck-north-carolina

Citytistics. “Porters Neck, North Carolina.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/porters-neck-north-carolina/

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