City profile · North Carolina · Census ACS 2023

Holden Beach, NC

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Holden Beach - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

1,047
Residents
$110,000
Median income
$562,500
Median home
$1,426
Median rent (state)

Holden Beach - the verdict

Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Holden Beach places in the 83rd percentile for household income and the 43rd percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.

83rd
percentile, household income
87th
percentile, home value
56th
percentile, median rent
43rd
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Holden Beach, NC

Holden Beach is a small town in North Carolina, home to 1,047 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $110,000 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 3.5%. Holden Beach's housing stock carries a median value of $562,500, and the median resident age is 63.8 years. Educational attainment runs 71.2% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 46.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 28 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Slowing), down 7% from five years earlier. Holden Beach reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 1587.3 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).

Living costs in North Carolina run below the national norm: the state registers 94.3 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,426 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $215 across North Carolina, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 95.8 out of 100 (Very High).

Population

1,047 residents

Census ACS 2023 - North Carolina

Median Household Income

$110,000 /yr

Poverty 3.5%

Cost of Living Index (state)

94.3 (US=100)

Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, North Carolina average

How does Holden Beach compare to other US cities?

Where Holden Beach sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 83% higher than other cities
Home value 87% pricier than other cities
Median rent 56% pricier than other cities
Safety 43% safer than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to North Carolina alone, Holden Beach ranks #50 of 195 North Carolina cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Holden Beach against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to North Carolina only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

North Carolina-relative analysis

Bachelor's Degree or Higher is Holden Beach's strongest outlier among North Carolina cities

Among the 746 North Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported bachelor's degree or higher data, Holden Beach ranks #18 - the 98th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Holden Beach only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#47 of 700
93rd percentile in North Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#159 of 746
77th percentile in North Carolina
Median Home Value
#24 of 708
97th percentile in North Carolina
Poverty Rate
#562 of 746
24th percentile in North Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#18 of 746
98th percentile in North Carolina

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within North Carolina only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

83rdIncome percentile
43rdSafety percentile

83rd percentile nationally for median household income · 43rd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Holden Beach's profile vs. every US city

Income, affordability, and safety percentile

Holden Beach's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown. 3-axis radar comparing 1 series across Income, Affordability, Safety. IncomeAffordabilitySafety 52 Avg. percentile National median
Holden Beach's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.

How Holden Beach's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$562,500 13th percentile more affordable than 13% of 15,600 US cities

$0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). This entry sits in this band. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Holden Beach $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Holden Beach, NC Holden Beach, NC's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Holden Beach, NC-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Holden Beach, NC median $110,000/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Holden Beach, NC's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Holden Beach, NC. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 71.2%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 3.5%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 46.9%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
1,047
Median Income
$110,000
Median Home Value
$562,500
Median Age
63.8
Poverty Rate
3.5%
Labor force participation
46.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
71.2%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
1587.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
105.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1481.5
per 100,000 residents

Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.

Population Change

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
900 residents910 residents920 residents930 residents940 residents 202020212022202320242025 911 residents 916 residents ▲ +0.5%
Holden Beach's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

🏗️ Slowing
Total Permits (2024)
28
housing units authorized
Single-Family
28
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
26.7
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 30
2020 38
2021 2
2022 31
2023 31
2024 28

Permit volume decreased 7% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
77.3%
Carpool
3.5%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.0%
Work from Home
16.9%
Other
1.3%

Based on 480 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for North Carolina - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$115
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$45
avg/month
Total Utilities
$215
estimated/month

Estimates reflect North Carolina state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a North Carolina state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Holden Beach sits in

Cost of Living Index
94.3
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,426/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
95.8 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in North Carolina

Rocky Point
1,045 people
Norlina
1,050 people
Cleveland
1,053 people
Cypress Landing
1,037 people
Rhodhiss
1,062 people
Efland
1,064 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Holden Beach's 1,047 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Sanford, CO
1,047 people
Highland, KS
1,047 people
South Windham, ME
1,047 people
Brooklyn, MI
1,047 people
Port Republic, NJ
1,047 people
Poquott, NY
1,047 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Holden Beach's $110,000 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Acton, CA
$110,000 median income
New Strawn, KS
$110,000 median income
Chaska, MN
$110,000 median income
Waverly, NE
$110,000 median income
Six Mile, SC
$110,000 median income
Post Oak Bend, TX
$110,000 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Holden Beach, NC Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Holden Beach, NC - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 97.3% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.1% White 97.3% Black or African American 0.0% Asian 0.0% American Indian 0.2% Native Hawaiian 0.0% Some other race 1.2% Two or more races 1.2% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Holden Beach compares to nearby North Carolina cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Holden Beach (this city) 1,047 $110,000
Rocky Point 1,045 $52,591
Norlina 1,050 $34,659
Cleveland 1,053 $60,063
Census ACS 5-year FIPS NC FBI UCR Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Holden Beach, NC?

What is the population of Holden Beach, NC? +

1,047 people live in Holden Beach, NC according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Holden Beach, NC? +

Holden Beach households earn a median of $110,000 annually, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Holden Beach? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Holden Beach; the closest available measure is the North Carolina state average, a cost of living index of 94.3 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within North Carolina vary by metro area.

Is Holden Beach, NC safe? +

Holden Beach has a total crime rate of 1587.3 per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.

What is the median home value in Holden Beach, NC? +

A typical home in Holden Beach is worth $562,500, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

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Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.