Winston-Salem, NC — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·North Carolina·Winston-Salem

Forsyth County · Winston-Salem · population 255,769

First-time buyersBig-city amenities
Winston-Salem, NC
Image: Wikipedia · Winston-Salem, North Carolina
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
70
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Winston-Salem stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $265,013
1-year +1.1%
5-yr CAGR +6.3%
vs 5-yr peak -0.1%
Population +0.6%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-03$265k$120k$172k$224k$276k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
35/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
38/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
90/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

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 · monthly
$1,508/mo$1,030$1,314$1,598202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent136138100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 14.6
Buy

At a 14.6 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Winston-Salem on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 14.6 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
55 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
71 · w22%
Distance from peak
89 · w18%
Population growth
57 · w16%
Rent YoY
72 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
78 · w10%
Long thesis

Winston-Salem has held up across the cycle: home values at $265,013 with +6.3% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Winston-Salem's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, with an estimated population of 255,769. The population grew 0.6% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Winston-Salem is $265,013 as of 2026-04, up 1.1% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +6.3% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Winston-Salem average $1,508 per month, up 4.1% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 70 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +6.3% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Held the highs: currently -0.1% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Winston-Salem (Wikipedia)

Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. It is the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and 91st-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 249,545 at the 2020 census. The Winston-Salem metropolitan area has an estimated 705,000 residents, making it the fourth-largest metropolitan area based in North Carolina. It is the second-most-populous city in North Carolina's Piedmont Triad region, home to about 1.7 million residents.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorAllen Joines (D)
Area134.74 sq mi
Elevation791 ft
Founded1766 (Salem),1849 (Winston)
Motto(Latin)("A city founded on cooperation")
Density1868.82/sq mi
Named forJoseph Winston and "Shalom" (Hebrew meaning "Peace")

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Forsyth County right now.

NWS active alerts (NC)North Carolina Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Forsyth County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Winston-Salem

136 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Merrimont$780,324+4.3%
2Buena Vista$761,997+1.7%
3Greenbrier Farms$616,730+2.3%
4Knob View$613,459+3.6%
5Bent Tree Farm$587,621+0.9%
6West Highlands$577,292+5.7%
7Huntscroft$551,686+3.0%
8New Sherwood Forest$543,841+1.9%
9Ridgemere$542,234+0.7%
10Old Sherwood Forest$528,116+3.4%
11Robinhood Trails$516,809+9.1%
12New Forestdale$514,393+5.9%
13Forsyth Forest$507,115+3.0%
14Country Club$503,149+1.5%
15Huntcliff$488,557+3.4%
16Wake Forest$472,788+4.2%
17Reynolda$463,761+2.7%
18Peace Haven$456,893+4.2%
19Chadwyck$447,112+3.1%
20Ashford$445,962+3.3%
21Lochhurst$443,223+0.2%
22Summerfield$432,365+1.0%
23Merrimont Hills$410,360+4.0%
24Huntington Woods$408,481+4.5%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Winston-Salem

Greensboro, NC67 · RisingHigh Point, NC70 · RisingGastonia, NC72 · RisingFayetteville, NC67 · Rising

Run the numbers for Winston-Salem

ToolCan I afford Winston-Salem?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Winston-Salem rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Winston-Salem to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolWinston-Salem cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
50° / 30°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
88° / 68°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
213
~58% of year
Annual precip
50″ rain
6″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
High
Tornado
Moderate
Wildfire
Low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
High

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

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Winston-Salem listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Winston-Salem area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
71%
Humid climate
Median household income
$67,500
North Carolina state median
Top industries (state-level)
Banking (Charlotte)Tech (RTP)Manufacturing

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.

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