City profile · North Carolina · Census ACS 2023

Mountain Home, NC

Mountain Home's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

3,518
Residents
$68,750
Median income
$353,200
Median home
$1,161
Median rent (state)
View my watchlist

Compare or rank this city

Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.

Compare with another city

Starting with Mountain Home, NC - add up to three more cities on the compare page.

See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Mountain Home.

Place dossier plate

Sheet NC-MOUNTAIN-HOME-NC · Mountain Home, NC 3,518 pop · income 48th pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-MID · COL-BELOW · SAFE-UNK · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-MID · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 3,518
  • INC-MID $68,750
  • COL-BELOW 94.3
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-MID 48th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Buffalo Soapsto…
  • HOME-MID $353,200
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Buffalo Soapstone, AK (+ $0 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Mountain Home

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Mountain Home on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Mountain Home on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 3,518.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $68,750. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Mountain Home - the verdict

Mountain Home ranks in the 48th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.

48th
percentile, household income
72nd
percentile, home value
48th
percentile, median rent
📝 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: Mountain Home, NC

North Carolina's Mountain Home is a small town, with 3,518 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in Mountain Home brings in $68,750 a year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 17.3%. Mountain Home's housing stock carries a median value of $353,200, and the median resident age is 52.4 years. Educational attainment runs 40.0% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 61.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

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. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,161 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $215 across North Carolina, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Workers in Mountain Home report an average commute of 15.4 minutes, with 79.9% driving alone and 7.2% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 66.7 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Mountain Home's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to housing and income to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Mountain Home, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, matched public-school count; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Comparison shortlist

Which cities make useful reference points for Mountain Home?

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Within North Carolina, the closest population matches are River Road (3,518 residents, $47,978 income); Elroy (3,507 residents, $54,375 income); Flat Rock (3,502 residents, $103,981 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Village Green, NY (3,518 residents); Indianola, WA (3,517 residents); Geneva, FL (3,520 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

2. Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in Mountain Home?

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.

The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.1 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 17.3%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Question 3

What does the journey to work look like in Mountain Home?

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 79.9%. The reported mean trip to work is 15.4 minutes.

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.

Compare commute patterns →

Population

3,518 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$68,750 /yr

Below median income · poverty 17.3% (High poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

94.3 (US=100)

Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, North Carolina average

City profile score · Mountain Home, NC

50/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Bachelor's+ share B+
40.0%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Cost of living B-
94.3 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Household income D
$68,750

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Poverty rate F
17.3%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Mountain Home profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Bachelor's+ share, Cost of living, Household income, Poverty rate. Bachelor's+ shareCost of livingHousehold incomePoverty rate 50 C-
Mountain Home profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Bachelor's+ share: 75/100 (B+) · 40.0%
  • Cost of living: 67/100 (B-) · 94.3 index
  • Household income: 47/100 (D) · $68,750
  • Poverty rate: 18/100 (F) · 17.3%

How does Mountain Home compare to other US cities?

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

Household income 48% higher than other cities
Home value 72% pricier than other cities
Median rent 48% pricier than other cities

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

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Mountain Home 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

Median Gross Rent places Mountain Home near the bottom of North Carolina's cities

Among the 746 North Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Mountain Home ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Mountain Home only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#241 of 700
65th percentile in North Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 746
0th percentile in North Carolina
Median Home Value
#112 of 708
84th percentile in North Carolina
Poverty Rate
#190 of 746
74th percentile in North Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#147 of 746
80th percentile in North Carolina
How in-state ranks are ordered

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.

48thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

48th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Mountain Home's home value compares nationally

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

$353,200 28th percentile more affordable than 28% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $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%). This entry sits in this band. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $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. Mountain Home $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

Mountain Home's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.1×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,116 of 15,516
More affordable than 15% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#9,884 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 5.1×, Mountain Home sits in the pressured band: national rank #13,116 of 15,516 and #9,884 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$68,750 Mountain Home, NC median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Mountain Home, NC Mountain Home, NC's median household income ($68,750) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Mountain Home, NC-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Mountain Home, NC median $68,750/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%
Mountain Home, NC median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Mountain Home, NC.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 40.0%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 17.3%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 61.8%

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

Population
3,518
Median Income
$68,750
Median Home Value
$353,200
Median Age
52.4
Poverty Rate
17.3%
Labor force participation
61.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
40.0%

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
15.4 minutes
Drive Alone
79.9%
Carpool
12.9%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
7.2%

Based on 1,957 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

North Carolina statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $215

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across North Carolina at $215 (electricity about $115 , water and sewer about $45 ).

These are North Carolina statewide averages, not a meter reading for Mountain Home. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

North Carolina's BEA cost-of-living index is 94.3 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Mountain Home is $1,161/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to North Carolina statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 66.7 / 100 (Moderate).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a North Carolina statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Mountain Home sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Mountain Home compares to similar-size North Carolina cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
Mountain Home (this city) 3,518 $68,750
River Road 3,518 $47,978
Elroy 3,507 $54,375
Flat Rock 3,502 $103,981
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.

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

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

Browse all city profiles → · Explore city rankings →

Verify with HUD →

Verify with FBI →

Verify with NOAA →

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Verify with EPA →

Verify with FEMA →

Verify with BEA →

Verify with EIA →

Verify with NCES →

Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

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.

Share or download this profile