CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

34.52° N · 77.92° W · GEOID 3758620

St. Helena

Pender County, North Carolina · part of the Wilmington, NC metro

Limited data population under 5,000

North CarolinaSt. Helena, NCSt. HelenaSt. Helena

The short answer

St. Helena is home to 544 people. Median household income is $75,313 a year and median rent is $1,696 a month, 27.0% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is moderate. The median home is valued at $215,600, about 2.9x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,696
24% above the median place
Median household income
$75,313
6% below the median place
Median home value
$215,600
32% below the median place
Unemployment
4.8%
1% below 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 St. Helena

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 18.5% a year while household income rose 3.5%, so rent outran pay by more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 160 North Carolina places.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $159 a month less than the median rent, which is rarer than in 97% of places its size.
  • The median rent takes 27.0% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 89% of places its size.
  • The median resident is 47.9 years old, older than in 88% of places its size.
  • 86% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 83% of places its size.
01

Moving to St. Helena

Pender County gains about 37.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in5,944
Moved out3,924
Net+2,020

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within North Carolina, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within North CarolinaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$86K
Leavers$64K

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

Who moves here
9.5% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 3.3% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Pender County report $86,000 a year in income on average; those leaving, $64,400, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$67,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,696 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,537 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $215,600.
Getting to work
23 minutes each way on average; 13.2% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Villas, NJ matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people8
37.5
above the median place (median -0.6)
Moved here in the past year1
9.5%
66% above the median place
Moved from another state1
3.3%
65% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSt. HelenaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure9.5%66% above
Moved from another state1County figure3.3%65% above
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure37.5above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$86,04122% above
Income of households moving out8County figure$64,3628% below
02

What it costs to live here

Rent to income is 27.0%, 32% above the median place.

St. Helena27.0%
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
$67,840
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
27.0%
32% above the median place
Home price to income
2.9x
25% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
27%
just under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$56,300
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in St. Helena, $1,696 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.1 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 St. Helena.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to St. Helena? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
85.8%
29% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,495
54% below the median place
Property tax rate1
0.7%
24% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureSt. HelenaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,69624% above
Rent to income127.0%32% above
Property tax rate10.7%24% below
Home price to income12.9x25% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure96.44% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,19926% below
HUD area median income4County figure$110,6003% above
Property tax paid (median)1$1,49554% below
Median home value1$215,60032% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure0.3%90% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure63.8%24% above
Homeownership185.8%29% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure50.2%1% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,53718% below
Vacant homes1County figure20.6%192% above
Median year built119850% above
03

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
$34,618
14% below the median place
Mean commute1
23 min
7% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSt. HelenaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$75,3136% below
Income per person1$34,61814% below
Unemployment1County figure4.8%1% below
Average annual pay6County figure$50,00224% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure6.0%62% above
Jobs6County figure16,07189% below
Poverty rate1County figure9.7%10% below
Mean commute123 min7% below
Works from home1County figure13.2%6% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Median age is 47.9, 23% above the median place.

Median age1
47.9
23% above the median place
Population change since 20207
4.3%
277% above the median place
High school or higher1
88.8%
4% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband94.2% +2%
Household size2.6 +6%
Bachelor's or higher25.9% −19%
All 9 people measures
MeasureSt. HelenaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population15446646th largest
Population change since 202074.3%277% above
Median age147.923% above
Bachelor's or higher125.9%19% below
High school or higher188.8%4% below
Household size12.66% above
Born abroad1County figure4.2%52% below
No health insurance1County figure8.8%38% above
Homes with broadband194.2%2% above
05

Life in St. Helena

1 site is on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • SS. Peter and Paul's Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church listed 2017

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars20.0 −4%
Shops28.4 −6%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.4 +7%
Doctors' offices and clinics16.3 −19%
Child care centers2.1 −9%

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

Students per teacher11
18.2
18% above the median place
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9
16.3
19% below the median place
Public school students11
11,073
126% above the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureSt. HelenaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure19111% above
Public school students11County figure11,073126% above
Students per teacher11County figure18.218% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure20.04% below
Shops per 10k9County figure28.46% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure4.47% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure16.319% below
Child care centers per 10k9County figure2.19% below
National Register listings10192% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Annual precipitation is 56.8 in, 30% 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 St. Helena. Larger places are fetched first.

Annual precipitation12
56.8 in
30% above the median place
Hurricane risk13
97.2
38% above the median place
Heat wave risk13
62.9
30% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureSt. HelenaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure90°F3% above
January average low12County figure34°F33% above
Average temperature12County figure63°F14% above
Annual precipitation12County figure56.8 in30% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure86.96% below
Hurricane risk13County figure97.238% above
Tornado risk13County figure70.913% below
Wildfire risk13County figure86.942% above
Heat wave risk13County figure62.930% below
Median air quality index14Metro figure415% below
Good air days14Metro figure77.0%12% above
08

St. Helena in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 29% of the median income in 2030, up from 27% 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.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,696/mo (2024)$2,340/mo$1,920 to $2,850/mo+5.5%
Median household income$75,313 (2024)$95,000$80,500 to $112,500+4.0%
Median home value$215,600 (2024)$297,000$216,000 to $410,000+5.5%
Population434 (2025)450430 to 470+0.6%

The median home would be worth 3.1 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.9 now.

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

09

Places like St. Helena

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

PlaceRentIncome
Villas, NJ$1,719$80,974Compare
Largo, FL$1,618$62,096Compare
Port Orange, FL$1,634$74,426Compare
Bradenton, FL$1,618$60,822Compare
Bradenton, FLPort Orange, FLLargo, FLVillas, NJSt. Helena, NCSt. HelenaVillasLargoPort OrangeBradentonSt. HelenaVillasLargoPort OrangeBradenton

Common questions

Is St. Helena a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 18.5% a year while household income rose 3.5%, so rent outran pay by more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 160 North Carolina places. Owning with a mortgage costs about $159 a month less than the median rent, which is rarer than in 97% of places its size. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is St. Helena expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 27.0% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $215,600.

What salary do you need to live in St. Helena?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $67,840 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to St. Helena?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Villas, NJ, Largo, FL, Port Orange, FL and Bradenton, FL.

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. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. 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.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 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
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. 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 St. Helena with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for St. Helena itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/saint-helena-north-carolina

Citytistics. “St. Helena, North Carolina.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/saint-helena-north-carolina/

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