CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

36.29° N · 80.14° W · GEOID 3770780

Walnut Cove

Stokes County, North Carolina · part of the Winston, NC metro

Limited data population under 5,000

North CarolinaWalnut Cove, NCWalnut CoveWalnut Cove

The short answer

Walnut Cove is home to 2,115 people. Median household income is $44,815 a year and median rent is $674 a month, 18.0% 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 $217,300, about 4.8x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$674
51% below the median place
Median household income
$44,815
44% below the median place
Median home value
$217,300
32% below the median place
Unemployment
3.1%
36% 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 Walnut Cove

  • Median rent is $674 a month, lower than in 98% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $38,100 a year left, less than in 92% of places its size.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 5% a year while rent rose 1%, so pay gained on rent more than in 82% of places its size.
  • Renters occupy 45% of homes, more than in 83% of places its size.
01

Moving to Walnut Cove

Stokes County gains about 13.9 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in2,329
Moved out1,824
Net+505

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Yadkin County, NC4054−14

Within North Carolina, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within North CarolinaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$55K
Leavers$48K

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

Who moves here
4.9% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.7% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Stokes County report $55,300 a year in income on average; those leaving, $47,900, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$27,000 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $674 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,221 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $217,300.
Getting to work
27 minutes each way on average; 7.7% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Little Falls, MN matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving out8
$47,877
32% below the median place
Moved from another state1
0.7%
66% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people8
13.9
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureWalnut CoveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.9%14% below
Moved from another state1County figure0.7%66% below
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure13.9above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$55,32722% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$47,87732% below
02

What it costs to live here

Median gross rent is $674, 51% below the median place.

Walnut Cove18.0%
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
$26,960
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
18.0%
12% below the median place
Home price to income
4.8x
28% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
18%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$38,300
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Walnut Cove, $674 a month, and local prices for everything else (96.3 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Walnut Cove, 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
Oneonta, AL14.2% vs 18.0%$10,300Compare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Walnut Cove? 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
$1,221
35% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,357
58% below the median place
Property tax rate1
0.6%
32% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureWalnut CoveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$67451% below
Rent to income118.0%12% below
Property tax rate10.6%32% below
Home price to income14.8x28% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure92.09% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,33218% below
HUD area median income4County figure$96,70010% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,35758% below
Median home value1$217,30032% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure-0.6%below (median 3.2%)
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure63.0%22% above
Homeownership154.7%18% below
Renters paying 30%+159.0%17% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,22135% below
Vacant homes1County figure9.1%29% above
Median year built119760% below
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%)
Median household income1
$44,815
44% below the median place
Income per person1
$24,881
38% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureWalnut CoveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$44,81544% below
Income per person1$24,88138% below
Unemployment1County figure3.1%36% below
Average annual pay6County figure$42,15836% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure0.9%76% below
Jobs6County figure7,55395% below
Poverty rate118.4%71% above
Mean commute127 min7% above
Works from home1County figure7.7%38% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 79.9%, 13% below the median place.

Homes with broadband1
79.9%
13% below the median place
No health insurance1
4.0%
38% below the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
22.7%
29% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Median age40.6 +4%
High school or higher93.5% +1%
Household size2.6 +3%
All 9 people measures
MeasureWalnut CoveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,1156646th largest
Population change since 202071.6%37% above
Median age140.64% above
Bachelor's or higher122.7%29% below
High school or higher193.5%1% above
Household size12.63% above
Born abroad1County figure1.5%83% below
No health insurance14.0%38% below
Homes with broadband179.9%13% below
05

Life in Walnut Cove

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

  • Christ Episcopal Church listed 2005Landmark
  • Walnut Cove Colored School listed 1995

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k9.5 4.5×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k42.5 3.8×
Libraries per 10k9.5 10.9×
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 bars12.6 −39%
Shops26.1 −14%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.2 −46%
Doctors' offices and clinics7.1 −65%
Child care centers1.1 −52%

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

Public school students12
1,638
67% below the median place
Public schools12
5
44% below the median place
Students per teacher12
15.5
1% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureWalnut CoveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12544% below
Public school students121,63867% below
Students per teacher1215.51% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure12.639% below
Shops per 10k9County figure26.114% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure2.246% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure7.165% below
Child care centers per 10k9County figure1.152% below
Parks per 10k100.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k100.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k109.5346% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1042.5282% above
Libraries per 10k109.5above (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings11285% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Natural hazard risk is 39.7, 57% 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 Walnut Cove. Larger places are fetched first.

Natural hazard risk14
39.7
57% below the median place
Heat wave risk14
25.3
72% below the median place
Wildfire risk14
16.1
74% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureWalnut CoveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure88°F1% above
January average low13County figure28°F12% above
Average temperature13County figure58°F5% above
Annual precipitation13County figure47.3 in8% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure39.757% below
Hurricane risk14County figure68.73% below
Tornado risk14County figure35.956% below
Wildfire risk14County figure16.174% below
Heat wave risk14County figure25.372% below
Median air quality index15Metro figure5221% above
Good air days15Metro figure41.6%39% below
08

Walnut Cove in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 18% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 18% 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$674/mo (2024)$850/mo$690 to $1,030/mo+3.9%
Median household income$44,815 (2024)$57,000$48,000 to $67,500+4.0%
Median home value$217,300 (2024)$323,000$235,000 to $446,000+6.9%
Population1,609 (2025)1,6301,570 to 1,700+0.3%

The median home would be worth 5.7 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.8 now.

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

09

Places like Walnut Cove

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

PlaceRentIncome
Little Falls, MN$747$47,863Compare
Clinton, NC$759$44,953Compare
Lawrenceburg, IN$767$51,250Compare
Sweetwater, TN$619$45,451Compare
Sweetwater, TNLawrenceburg, INClinton, NCLittle Falls, MNWalnut Cove, NCLittle FallsClintonLawrenceburgSweetwaterLittle FallsClintonLawrenceburgSweetwater

Common questions

Is Walnut Cove a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Median rent is $674 a month, lower than in 98% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $38,100 a year left, less than in 92% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 30 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Walnut Cove expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 18.0% 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 $217,300.

What salary do you need to live in Walnut Cove?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $26,960 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Walnut Cove?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Little Falls, MN, Clinton, NC, Lawrenceburg, IN and Sweetwater, TN.

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. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 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 Walnut Cove with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Walnut Cove itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/walnut-cove-north-carolina

Citytistics. “Walnut Cove, North Carolina.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/walnut-cove-north-carolina/

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