Surf City: Housing & Real Estate
$512,300 is the median home value in Surf City (estimated market value runs 17% higher at $599,543), with median rent $1,707 (1.5× higher than Pender County median $1,106; 1.4× higher than North Carolina median $1,228). Homeownership rate: 73.9%. That's 1.7× higher than the Pender County median ($299,000); 1.8× higher than the North Carolina median ($288,900). Market is warm. Vacancy rate 62.9%. New construction makes up 25.0% of stock. A municipal building code is in effect.
- 6.3× annual income — home value vs. household income (vs North Carolina 4.5×).
- 25.0 years to break even renting at the median (vs North Carolina 22y).
- 4-BR rent is 2.1× a studio — rent gradient by unit size.
- Median rent runs 45% above HUD 2-BR FMR — local market vs federal subsidy benchmark.
Home Values & Rent
Median home value $512,300 — 1.4× the North Carolina median ($353,700). Median rent $1,707/month. homeownership rate 73.9% — above the U.S. share of ~65%.
| Affordability · Home Price To Income | 6.3× |
|---|---|
| Affordability · Home Affordability | expensive |
| Affordability · Rent Pct Income | 20.9% |
| Affordability · Rent Affordability | affordable |
| Affordability · Pct Severely Rent Burdened | 22.7% |
| Affordability · Poverty Rate | 5.5% |
| Affordability · Property Tax Pct Income | 4.0% |
| Fair Market Rent · Studio rent | $929 (vs North Carolina $1,167) |
| Fair Market Rent · One-bedroom rent | $935 (vs North Carolina $1,429) |
| Fair Market Rent · Two-bedroom rent | $1,173 (vs North Carolina $1,567) |
| Fair Market Rent · Three-bedroom rent | $1,631 (vs North Carolina $1,905) |
| Fair Market Rent · Four-bedroom rent | $1,968 (vs North Carolina $2,319) |
| Fair Market Rent · HUD FMR area | Jacksonville, NC MSA |
| Fair Market Rent · Fiscal year | FY2026 |
| Home Value Estimate | $599,543 |
| Median Home Value | $512,300 (vs North Carolina $353,700) |
| Median Rent | $1,707 (vs North Carolina $1,360) |
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 | 62.9% |
| Housing Market · New construction (% of stock) | 25.0% |
| Housing Market · Price Appreciation 2Yr | 7.0% |
| Housing Orgs · Total count | 1 |
Sources: IRS BMF NTEE L
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 (1)
| Broadband · % of premises with 25/3 Mbps broadband | 100.0% (at North Carolina median) |
|---|---|
| Broadband · % of premises with 100/20 Mbps broadband | 100.0% (at North Carolina median) |
| Broadband · % of premises with 250/25 Mbps broadband | 100.0% (at North Carolina median) |
| Broadband · % of premises with 1 Gbps / 100 Mbps broadband | 12.9% (vs North Carolina 63.3%) |
| Broadband · Broadband-capable premises | 5,450 |
| Electricity · Electricity rate (¢/kWh) | 14.13¢/kWh |
| Electricity · Customers | 5067762 |
| Electricity · Revenue Millions | $8,727 |
| Electricity · Year | 2024 |
| Mobile Broadband · 3G mobile coverage | 0.000000000 |
| Mobile Broadband · 4G mobile coverage | 1.000000000 (at North Carolina median) |
| Mobile Broadband · 5G mobile coverage | 1.000000000 (at North Carolina median) |
| Mobile Home Parks Detail · County total | 1 |
Sources: FCC BDC Jun 2025 · EIA Annual Retail Sales 2023 · FCC BDC Mobile 2024 · HIFLD / IRS BMF · Refreshed 2026-04-12
Charging & Mobility
| Ev Charging · Stations | 2 |
|---|---|
| Ev Charging · Public Stations | 2 |
| Ev Charging · L2 Ports | 6 |
Sources: DOE AFDC API
Other
| Homeownership Rate | 73.9% (vs North Carolina 52.8%) |
|---|---|
| Median Year Built | 2002 |
Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 · Refreshed 2026-04-12