St. Stephens: Housing & Real Estate
The median St. Stephens home is valued at $213,300 (estimated market value runs 10% higher at $234,151), with median rent $958 (1.1× higher than Catawba County median $866; 1.1× below North Carolina median $1,080). Homeownership rate: 83.6%. That's 1.1× higher than the Catawba County median ($194,000); 1.2× below the North Carolina median ($248,730). Market is warm. Vacancy rate 4.4%. New construction makes up 5.4% of stock. A municipal building code is in effect.
- 3.5× annual income — home value vs. household income (vs North Carolina 3.3×).
- 18.6 years to break even renting at the median (vs North Carolina 19y).
- 4-BR rent is 1.9× a studio — rent gradient by unit size.
- Median rent 12% below HUD 2-BR FMR — local market vs federal subsidy benchmark.
Home Values & Rent
Median home value $213,300 — 0.9× the North Carolina median ($248,729). Median rent $958/month. homeownership rate 83.6% — above the U.S. share of ~65%.
| Affordability · Home Price To Income | 3.5× |
|---|---|
| Affordability · Home Affordability | moderate |
| Affordability · Rent Pct Income | 17.2% |
| Affordability · Rent Affordability | affordable |
| Affordability · Pct Severely Rent Burdened | 51.0% |
| Affordability · Poverty Rate | 16.2% |
| Affordability · Property Tax Pct Income | 1.6% |
| Fair Market Rent · Studio rent | $858 |
| Fair Market Rent · One-bedroom rent | $908 |
| Fair Market Rent · Two-bedroom rent | $1,095 |
| Fair Market Rent · Three-bedroom rent | $1,372 |
| Fair Market Rent · Four-bedroom rent | $1,660 |
| Fair Market Rent · HUD FMR area | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA |
| Fair Market Rent · Fiscal year | FY2026 |
| Home Value Estimate | $234,151 |
| Median Home Value | $213,300 (vs North Carolina $248,730) |
| Median Rent | $958 (vs North Carolina $1,080) |
Sources: HUD FMR FY2026 · Census ACS 5-Year 2023, B25077 · Census ACS 5-Year 2023 · Refreshed 2026-04-12
Tenure & Occupancy
Owner-occupied vs renter-occupied housing units, plus vacancy rates.
| Housing Market · Market temperature | warm |
|---|---|
| Housing Market · Vacancy rate | 4.4% |
| Housing Market · New construction (% of stock) | 5.4% |
| Housing Market · Price Appreciation 2Yr | 13.8% |
Utilities
Electricity, water, and broadband infrastructure serving residents. Broadband percentages reflect the share of premises that can subscribe to service at the listed speed (FCC Form 477).
Systems (5)
| Broadband · % of premises with 25/3 Mbps broadband | 100.0% |
|---|---|
| Broadband · % of premises with 100/20 Mbps broadband | 100.0% |
| Broadband · % of premises with 250/25 Mbps broadband | 100.0% |
| Broadband · % of premises with 1 Gbps / 100 Mbps broadband | 30.6% |
| Broadband · Broadband-capable premises | 3,976 |
| Electricity · Electricity rate (¢/kWh) | 14.13¢/kWh |
| Electricity · Customers | 5,067,762 |
| Electricity · Revenue Millions | $8,727 |
| Electricity · Year | 2024 |
| Mobile Broadband · 3G mobile coverage | 0% |
| Mobile Broadband · 4G mobile coverage | 100% |
| Mobile Broadband · 5G mobile coverage | 100% |
| Mobile Home Parks Detail · County total | 2 |
Sources: FCC BDC Jun 2025 · EIA Annual Retail Sales 2023 · FCC BDC Mobile 2024 · HIFLD / IRS BMF · Refreshed 2026-04-12
Other
| Homeownership Rate | 83.6% |
|---|---|
| Median Year Built | 1977 |
Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 · Refreshed 2026-04-12