States › North Carolina › 2020
State, one year
North Carolina in 2020
Index change and building permits for the year, with every county.
In 2020 the FHFA house price index for North Carolina changed +4.1%, against +3.0% for the United States and +5.5% in 2019.
80,474 housing units were authorised by building permits in the state that year (60,505 single-family), +12.9% on 2019; the national total was 1,471,141.
Counties in 2020
Ranked by the county index change from 2019 to 2020 (FHFA annual county index). Permits are units authorised in 2020; per 1,000 uses the vintage 2025 population.
| County | Index change 2020 | Units permitted | Single-family | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graham County | +19.1% | 14 | 14 | 1.7 |
| Perquimans County | +11.6% | 45 | 45 | 3.3 |
| Alleghany County | +10.8% | 49 | 49 | 4.3 |
| Caswell County | +9.9% | 30 | 30 | 1.3 |
| Martin County | +9.6% | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Anson County | +8.8% | 55 | 55 | 2.5 |
| Scotland County | +8.5% | 33 | 33 | 1.0 |
| Duplin County | +8.2% | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Edgecombe County | +7.8% | 42 | 42 | 0.9 |
| Pamlico County | +7.3% | 105 | 105 | 8.2 |
| Rowan County | +7.0% | 874 | 662 | 5.6 |
| Swain County | +6.7% | 83 | 75 | 5.9 |
| Washington County | +6.7% | 5 | 5 | 0.5 |
| Chowan County | +6.6% | 29 | 29 | 2.1 |
| Jackson County | +6.6% | 832 | 239 | 18.5 |
| Dare County | +6.4% | 450 | 450 | 11.8 |
| Beaufort County | +6.3% | 168 | 168 | 3.8 |
| Hoke County | +6.3% | 339 | 339 | 6.0 |
| Clay County | +6.2% | 86 | 76 | 7.0 |
| Columbus County | +6.2% | 78 | 78 | 1.5 |
| Gaston County | +6.1% | 1,728 | 1,634 | 7.0 |
| Robeson County | +6.1% | 189 | 123 | 1.6 |
| Bladen County | +6.0% | 82 | 64 | 2.7 |
| Haywood County | +6.0% | 219 | 207 | 3.5 |
| Yancey County | +6.0% | 51 | 51 | 2.7 |
| Yadkin County | +5.9% | 162 | 162 | 4.2 |
| Brunswick County | +5.8% | 3,720 | 3,178 | 21.3 |
| Harnett County | +5.6% | 911 | 902 | 6.1 |
| New Hanover County | +5.6% | 3,095 | 1,486 | 12.6 |
| Pasquotank County | +5.6% | 162 | 162 | 3.8 |
| Carteret County | +5.5% | 580 | 521 | 8.2 |
| Cumberland County | +5.5% | 710 | 638 | 2.1 |
| Transylvania County | +5.4% | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Richmond County | +5.3% | 277 | 156 | 6.6 |
| Caldwell County | +5.2% | 231 | 159 | 2.8 |
| Forsyth County | +5.2% | 2,918 | 2,890 | 7.3 |
| Mitchell County | +5.2% | 36 | 34 | 2.4 |
| Warren County | +5.2% | 75 | 75 | 4.0 |
| Alexander County | +5.1% | 117 | 117 | 3.2 |
| Johnston County | +5.1% | 3,447 | 3,447 | 13.4 |
| Rockingham County | +5.1% | 209 | 205 | 2.2 |
| Bertie County | +5.0% | 23 | 23 | 1.3 |
| Sampson County | +5.0% | 107 | 107 | 1.7 |
| Stokes County | +4.9% | 112 | 110 | 2.4 |
