Smithfield, North Carolina
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Growing. Up 15.2% since 2020.
13,114
people, the 78th-largest of North Carolina's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among North Carolina's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
9 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
94.1%
of 14,832 jobs located in Smithfield are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 10% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$658
a month. North Carolina's median is $1,228.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.
A $1,859 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Johnston County.
- $645 Tract 411.11
- $2,504 Tract 411.12
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.
$893–$1,340
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $658 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
Most of the housing here is older than 2000.
- 85% of all homes were built before 2000
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.4–2.6% to the 5,617 homes here.
22–148
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 16% less than North Carolina's.
$242,500
median home value in Smithfield.
- $242,500 Smithfield
- $288,900 North Carolina
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year