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By Greg Childress
NC Newsline

Nearly half of North Carolina households spend more than 30% of their household income on rent, according to the NC Budget & Tax Center’s (BTC) 2025 NC County Economic Snapshots, released last week. And one and five households spend more than 50% of income on housing, the BTC said.
The snapshots provide an overall picture of how key indicators of wellbeing vary across the state, said researchers at the nonpartisan nonprofit that documents fiscal and economic conditions in order to help end poverty and achieve racial equity.
The annual report measures employment, poverty and income, education, and health supports for working families and housing affordability.
The BTC contends that everyone “deserves a safe home … where they can afford to pay their rent” without cutting back on necessities such as food and doctor’s visits.
“These data show that too many NC renters, due to a combination of lack of affordable housing and low incomes, are ‘cost-burdened,’ spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent,” the BTC said.
Low wages and high rents
The snapshots include data on what it would take to afford rent while earning the state minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. A North Carolinian earning minimum wage must work 150 hours a week to afford the fair market monthly rent of $1,410 for a two-bedroom home.
In high rent counties such as Durham, Orange and Chatham, a person earning minimum wage must work 199 hours per week to afford at two-bedroom home at fair market rents. Workers earning minimum wage in Gaston, Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and Union counties must work 194 hours to affordable a two-bedroom home at fair market rent. There are only 168 hours in a week.
The group notes that The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that North Carolina has a shortage of nearly 200,000 homes that are accessible to extremely low-income renters.
“Our state has tools to meet this housing crisis head-on, from a Housing Trust Fund that has successfully produced tens of thousands of units, to an emergency rental assistance program that kept thousands of tenants housed during a public health crisis,” the BTC said. “Together, North Carolinians can demand our leaders invest public dollars in these proven tools.”
Tackling child poverty
The BTC also called for a “generous child tax credit instead of eliminating taxes for profitable corporations” as a way to reduce child poverty by lifting more than 100,000 children above the poverty line.
Using the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the BTC reported in October that at 16.9%, child poverty in North Carolina is consistently higher than the overall poverty rate of 12.8%. The state has the 16th highest poverty rate out of 50 states.
More than 1.3 million North Carolinians — including more than 380,000 children — were living below the federal poverty line in 2022, the BTC reported. For a family of four, that’s the equivalent of $27,750 in household income in a year, the group reported.
“When some people are living in poverty, we know the economy isn’t working for everyone,” the BTC said. “Through its severe and negative impacts on health, education, and child development, poverty blocks too many people in our state from flourishing.”
Racial and geographic divides
Black, American Indian and Latine North Carolinians are especially impacted by roadblocks that keep them from thriving, the BTC said.
“While white North Carolinians make up the plurality of those experiencing poverty in our state, American Indian, Latinx, and Black North Carolinians experience poverty rates higher than the state average,” the BTC said. “These persistent racial disparities reflect the structural barriers that block access to high-wage jobs, including inequitable access to postsecondary education and training, child care, and reliable transportation.”
BTC’s analysts collect data from state and national sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the North Carolina Departments of Public Instruction and Health and Human Services.
“These data can help assess disparities within and across counties, as well as guide state and local public resources so that every North Carolina community and resident has what they need to thrive,” said Logan Rockefeller Harris, director of research with the BTC.
Additional key statewide findings from the BTC snapshots include:
• The richest 5% of North Carolina households have an average income that is 28 times greater than the poorest 20% of households.
• Nearly one-third of North Carolinians have low annual incomes, meaning incomes under two times the poverty level ($62,400 for a family of four). In nearly every county, Black, Hispanic, and American Indian people and children are more likely to be living in poverty.
• Poverty rates are generally higher in counties where the population is declining. In counties where the population is growing, residents overall have higher educational attainment and earnings.

Investigative reporter Greg Childress covers issues related to poverty, homelessness, and housing policy. NC Newsline is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.