Raleigh vs Rock Hill
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $295,100 in Rock Hill and $415,800 in Raleigh.
- Households earn more in Raleigh ($85,395 vs $68,771 median).
- Raleigh is growing faster: +8.2% since 2020 vs +2.1%.
Side by side
| Raleigh, NC | Rock Hill, SC | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 506,306 | 75,911 |
| Growth since 2020 | +8.2% | +2.1% |
| People per square mile | 3,354 | 1,706 |
| Median age | 34.7 | 35.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 54% | 35% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $85,395 | $68,771 |
| Median home value | $415,800 | $295,100 |
| Home value to income | 4.9× | 4.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,572 | $1,341 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 98.2 | 97.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 103.5 | 97.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $73,600 | $73,000 |
| Homeowners | 51% | 54% |
| Top state income tax | 3.99% | 6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.1% | 7.49% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.0 | 25.0 |
| Work from home | 26% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.4% | 5.8% |
| Poverty rate | 11.9% | 12.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 52° / 32° | 52° / 31° |
| July high / low | 91° / 70° | 90° / 69° |
| Precipitation per year | 46 in | 42 in |
| Snowfall per year | 5 in | 1 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 52 | 55 |
| Nights below freezing | 65 | 65 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.5 | 88.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 66% | 46% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.1% | +1.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +44.9% | +49.9% |
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: Raleigh: April to May and October. Rock Hill: April to May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Raleigh weather by month and Rock Hill weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $73,600 in Raleigh and $73,000 in Rock Hill. Moving from Raleigh to Rock Hill, you would need about $74,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Raleigh and Rock Hill
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Raleigh and Rock Hill.
Which would you pick?
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