Why look at Wilmington?
- Mid-tier housing market. Median home is $419k.
- Stable market. Home values -1.3% year-over-year — neither overheated nor falling.
- Higher tax state. Top marginal income tax rate around 4.5% — factor into salary comparisons.
Where Wilmington stands
At or near all-time high. population growing 2.1% per year.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.
Rent trajectory · last 5 years
Zillow ZORI · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 21.1 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Wilmington. Buying makes more sense the longer you plan to stay and the more confident you are that prices will keep appreciating roughly in line with rent.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →About Wilmington (Wikipedia)
Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 census, it is the eighth-most populous city in the state. The county seat of New Hanover County, it is the principal city of the Wilmington metropolitan area, which includes New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender counties. As of 2023, the region had an estimated population of 467,337.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
City facts
Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for New Hanover County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. New Hanover County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Neighborhoods of Wilmington
49 tracked · ranked by median home valueSee the full neighborhood ranking →
Run the numbers for Wilmington
North Carolina context
Schools
Wilmington is served by 45 public schools enrolling about 24,779 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 14.6:1 — about the same as the US average of ~15:1. Public-school facts are from the NCES Common Core of Data; check ratings and attendance boundaries by exact address below.
Ratings, districts & boundaries:
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.
Current weather
Find rentals & listings
Open current Wilmington listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news in Wilmington
2 from local press- New Target in Wilmington opens doors to hundredsLOCALWilmington Star-News1w ago
- 33 rip current rescues at NC beaches to start Memorial Day weekend; high risk from OBX to WilmingtonLOCALCBS17.com3d ago
- UNC Wilmington moves forward with plans for new medical schoolWECT6d ago
- Wilmington TenBritannica6d ago
- The North Carolina Ports along the Cape Fear River near downtown Wilmington, N.C., on April 25, 2026.Reuters Connect6d ago
- Wilmington, North Carolina, emerges as the go-to for family coastal travelThe Seattle Times3d ago
Updated 2026-05-28 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Filtered for Wilmington-specific coverage. Headlines link to original sources.
Local sports teams
Major professional teams the Wilmington area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.
Local economy & environment
Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.
Find more cities like Wilmington
Open the matchmaker pre-filled to match Wilmington’s price band, region, and size — refine to taste.
Find more like Wilmington →Cities similar to Wilmington
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.
Cost-of-ownership at the median
Snapshot assumes a $150k single earner buying at the median home. Your real numbers depend on bracket, deductions, school district, and HOA. Use the affordability calculator and net-pay calculator for your specific case.
Schools & crime context
School quality is district-by-district and varies dramatically within a city. Check GreatSchools or your state DOE rankings for specific schools before deciding. City-level school data coming soon.
North Carolina: 363 violent crimes per 100K residents (state avg, FBI UCR). Neighborhood-level rates can vary 10× within one city — research specific areas via CrimeGrade or local police data.
Compare to where you live now
Set your current city once and we’ll show the cost delta on every city profile.
Jobs & hiring
In Wilmington, unemployment is low at 4.3%, and hiring momentum has been steady. The strongest local sectors are hospitality & tourism, tech and healthcare.
Search current openings: