Wrightsville Beach becomes North Carolina's priciest ZIP code with soaring home values
- Home values in North Carolina have surged in 2024, revealing emerging expensive ZIP codes.
- The data indicates a sharp rise in home values in both coastal and western regions of the state.
- This ongoing trend suggests a growing demand for properties, creating a gap between local incomes and housing prices.
In 2024, North Carolina saw a significant rise in home values across various ZIP codes, according to data from Zillow's home value index. An analysis revealed that ZIP code 28480, centered on Wrightsville Beach, has become the most expensive in the state, with median home values leaping to over $1.562 million, marking a 73.1% increase from 2019. In contrast, ZIP code 28717, located far in the west near the South Carolina border, experienced a remarkable 104.6% increase in home values, reaching $1.416 million amidst similar household income levels. Other high-value areas include ZIP codes 28646 and 28741, both situated in western North Carolina, where median home values are significantly higher than the local incomes, indicating a disparity between earnings and housing costs. The persistent trend of escalating home values in these regions suggests a growing demand for property, driven possibly by emerging lifestyle preferences and investments in less urbanized areas.