RANK #760 / 1001 NAT · #41 / 51 NC · POP 235,229
1YR FORECAST: -0.9%
5YR OUTLOOK: +24%
With its historic downtown and proximity to Atlantic beaches, New Hanover County, North Carolina, offers a distinctive coastal lifestyle. The city of Wilmington, the county seat, sits along the Cape Fear River, approximately 130 miles south of Raleigh. Residents and visitors enjoy a Riverwalk, historic architecture, and access to nearby beach towns like Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, and Kure Beach. Outdoor recreation opportunities abound, including watersports, hiking trails, and numerous parks such as Airlie Gardens and Carolina Beach State Park.
Life in New Hanover County attracts a mix of families, retirees, and young professionals seeking a balance of coastal living and urban amenities. The public school system, New Hanover County Schools, is highly rated and offers various educational options, including magnet and year-round schools. The economy, while historically influenced by tourism, has seen growth in sectors like healthcare and finance. Recent economic developments include investments in commercial and residential construction, as well as expansion in industrial and logistics sectors, particularly around the Port of Wilmington and Wilmington International Airport.
New Hanover County is one of 43 U.S. counties in this market profile — near the profile average on the BoomTown Index. Within this cohort, its recent home-price change of -1.1% runs below the profile's typical -0.0%.
See all 43 Sun Belt Exurban Boom counties →Overvalued relative to economy
Prices declining
Moderate climate & terrain
Above national median (15x)
Housing looks overvalued at 10.6x — home prices are high relative to local economic output. The typical U.S. county is 4–6x.
Estimated local headcount ranges. Larger employers shown as floor + "+"; smaller employers show exact counts where reported.
Bars show trailing 12-month growth. The dashed Forecast bars are the model's next-12-month projection; the whisker marks the ±1% range (cooling–accelerating).
Source: Redfin · Census BPS — Browse sales on Redfin →
Source: CDC/NCHS vital statistics via County Health Rankings (2020–2022 avg). Rates per 100,000 population. Grade based on homicide rate relative to national average (~6.3). Learn more →
Source: EPA Air Quality System (2021–2023). Grade based on 3-year average median AQI. Learn about AQI →
| PROJECT | AMOUNT | STATUS |
|---|---|---|
|
Amazon Robotics Fulfillment Center
Amazon
|
$100M | Under Construction |
|
Project Grace (Library and Museum)
New Hanover County
|
$57M | Under Construction |
|
Swartville Residential Development
Sea Horse Development (Joel and Ross Tomaselli)
|
$50M | Proposed |
Source: public records, news, corporate announcements. Amounts are estimates where noted.
Bars show percentile rank among all 1001 counties.
At 23/100, New Hanover County faces headwinds that place it in the lower third of the 1001 counties we track. Median income of $75,166 combined with job growth of +0.9% suggests the local economy is struggling to keep pace with national trends.
New Hanover County leans toward the expensive side. A median home value of $387,800 against an income-to-home-value ratio of 0.19 means housing eats a bigger share of local earnings than the national norm. Renters face $1,417/month on average.
New Hanover County's population is growing — up +1.7% YoY — while the job market is roughly flat (employment change of +0.9%). Home values shifted -1.1% over the past year. In-migration is outpacing local hiring, which often points to remote workers or retirees driving the headcount.
There's a moderate stream of newcomers. About 4.93% of residents moved from another state, which is above average and suggests New Hanover County has appeal as a relocation destination — though it's not among the highest-inflow counties nationally.