Greensboro vs Wilmington
The short version
- Greensboro is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Wilmington area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $244,800 in Greensboro and $383,800 in Wilmington.
- Households earn more in Wilmington ($66,738 vs $61,515 median).
- Wilmington has the warmer winter: January highs of 57°F vs 49°F.
- Wilmington is growing faster: +9.8% since 2020 vs +3.2%.
- Commutes are shorter in Wilmington (19 vs 22 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Greensboro, NC | Wilmington, NC | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 308,667 | 126,809 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.2% | +9.8% |
| People per square mile | 2,299 | 2,469 |
| Median age | 34.3 | 37.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 41% | 47% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $61,515 | $66,738 |
| Median home value | $244,800 | $383,800 |
| Home value to income | 4.0× | 5.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,172 | $1,395 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 92.9 | 96.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 74.5 | 93.2 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,600 | $72,300 |
| Homeowners | 51% | 48% |
| Top state income tax | 3.99% | 3.99% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.1% | 7.1% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 21.7 | 18.5 |
| Work from home | 14% | 19% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.1% | 4.3% |
| Poverty rate | 17% | 16% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 49° / 30° | 57° / 36° |
| July high / low | 89° / 69° | 90° / 73° |
| Precipitation per year | 44 in | 60 in |
| Snowfall per year | 7 in | 1 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 33 | 45 |
| Nights below freezing | 68 | 37 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.4 | 96.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 75% | 77% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.9% | +3.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +55.1% | +59.7% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Greensboro: April to June and October. Wilmington: March to April and November.
Full monthly tables: Greensboro weather by month and Wilmington weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,600 in Greensboro and $72,300 in Wilmington. Moving from Greensboro to Wilmington, you would need about $77,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Greensboro and Wilmington
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Greensboro and Wilmington.
Which would you pick?
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