Measured against area pay, Skippers Corner costs less to live in than 71% of U.S. towns
It ranks #46 of 290 in North Carolina for affordability.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Wilmington, NC metro area ($76K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Wilmington metro earn ($76K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.2 years of metro income, and 0% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,430a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 96prices across the Wilmington metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 93)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$76K, Wilmington-area income
- 13%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 30%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Skippers Corner, in brief
Buyers have time and room to negotiate
At the pace homes sold in May, it would take about 7 months to sell everything listed (North Carolina: 3.9). The typical home took 30 days to sell and sold at 99% of asking. How fast homes sell ↓
Nearly every household owns
92% of Skippers Corner households own their home, against 67% across North Carolina. There are only 117 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Skippers Corner, so the typical value is an estimate: the Census median carried forward with the federal house price index; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Skippers Corner’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Skippers Corner is more affordable than 71% of U.S. towns, #46 of 290 in North Carolina. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Home prices up 70% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around Skippers Corner rose 70% over the past 5 years, faster than across North Carolina (60%). Last year prices rose 7.2%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Skippers Corner home at roughly $310,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $310K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Skippers Corner, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 5 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 13% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Skippers Corner’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Skippers Corner home, with $1K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,430 a month here, $340 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Skippers Corner’s typical property tax (0.57% 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 $1,430
Renters already here pay a median of $838, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Wilmington, NC HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Property tax runs below the North Carolina norm
The median bill is $1,404 (North Carolina: $1,896), 0.57% of a home’s value 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+”.
The rest of a budget near Skippers Corner
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Wilmington, NC metro area, or North Carolina. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 96 | NC 94 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 97 | NC 97 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 88 | NC 89 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 98 | NC 98 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Skippers Corner vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Skippers Corner. Wrightsboro has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skippers Corner | B+ | — | $248K | 0.57% | $1,430 |
| Castle Hayne | – | $364K | $378K | 0.44% | $1,430 |
| Wrightsboro | B+ | — | $256K | 0.42% | $1,530 |
| Blue Clay Farms | – | — | $470K | — | $1,670 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Skippers Corner
Is Skippers Corner expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Skippers Corner costs less than 71% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living, #46 of 290 in North Carolina. The typical home costs 3.2 years of the median household income of the Wilmington, NC metro area ($76K).
How much is rent in Skippers Corner?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,430 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $838 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Skippers Corner?
The median bill is $1,404 a year, 0.57% of the median home value (North Carolina: $1,896, 0.66%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Skippers Corner buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. 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.