Alfred Rowland House · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Measured against area pay, Lumberton costs more to live in than 82% of U.S. towns
It ranks #257 of 290 in North Carolina for affordability. Up 2.7% in a year, 54% below the North Carolina typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Lumberton, NC micro area ($42K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Lumberton-area micro earn ($42K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 3.6 years of area income, and 49% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $151Ktypical home, 54% below the North Carolina typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $930a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 3.6 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$42K, Lumberton-area income
- 25%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 49%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across North Carolina: 49%Census 2020–24
- 25%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Lumberton
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median tax bill is $1,471, under the North Carolina median of $1,896, because homes cost less. As a share of value, though, it’s 0.96% a year, against 0.66% statewide. On the typical home, that’s about $120 a month. Property taxes ↓
A burst of building in 2025
Lumberton permitted 132 new homes in 2025, 80% of them in buildings with two or more homes, against about 13 in a typical year of the past decade. That’s 7 per 1,000 residents, against 11 across North Carolina. New homes ↓
Most Lumberton households rent
56% of households rent their home, 3,553 in all, against 33% across North Carolina. Renting ↓
Fewer people, more homes
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Lumberton lost 2,517 residents while 111 new homes were permitted. New homes ↓
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Lumberton home runs about $910 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $930. Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Lumberton’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lumberton is more affordable than 18% of U.S. towns, #257 of 290 in North Carolina. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have outpaced North Carolina: the typical Lumberton home is up 29.3% in five years, against 22.0% statewide (Zillow).
Up 29.3% in five years
Faster than North Carolina (22%).
Show as a table
| January | Lumberton | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $87,000 | $178,000 |
| 2018 | $86,000 | $189,000 |
| 2019 | $93,000 | $201,000 |
| 2020 | $93,000 | $214,000 |
| 2021 | $108,000 | $240,000 |
| 2022 | $122,000 | $285,000 |
| 2023 | $140,000 | $318,000 |
| 2024 | $145,000 | $330,000 |
| 2025 | $149,000 | $336,000 |
| 2026 | $146,000 | $334,000 |
| September 2026 | $151,000 | $332,000 |
A typical Lumberton home worth $88K in October 2016 is worth about $151K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 13 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A year’s rent takes 25% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Lumberton’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Lumberton home, with $11K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $930 a month here, $20 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Lumberton’s typical property tax (0.96% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $930
Renters already here pay a median of $866.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Robeson County, NC): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
132 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 132 new homes in Lumberton in 2025: 26 single-family houses and 106 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $23.2 million to build. That's 7 per 1,000 residents, slower than across North Carolina (11). Over the past 10 years, Lumberton has permitted 249 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Lumberton's population fell by 2,517 even though 111 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across North Carolina: 1.7 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 11 | 9 | 2 | $2.6 million |
| 2025 | 132 | 26 | 106 | $23.2 million |
| 2024 | 47 | 47 | 0 | $10.3 million |
| 2023 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2022 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2021 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| 2020 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2019 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2018 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2017 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2016 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2015 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2014 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2013 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $3.1 million |
| 2012 | 23 | 23 | 0 | $4.3 million |
| 2011 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2010 | 22 | 22 | 0 | $4.2 million |
| 2009 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $3.6 million |
| 2008 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $4.2 million |
| 2007 | 41 | 41 | 0 | $5.4 million |
| 2006 | 49 | 49 | 0 | $6.4 million |
| 2005 | 96 | 96 | 0 | $9.5 million |
| 2004 | 55 | 55 | 0 | $7 million |
| 2003 | 70 | 70 | 0 | $8.9 million |
| 2002 | 88 | 46 | 42 | $9 million |
| 2001 | 44 | 44 | 0 | $5.6 million |
| 2000 | 41 | 37 | 4 | $5.7 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $1,471, under the North Carolina median of $1,896, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 0.96% a year, against 0.66% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Lumberton vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Lumberton has the lowest. Barker Ten Mile has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumberton | C− | $151K | $153K | 0.96% | $930 |
| Barker Ten Mile | B | — | $164K | 0.67% | $930 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Lumberton
Is Lumberton expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lumberton costs more than 82% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living, #257 of 290 in North Carolina. The typical home costs 3.6 years of the median household income of the Lumberton, NC micro area ($42K).
How much does a house cost in Lumberton?
About $151K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.7% in a year. The North Carolina typical home is $332K.
What salary do you need to live in Lumberton?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $39,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $910 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $37,000.
How much is rent in Lumberton?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $930 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $866 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Lumberton?
The median bill is $1,471 a year, 0.96% of the median home value (North Carolina: $1,896, 0.66%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Lumberton going up?
Yes: up 2.7% in the past year and 29.3% in five years, against 22.0% across North Carolina (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Lumberton buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.