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North Carolina · Census place 20980

Elm City, NC population, income and ZIP codes

Quick answer

The population of the city of Elm City, North Carolina (Elm City, NC — Census place “Elm City town”) is 1,173 residents, ranking #425 of 777 places in North Carolina. Median household income is $44,698, the median home is worth $106,600 and median gross rent runs $829 a month. Looking for the Elm City North Carolina ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Elm City, NC: 27822.

Population
1,173Elm City town residents
Median household income
$44,698Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
Median home value
$106,600Owner-occupied units
Median gross rent
$829Rent plus utilities, monthly
Median age
49.6 yrsAll residents
Homeownership rate
65.4%Owner-occupied households

Elm City ZIP codes (North Carolina)

Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Elm City.

The Elm City NC ZIP code list below covers 1 ZIP code. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.

What the numbers mean in Elm City town

Housing cost measured against local earnings.

A household earning the Elm City town median would spend about 22.3% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 2.4× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 18.4% of residents and 65.4% of households own their home.

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year

Elm City town, NC in context

How this area compares with national benchmarks.

Elm City town is a small town in North Carolina, with 1,173 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #425 of 777 ranked by population — larger than 45% of them. The median age here is 49.6 years against 39.1 nationally, a markedly older profile that usually tracks retirees staying put and younger households leaving for work. At this population the ACS sample is small, so the margin of error around every dollar figure below is wide — treat the numbers as a band, not a point, and expect them to move between annual releases without the place itself changing.

Households in Elm City town earn a median of $44,698 a year, 43.1% below the national figure of $78,538 and 27% below the $61,228 median for the 459 North Carolina cities we cover. Household income here is measured before tax and pooled across everyone at the address, which is why it reads higher than typical individual earnings in the same area. Poverty reaches 18.4% of residents here, above the 12.4% national rate.

The typical owner-occupied home in Elm City town is valued at $106,600, 64.9% below the national figure and 52% below the $219,800 peer median, while median gross rent runs $829 a month, 41% below the national figure, or roughly $9,948 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 22.3% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is within the standard affordability guideline. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 2.4×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so purchase prices are unusually low against local pay, the pattern in places where supply is plentiful and wage growth has been flat. 65.4% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans toward owners. The rent line includes utilities paid by the tenant, a definition worth remembering when comparing it against a landlord's quoted rate.

No figure on this page is estimated by us; each one comes straight from the published ACS tables for this area. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.

Compare with nearby places

Places of similar size in North Carolina.

More North Carolina coverage.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this area.

What is the population of Elm City town?
Elm City town has 1,173 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #425 of 777 in North Carolina.
What is the median household income in Elm City town?
Median household income in Elm City town is $44,698 a year, 43.1% below the national figure of $78,538.
How much does it cost to rent or buy in Elm City town?
Median gross rent is $829 a month and the median home value is $106,600, so rent absorbs about 22.3% of median household income.
Is Elm City town affordable compared with the rest of the US?
Homes cost about 2.4× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Elm City town is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 22.3% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
How current is this Elm City town data?
All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. At this population the ACS sample is small, so the margin of error around every dollar figure below is wide — treat the numbers as a band, not a point, and expect them to move between annual releases without the place itself changing.