CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

35.03° N · 78.79° W · GEOID 3769740

Vander

Cumberland County, North Carolina · part of the Fayetteville, NC metro

Limited data population under 5,000

North CarolinaVander, NCVanderVander

The short answer

Vander is home to 1,922 people. Median household income is $66,993 a year and median rent is $929 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 $231,800, about 3.5x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$929
32% below the median place
Median household income
$66,993
17% below the median place
Median home value
$231,800
27% below the median place
Unemployment
7.6%
56% 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 Vander

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 12.4% a year while rent rose 2.7%, so pay gained on rent more than in 97% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 3rd-lowest of 160 North Carolina places.
  • Half the homes were built after 1991, newer housing than in 78% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 89 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Vander

Cumberland County loses about 9.2 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in26,095
Moved out28,488
Net−2,393

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Hoke County, NC1,4661,799−333
Harnett County, NC1,5691,692−123
Wake County, NC7591,010−251
El Paso County, CO339457−118

Within North Carolina, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within North CarolinaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$47K
Leavers$54K

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

Who moves here
0.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Cumberland County report $46,900 a year in income on average; those leaving, $54,200, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$37,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $929 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,238 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $231,800.
Getting to work
27 minutes each way on average; 7.7% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Waveland, MS matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
0.0%
below the median place (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Income of households moving in7
$46,920
34% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureVanderAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year10.0%below (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-9.2below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$46,92034% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$54,22523% below
02

What it costs to live here

Owner costs with a mortgage is $1,238, 34% below the median place.

Vander16.6%
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
$37,160
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
16.6%
19% below the median place
Home price to income
3.5x
9% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
17%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$58,300
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Vander, $929 a month, and local prices for everything else (95.9 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Vander, but easier on the budget

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

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Independence, IA13.3% vs 16.6%n/aCompare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Vander? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,238
34% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,746
47% below the median place
Homeownership1
79.1%
19% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureVanderAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$92932% below
Rent to income116.6%19% below
Property tax rate10.8%18% below
Home price to income13.5x9% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure92.09% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,4769% below
HUD area median income4County figure$81,90024% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,74647% below
Median home value1$231,80027% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.0%27% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure66.7%29% above
Homeownership179.1%19% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure51.9%3% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,23834% below
Vacant homes1County figure9.8%38% above
Median year built119911% 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
$27,833
31% below the median place
Median household income1
$66,993
17% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureVanderAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$66,99317% below
Income per person1$27,83331% below
Unemployment1County figure7.6%56% above
Average annual pay6County figure$57,31213% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.7%27% below
Jobs6County figure122,27219% below
Poverty rate1County figure16.7%55% above
Mean commute127 min8% above
Works from home1County figure7.7%38% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 76.5%, 17% below the median place.

Homes with broadband1
76.5%
17% below the median place
Median age1
41.3
6% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
24.8%
23% below the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureVanderAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,9226646th largest
Median age141.36% above
Bachelor's or higher124.8%23% below
High school or higher192.4%0% above
Household size12.64% above
Born abroad1County figure6.8%23% below
No health insurance1County figure9.5%48% above
Homes with broadband176.5%17% below
05

Life in Vander

71 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 residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
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 bars21.4 +3%
Shops31.7 +5%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.6 −37%
Doctors' offices and clinics15.7 −22%
Child care centers3.1 +35%

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

Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
2.6
37% below the median place
Public schools11
88
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students11
50,815
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureVanderAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure88above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure50,815above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure17.111% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure21.43% above
Shops per 10k8County figure31.75% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure2.637% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure15.722% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure3.135% above
Parks per 10k90.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
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 figure71above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Hurricane risk is 94.0, 33% 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 Vander. Larger places are fetched first.

Hurricane risk13
94.0
33% above the median place
July average high12
91°F
5% above the median place
Average temperature12
62°F
13% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureVanderAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure91°F5% above
January average low12County figure33°F29% above
Average temperature12County figure62°F13% above
Annual precipitation12County figure47.9 in9% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure89.53% below
Hurricane risk13County figure94.033% above
Tornado risk13County figure93.014% above
Wildfire risk13County figure84.238% above
Heat wave risk13County figure94.25% above
Median air quality index14County figure442% above
Good air days14County figure68.8%0% above
08

Vander in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 16% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 17% 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$929/mo (2024)$1,180/mo$970 to $1,440/mo+4.1%
Median household income$66,993 (2024)$86,000$73,000 to $102,000+4.3%
Median home value$231,800 (2024)$353,000$256,000 to $486,000+7.3%

The median home would be worth 4.1 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.5 now.

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

09

Places like Vander

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

PlaceRentIncome
Waveland, MS$927$68,693Compare
Red Wing, MN$969$67,192Compare
Baraboo, WI$940$69,750Compare
Hutchinson, MN$940$72,836Compare
Hutchinson, MNBaraboo, WIRed Wing, MNWaveland, MSVander, NCVanderWavelandRed WingBarabooVanderWavelandRed WingBaraboo

Common questions

Is Vander a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 12.4% a year while rent rose 2.7%, so pay gained on rent more than in 97% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 3rd-lowest of 160 North Carolina places. Half the homes were built after 1991, newer housing than in 78% of places its size. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Vander 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 $231,800.

What salary do you need to live in Vander?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $37,160 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Vander?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Waveland, MS, Red Wing, MN, Baraboo, WI and Hutchinson, MN.

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

Citytistics. “Vander, North Carolina.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/vander-north-carolina/

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