| Wilson County | +4.9% | 385 | 215 | 4.7 |
| Cabarrus County | +4.8% | 3,134 | 1,947 | 12.5 |
| Franklin County | +4.8% | 913 | 913 | 11.1 |
| Mecklenburg County | +4.7% | 11,067 | 6,826 | 9.0 |
| Northampton County | +4.7% | 30 | 30 | 1.8 |
| Pender County | +4.7% | 762 | 762 | 10.6 |
| Macon County | +4.6% | 109 | 109 | 2.8 |
| Randolph County | +4.6% | 372 | 372 | 2.5 |
| Rutherford County | +4.6% | 163 | 163 | 2.5 |
| Burke County | +4.5% | 302 | 221 | 3.4 |
| Alamance County | +4.4% | 1,784 | 1,182 | 9.6 |
| Cherokee County | +4.4% | 247 | 247 | 8.0 |
| Catawba County | +4.3% | 917 | 468 | 5.4 |
| Cleveland County | +4.3% | 248 | 244 | 2.4 |
| Guilford County | +4.3% | 2,566 | 1,660 | 4.6 |
| Lee County | +4.3% | 245 | 245 | 3.5 |
| Nash County | +4.3% | 297 | 297 | 3.0 |
| Union County | +4.3% | 2,354 | 2,004 | 8.8 |
| McDowell County | +4.2% | 128 | 128 | 2.8 |
| Pitt County | +4.2% | 719 | 687 | 3.9 |
| Davidson County | +4.0% | 768 | 766 | 4.3 |
| Iredell County | +4.0% | 1,905 | 1,529 | 9.0 |
| Lincoln County | +3.8% | 1,336 | 1,108 | 13.5 |
| Granville County | +3.7% | 315 | 315 | 5.1 |
| Moore County | +3.7% | 1,021 | 1,021 | 9.2 |
| Watauga County | +3.6% | 217 | 181 | 4.0 |
| Ashe County | +3.4% | 118 | 118 | 4.3 |
| Camden County | +3.3% | 101 | 101 | 8.9 |
| Polk County | +3.3% | 94 | 94 | 4.6 |
| Durham County | +3.2% | 3,956 | 2,096 | 11.4 |
| Stanly County | +3.2% | 300 | 300 | 4.4 |
| Wake County | +3.2% | 12,598 | 8,337 | 10.0 |
| Wayne County | +3.1% | 414 | 414 | 3.4 |
| Wilkes County | +3.1% | 110 | 110 | 1.7 |
| Avery County | +2.9% | 152 | 132 | 8.4 |
| Buncombe County | +2.9% | 2,546 | 1,461 | 9.2 |
| Orange County | +2.8% | 465 | 350 | 3.0 |
| Surry County | +2.8% | 107 | 107 | 1.5 |
| Davie County | +2.6% | 256 | 198 | 5.6 |
| Henderson County | +2.6% | 572 | 572 | 4.7 |
| Onslow County | +2.6% | 1,435 | 1,351 | 6.6 |
| Vance County | +2.6% | 87 | 87 | 2.0 |
| Person County | +2.5% | 168 | 168 | 4.1 |
| Chatham County | +2.4% | 601 | 599 | 7.1 |
| Madison County | +2.4% | 95 | 95 | 4.2 |
| Jones County | +1.7% | 28 | 28 | 2.9 |
| Craven County | +1.6% | 602 | 389 | 5.7 |
| Currituck County | +1.6% | 560 | 560 | 16.9 |
| Halifax County | +1.5% | 64 | 46 | 1.4 |
| Montgomery County | +1.0% | 85 | 85 | 3.2 |
| Lenoir County | +0.4% | 107 | 51 | 1.9 |
| Hertford County | −3.5% | 1 | 1 | 0.1 |
| Hyde County | −3.8% | 10 | 10 | 2.2 |
| Greene County | −4.2% | 29 | 29 | 1.4 |
| Gates County | −8.8% | 27 | 27 | 2.6 |
Permits by year, 1995–2025
Housing units authorised in North Carolina by yearsingle-family2+ unit buildings
Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency annual state and county house price indexes (updated March 31, 2026); Census Bureau Building Permits Survey annual state and county files. Public domain. Methodology.