States › North Carolina › 2021
State, one year
North Carolina in 2021
Index change and building permits for the year, with every county.
In 2021 the FHFA house price index for North Carolina changed +13.0%, against +11.6% for the United States and +4.1% in 2020.
94,874 housing units were authorised by building permits in the state that year (68,636 single-family), +17.9% on 2020; the national total was 1,736,982.
Counties in 2021
Ranked by the county index change from 2020 to 2021 (FHFA annual county index). Permits are units authorised in 2021; per 1,000 uses the vintage 2025 population.
| County | Index change 2021 | Units permitted | Single-family | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County | +19.1% | 46 | 46 | 2.2 |
| Cherokee County | +18.1% | 229 | 229 | 7.4 |
| Yancey County | +17.6% | 79 | 79 | 4.1 |
| Dare County | +16.6% | 569 | 569 | 14.9 |
| Watauga County | +16.3% | 355 | 329 | 6.5 |
| Stanly County | +15.9% | 366 | 366 | 5.3 |
| Gaston County | +15.8% | 2,184 | 1,878 | 8.9 |
| Brunswick County | +15.5% | 5,249 | 4,329 | 30.0 |
| Haywood County | +15.4% | 496 | 292 | 7.8 |
| Union County | +15.4% | 2,773 | 2,713 | 10.4 |
| Avery County | +15.3% | 204 | 188 | 11.3 |
| Iredell County | +15.3% | 2,047 | 1,500 | 9.7 |
| Polk County | +15.3% | 135 | 135 | 6.6 |
| Cabarrus County | +15.2% | 2,152 | 1,719 | 8.6 |
| Cleveland County | +15.1% | 398 | 396 | 3.9 |
| Onslow County | +15.0% | 1,597 | 1,555 | 7.4 |
| Alamance County | +14.7% | 2,294 | 1,557 | 12.3 |
| Lenoir County | +14.6% | 112 | 50 | 2.0 |
| Franklin County | +14.5% | 1,141 | 1,141 | 13.9 |
| Rowan County | +14.4% | 675 | 672 | 4.4 |
| Johnston County | +14.2% | 3,520 | 3,520 | 13.7 |
| Pender County | +14.2% | 1,017 | 1,005 | 14.1 |
| Rutherford County | +14.2% | 183 | 181 | 2.8 |
| Scotland County | +14.2% | 52 | 52 | 1.6 |
| Nash County | +14.1% | 495 | 495 | 5.0 |
| Davidson County | +13.8% | 878 | 876 | 4.9 |
| Wake County | +13.8% | 16,988 | 9,566 | 13.5 |
| Lincoln County | +13.6% | 1,062 | 1,062 | 10.8 |
| Mecklenburg County | +13.6% | 14,375 | 7,054 | 11.7 |
| Alexander County | +13.5% | 134 | 134 | 3.6 |
| Henderson County | +13.4% | 790 | 720 | 6.5 |
| Clay County | +13.3% | 87 | 87 | 7.1 |
| Columbus County | +13.3% | 20 | 20 | 0.4 |
| Madison County | +13.3% | 159 | 159 | 7.1 |
| Mitchell County | +13.3% | 39 | 39 | 2.6 |
| Warren County | +13.2% | 272 | 272 | 14.4 |
| Buncombe County | +13.1% | 2,793 | 1,805 | 10.1 |
| Durham County | +13.1% | 3,518 | 2,157 | 10.1 |
| Washington County | +13.1% | 8 | 8 | 0.8 |
| Catawba County | +13.0% | 1,082 | 741 | 6.4 |
| Burke County | +12.9% | 402 | 235 | 4.5 |
| Currituck County | +12.9% | 547 | 547 | 16.5 |
| Montgomery County | +12.9% | 104 | 104 | 3.9 |
| Northampton County | +12.9% | 32 | 32 | 1.9 |
| Randolph County | +12.9% | 487 | 485 | 3.3 |
| Davie County | +12.8% | 267 | 218 | 5.8 |
| Jackson County | +12.8% | 314 | 314 | 7.0 |
| Pasquotank County | +12.8% | 104 | 104 | 2.5 |
| Transylvania County | +12.8% | 195 | 177 | 5.7 |
| Forsyth County | +12.6% | 2,695 | 2,427 | 6.7 |
| McDowell County | +12.6% | 194 | 194 | 4.3 |
| Carteret County | +12.5% | 684 | 675 | 9.7 |
| New Hanover County | +12.5% | 3,401 | 1,666 | 13.8 |
| Pitt County | +12.5% | 1,275 | 805 | 7.0 |
| Wayne County | +12.5% | 482 | 474 | 3.9 |
| Bertie County | +12.4% | 14 | 14 | 0.8 |
| Cumberland County | +12.4% | 852 | 792 | 2.5 |
| Guilford County | +12.4% | 3,228 | 1,865 | 5.7 |
| Ashe County | +12.3% | 131 | 131 | 4.8 |
| Craven County | +12.3% | 311 | 311 | 3.0 |
| Macon County | +12.3% | 149 | 149 | 3.8 |
| Wilson County | +12.2% | 343 | 233 | 4.2 |
| Vance County | +12.1% | 166 | 166 | 3.9 |
| Moore County | +11.9% | 919 | 919 | 8.3 |
| Surry County | +11.9% | 130 | 130 | 1.8 |
| Beaufort County | +11.8% | 229 | 227 | 5.1 |
| Caldwell County | +11.8% | 262 | 192 | 3.2 |
| Hertford County | +11.7% | 51 | 51 | 2.7 |
| Stokes County | +11.7% | 180 | 180 | 3.9 |
| Rockingham County | +11.6% | 249 | 243 | 2.6 |
| Granville County | +11.2% | 217 | 215 | 3.5 |
| Hyde County | +11.2% | 20 | 20 | 4.4 |
| Lee County | +11.2% | 259 | 259 | 3.7 |
| Wilkes County | +11.2% | 169 | 169 | 2.6 |
| Gates County | +11.1% | 10 | 10 | 1.0 |
| Pamlico County | +11.1% | 70 | 70 | 5.5 |
| Halifax County | +10.9% | 59 | 57 | 1.3 |
| Jones County | +10.8% | 25 | 25 | 2.6 |
| Camden County | +10.7% | 75 | 75 | 6.6 |
| Chatham County | +10.7% | 1,124 | 753 | 13.2 |
| Duplin County | +10.7% | 91 | 91 | 1.8 |
| Edgecombe County | +10.6% | 145 | 145 | 3.0 |
| Harnett County | +10.3% | 1,032 | 1,032 | 6.9 |
| Swain County | +10.3% | 212 | 210 | 15.1 |
| Yadkin County | +10.3% | 186 | 186 | 4.9 |
| Chowan County | +10.1% | 37 | 37 | 2.6 |
| Orange County | +10.1% | 912 | 481 | 6.0 |
| Person County | +10.1% | 129 | 129 | 3.2 |
| Richmond County | +10.1% | 30 | 30 | 0.7 |
| Perquimans County | +9.2% | 41 | 41 | 3.0 |
| Caswell County | +9.0% | 62 | 62 | 2.7 |
| Hoke County | +9.0% | 423 | 231 | 7.4 |
| Sampson County | +8.9% | 174 | 174 | 2.8 |
| Anson County | +8.6% | 64 | 64 | 2.9 |
| Bladen County | +7.6% | 30 | 24 | 1.0 |
| Alleghany County | +7.0% | 89 | 89 | 7.8 |
| Robeson County | +6.9% | 210 | 192 | 1.8 |
| Martin County | +6.8% | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Graham County | +2.5% | 4 | 4 | 0.5 |
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.