Wilmington, North Carolina

Population

Growing. Up 9.4% since 2020.

126,809

people, the 8th-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

The workday

7 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

71.9%

of 91,209 jobs located in Wilmington are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Unemployment, 2026

The low came in April: 3.2%.

3.4%

in August 2026, the latest month released. A year earlier it was 3.9%.

BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, monthly, through August 2026. Not seasonally adjusted, so compare with the same month a year earlier. Sources: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

Rent

Median rent is up 79% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$1,395

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

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.

A $1,375 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in New Hanover County.

• $961 Tract 121.09
• $2,336 Tract 118

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

The median rent sits inside what local wages can carry.

$1,051–$1,576

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $1,395 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

Building

67% of the housing here was built before 2000.

• 67% of all homes were built before 2000

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.4–1.5% to the 62,836 homes here.

275–912

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

Home value

A median home costs 33% more than North Carolina's.

$383,800

median home value in Wilmington.

• $383,800 Wilmington
• $288,900 North Carolina
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year