New Hanover County has experienced sustained housing cost pressure over the past several years. Eviction filings, rental rate increases, and displacement patterns documented in court records and census data point to a market that is increasingly difficult to navigate for lower- and middle-income residents.
According to U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates, median gross rent in the Wilmington metropolitan statistical area has risen steadily, outpacing wage growth for many households in the region. The gap between housing costs and household income has widened, particularly for renters in the lower income brackets.
Eviction filings in New Hanover County District Court reflect this pressure. While exact filing counts require direct court record requests, the pattern visible in available data suggests that filings have remained elevated in the post-pandemic period, consistent with trends observed in comparable coastal markets across the Southeast.
The Wilmington Housing Authority administers federal housing assistance programs in the area, including Housing Choice Vouchers and public housing units. Demand for these programs consistently exceeds available inventory, resulting in waitlists that can extend for years. This gap between need and available assistance is a structural feature of the local housing market, not a temporary condition.
Displacement from established neighborhoods has downstream effects on employment, education, and community stability. Residents who are displaced from areas close to employment centers or transit corridors face compounding disadvantages. The records examined for this report indicate that displacement is not evenly distributed across the county — it concentrates in specific zip codes and census tracts with higher proportions of Black and lower-income residents.
This report is the first in a series examining housing conditions in Wilmington and coastal North Carolina. Subsequent reporting will examine the intersection of housing instability and workforce participation, and the role of federal and state assistance programs in the local housing ecosystem.