Lenoir County · North Carolina · South · 20k residents
Kinston, NC: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Kinston: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the North Carolina median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,013/wk. North Carolina's corporate income tax rate is 2.25%. Commercial electricity averages 10.6¢/kWh.
Compare Kinston side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,013/wk
Corporate income tax
2.25%
Bachelor's degree or higher
16.4%
Commercial electricity
10.6¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Kinston's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
89/100
Heating
Ranks Kinston's jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $119,300 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $190 |
| Property tax rate | 0.82% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $475/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $903/mo |
| State & local income tax | 3.15% |
| Sales tax | 7% |
| Corporate income tax | 2.25% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,013/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.4% |
| Commercial electricity | 10.6¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 25.3/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $134,710 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $84,350 |
| Wage: General manager | $101,950 |
| Wage: Customer service | $40,240 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $35,950 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $51,530 |
| Wage: Electrician | $56,800 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $31,370 |
| Cost of living index | 77 |
| Groceries index | 98 |
| Utilities | $155/mo |
| Transit pass | $55/mo |
| Gas price | $3.05/gal |
| Healthcare index | 100 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,050/mo |
| Median household income | $36,878 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% |
| Population | 20k |
| Crime index | 48/100 |
| School rating | 6.0/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | 85/100 |
| Avg. commute | 25 min |
| Sunny days / year | 213 days |
| July high | 91°F |
| January low | 35°F |
| Annual snowfall | 1 in |
| Home price YoY | +5.6% |
| Home price MoM | +0.2% |
| Rent YoY | — |
| Rent MoM | — |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | +1.9% |
| Building permits YoY | — |
| Ocean coast | 53 mi |
| Big lake | 90 mi |
| Mountains | 230 mi |
| Major airport | 79 mi |
| Ski resort | 197 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Goldsboro, NC · 34k
- Greenville, NC · 93k
- New Bern, NC · 33k
- Wilson, NC · 48k
- Jacksonville, NC · 71k
Similar size
- Mebane, NC · 20k
- Harrisburg, NC · 20k
- Lexington, NC · 20k
- Boone, NC · 20k
- Elizabeth City, NC · 19k
Real listings in Kinston
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Kinston a good place to run a business?
- North Carolina's corporate income tax rate is 2.25%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,013/wk; commercial electricity averages 10.6¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Kinston, NC?
- Kinston indexes at 77 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $903/mo and a acs median home value of $119,300.
- How much does a house cost in Kinston?
- The acs median home value in Kinston is $119,300 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Kinston?
- A two-bedroom in Kinston rents for about $903/mo.