Best In North Carolina Real Estate™: The Triangle

Carrboro leads North Carolina in the top-to-median affordability gap, with a 1.6x disparity in income-to-home value ratios. This isn’t a regional trend—it’s a city-level crisis. The data comes from ALEX Intelligence’s latest report, which ranks cities across the Triangle based on income-to-home value spread using 2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. This reveals how wealth concentration in select municipalities is distorting housing access, even in a high-growth region like the Research Triangle. For context, no other North Carolina city approaches Carrboro’s level of stratification. The full dataset is available at https://alex-companies.com/data/2026-10-23-triangle-spread-value-to-income-place. How does your city compare? Is your local market becoming more stratified—or more inclusive? Let’s discuss the real estate implications of this shift. Top-to-Median Affordability Gap, top 10 (ALEX Intelligence — U.S. Census Bureau 2024) #1 Carrboro — 6.3x #2 Smithfield — 5.6x #3 Hillsborough — 4.7x #4 Oxford — 4.6x #5 Garner — 4.5x #6 Roxboro — 4.3x #7 Selma — 4.1x #8 Apex — 4.0x #9 Holly Springs — 4.0x #10 Knightdale — 3.7x Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Slide 1: bobistraveling (CC BY 2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=29203954; Slide 2: dreid1987 (CC BY 3.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=53420137; Slide 3: Ildar Sagdejev ( Specious ) (CC BY-SA 3.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=4315682; Slide 4: Mx._Granger (CC0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=65413904 Source: https://alex-companies.com/data/2026-10-23-triangle-spread-value-to-income-place View and join any or all of our communities — AI, quantum, and real estate: https://alex-companies.com/reports/linkedin-groups If there's an AI, quantum, or real estate community you'd like to see us convene, tell us — this portfolio grows by request. Real Estate Strategy & Intelligence Leader. Democratized Blue Ocean Strategist & Operator. Diane Hart Alexander, MBA, MHA Chair & CEO, ALEX Companies Designated Broker, Alexander Tiffany Southwest, LLC dba ALEX.realestate, et.al. Texas License #574877-B · Broker License #565194-BB [email protected] · +1 713.591.9902