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Cost of living, pay and housing

35.26° N · 79.59° W · GEOID 3760515

Seven Lakes

Moore County, North Carolina · part of the Pinehurst, NC metro

Limited data population under 5,000

North CarolinaSeven Lakes, NCSeven LakesSeven Lakes

The short answer

Seven Lakes is home to 4,535 people. Median household income is $91,085 a year and median rent is $914 a month, 12.0% 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 $394,500, about 4.3x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$914
33% below the median place
Median household income
$91,085
13% above the median place
Median home value
$394,500
24% above 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 Seven Lakes

  • Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 265 hours a year commuting, more than in 97% of the 2,101 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 147 North Carolina places.
  • The median rent takes only 12.0% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 95% of places its size. It is the 3rd-lowest of 161 North Carolina places.
  • The median resident is 62.2 years old, older than in 98% of places its size.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 1.9% a year while rent rose -4.8%, so pay gained on rent more than in 92% of places its size.
  • 93% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 93% of places its size.
01

Moving to Seven Lakes

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

Moved in7,099
Moved out6,164
Net+935

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Wake County, NC295323−28
Hoke County, NC254227+27
Lee County, NC205209−4
Montgomery County, NC125

Within North Carolina, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within North CarolinaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$93K
Leavers$81K

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

Who moves here
8.1% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 4.2% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Moore County report $93,100 a year in income on average; those leaving, $81,000, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$36,600 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $914 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,023 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $394,500.
Getting to work
40 minutes each way on average; 14.7% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Belfast, ME matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
4.2%
112% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
10.4
above the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7
$93,065
32% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSeven LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure8.1%41% above
Moved from another state1County figure4.2%112% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure10.4above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$93,06532% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$80,96315% above
02

What it costs to live here

Rent to income is 12.0%, 41% below the median place.

Seven Lakes12.0%
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
$36,560
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
12.0%
41% below the median place
Home price to income
4.3x
14% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
12%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$84,900
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Seven Lakes, $914 a month, and local prices for everything else (94.3 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 Seven Lakes.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Seven Lakes? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
92.6%
39% above the median place
Vacant homes1
15.9%
125% above the median place
Property tax rate1
0.5%
43% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureSeven LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$91433% below
Rent to income112.0%41% below
Property tax rate10.5%43% below
Home price to income14.3x14% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure88.312% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,22324% below
HUD area median income4County figure$106,3001% below
Property tax paid (median)1$2,04137% below
Median home value1$394,50024% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure1.8%42% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure67.3%31% above
Homeownership192.6%39% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure48.8%4% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,0238% above
Vacant homes115.9%125% above
Median year built119971% 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%)
Mean commute1
40 min
62% above the median place
Income per person1
$48,843
22% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Median household income$91,085 +13%
Poverty rate8.8% −18%
Works from home14.7% +18%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSeven LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$91,08513% above
Income per person1$48,84322% above
Unemployment1County figure4.8%1% below
Average annual pay6County figure$56,50914% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.5%22% above
Jobs6County figure42,75172% below
Poverty rate18.8%18% below
Mean commute140 min62% above
Works from home114.7%18% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 100.0%, 8% above the median place.

High school or higher1
100.0%
8% above the median place
Median age1
62.2
59% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
97.6%
6% above the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureSeven LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population14,5356646th largest
Median age162.259% above
Bachelor's or higher147.8%49% above
High school or higher1100.0%8% above
Household size12.212% below
Born abroad1County figure5.1%43% below
No health insurance1County figure7.6%19% above
Homes with broadband197.6%6% above
05

Life in Seven Lakes

34 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents4.4 −57%
Playgrounds per 10k8.8 −6%
Grocery stores per 10k6.6 3.1×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k26.5 2.4×
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 bars22.9 +10%
Shops34.3 +13%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.4 +32%
Doctors' offices and clinics20.4 +1%
Child care centers4.0 +74%

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

Child care centers per 10k8
4.0
74% above the median place
Students per teacher11
18.1
18% above the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
5.4
32% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureSeven LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure26189% above
Public school students11County figure14,708200% above
Students per teacher11County figure18.118% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure22.910% above
Shops per 10k8County figure34.313% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure5.432% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure20.41% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure4.074% above
Parks per 10k94.457% below
Playgrounds per 10k98.86% below
Grocery stores per 10k96.6212% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k926.5137% above
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)
National Register listings10County figure34162% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Natural hazard risk is 75.6, 18% 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 Seven Lakes. Larger places are fetched first.

Natural hazard risk13
75.6
18% below the median place
July average high12
90°F
4% above the median place
Average temperature12
61°F
11% above the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureSeven LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure90°F4% above
January average low12County figure31°F24% above
Average temperature12County figure61°F11% above
Annual precipitation12County figure46.3 in6% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure75.618% below
Hurricane risk13County figure88.325% above
Tornado risk13County figure85.75% above
Wildfire risk13County figure81.834% above
Heat wave risk13County figure76.815% below
08

Seven Lakes in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 12% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 12% 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$914/mo (2024)$1,110/mo$910 to $1,350/mo+3.3%
Median household income$91,085 (2024)$114,500$96,500 to $135,500+3.9%
Median home value$394,500 (2024)$550,000$399,000 to $758,000+5.7%

The median home would be worth 4.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.3 now.

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

09

Places like Seven Lakes

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

PlaceRentIncome
Belfast, ME$962$67,679Compare
Oak Island, NC$1,339$85,872Compare
Laurel, FL$1,323$92,340Compare
North Myrtle Beach, SC$1,263$72,722Compare
North Myrtle Beach, SCLaurel, FLOak Island, NCBelfast, MESeven Lakes, NCSeven LakesBelfastOak IslandLaurelSeven LakesBelfastOak IslandLaurel

Common questions

Is Seven Lakes a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 265 hours a year commuting, more than in 97% of the 2,101 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 147 North Carolina places. The median rent takes only 12.0% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 95% of places its size. It is the 3rd-lowest of 161 North Carolina places. On cost, space and class size it scores 74 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Seven Lakes expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 12.0% 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 $394,500.

What salary do you need to live in Seven Lakes?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $36,560 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Seven Lakes?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Belfast, ME, Oak Island, NC, Laurel, FL and North Myrtle Beach, SC.

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 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

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 Seven Lakes with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Seven Lakes itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/seven-lakes-north-carolina

Citytistics. “Seven Lakes, North Carolina.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/seven-lakes-north-carolina/

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