Sell Your Commercial Property In Fayetteville, NC

Who rents in Fayetteville

Fayetteville's renter share is higher than in North Carolina's other large cities. The 2020–2024 American Community Survey counts 210,815 residents and 82,689 occupied homes, of which 43,492, or 52.6%, are rented. That compares with 45.0% across Cumberland County and 33.4% statewide.

The military explains most of the gap. North Carolina's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs describes Fort Bragg as the largest military post by population in the U.S. military and one of the largest military complexes in the world. Service members on assignment, their families, contractors and civilian staff create a steady stream of households that rent rather than buy because they expect to move within a few years. Off-post renters spread across Fayetteville and nearby towns such as Spring Lake and Hope Mills.

Incomes are lower than in the state's larger metros. The city's median household income is $58,407, against $61,291 for Cumberland County and $72,388 for North Carolina. For apartment owners, that means a tenant base with steady paychecks but limited room for large rent increases.

Rents and affordability

The median gross rent in Fayetteville is $1,250 a month, including utilities. That is $28 above Cumberland County's $1,222 and $22 above the state median. On a monthly basis it equals about 26% of the city's median household income, though renter households generally earn less than the citywide median. Measured against income, the burden is substantial: 49.4% of renter households pay 30% or more of income on rent and utilities, and 22.9% pay half or more. In numbers, 3,814 households pay 30% to 34.9%, 3,245 pay 35% to 39.9%, 4,445 pay 40% to 49.9% and 9,972 pay 50% or more.

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rents for the Fayetteville area, which set the baseline for voucher payment standards, are:

The two-bedroom FMR is essentially equal to the city's median rent, $1,251 against $1,250, so voucher-backed rents and market rents line up closely here. The jump from two to three bedrooms is $416, a wide step that matters for owners of family-size apartments, who compete with the city's large stock of single-family rentals for those tenants.

The apartment stock

Fayetteville's rental market leans on houses and small buildings more than large complexes. Per the ACS, 56,625 of the city's 91,985 housing units, or 61.6%, are detached single-family homes, and only 22,137, or 24.1%, are in buildings with five or more units. With 43,492 renter households and 22,137 units in 5+ buildings, a large share of renters necessarily live in houses, duplexes and small multiplexes. Buildings of two to four units add another 8,077 units, or 8.8% of the stock.

Within the 5+ stock, the size profile is unusually small. There are 8,675 units in 5–9 unit buildings, 7,435 in 10–19 unit buildings, 4,580 in 20–49 unit buildings and just 1,447 in buildings of 50 or more. Buildings of 5 to 19 units hold 72.8% of the city's apartment units, while 50+ unit buildings hold only 6.5%, compared with about a third in Charlotte and Raleigh. Fayetteville is therefore a market of small private owners, and buyers are often local operators who understand military leasing patterns.

The city also holds almost all of the county's apartment inventory. Cumberland County has 25,515 units in 5+ unit buildings, and 22,137 of them, about 87%, are inside Fayetteville. Of the county's 1,764 units in buildings of 50 or more, 1,447 are in the city. Outside city limits, renters are mostly in houses, small multiplexes and mobile homes, which make up 7.8% of the county's housing compared with 3.0% in the city.

The housing is also older than the state's. The median unit in the city was built in 1984, compared with 1988 for Cumberland County and 1991 statewide. Haymount, near downtown, is one of the city's established older neighborhoods. Raeford, also within reach of Fort Bragg, sits in neighboring Hoke County.

How Fayetteville compares with other North Carolina cities

Set against the state's other large cities, Fayetteville stands out on three measures. Its 52.6% renter share is above Charlotte's 49.0%, Raleigh's 49.3%, Greensboro's 49.5% and Durham's 47.7%. Its median rent, $1,250, is below Charlotte's $1,612, Raleigh's $1,572 and Durham's $1,508 but above Greensboro's $1,172. And its share of apartment units in 50+ unit buildings, 6.5%, is the smallest of the five; Greensboro's is 13.3% and Charlotte's 33.5%. In practice, Fayetteville offers lower entry prices and a deep renter pool, but its buildings are smaller and older, which narrows the field of institutional buyers and puts more weight on local operators.

Property taxes on apartment buildings in Cumberland County

North Carolina assesses real property at true value under G.S. 105-284, with no reduced ratio for rentals. Cumberland County's FY2027 budget, adopted June 23, 2026, keeps the county rate at 49.9 cents per $100. The City of Fayetteville's FY2027 budget keeps the city rate at 44.95 cents. Combined, that is 94.85 cents per $100 of value, or about $28,455 a year on a $3 million building.

With both rates unchanged, a buyer's tax estimate here can start from your current bill rather than an adjusted one. Values stay fixed until the county's next reappraisal, which G.S. 105-286 requires at least every eighth year, and a sale does not trigger a revaluation. Owners who disagree with their assessed value start with an informal review and then appeal to the county Board of Equalization and Review, as described by the N.C. Department of Revenue.

Buildings in Hope Mills or Spring Lake pay those towns' rates instead of Fayetteville's, and Raeford buildings pay Hoke County rates. On a sale, the state excise tax under G.S. 105-228.30 is $1 per $500 of price, or $6,000 on a $3 million building.

Landlord rules and military tenants

G.S. 42-14.1 bars Fayetteville from regulating private rents and, since 2024, from requiring landlords to accept federal housing vouchers. Security deposits are capped under G.S. 42-51 at two weeks' rent for week-to-week tenancies, 1.5 months' rent for month-to-month and two months' rent for longer terms. Under G.S. 42-52, the landlord must account for and return the deposit within 30 days after move-out, or send an interim accounting and finish within 60 days, and G.S. 42-55 voids the landlord's right to keep any of the deposit for willful failure to account. That timing matters in a market where military assignments mean frequent move-outs. Under G.S. 42-3, a lease is forfeited if rent remains unpaid 10 days after demand.

G.S. 160D-1207 prevents Fayetteville from requiring rental registration for most properties. Registration can be imposed only on properties with repeated verified code violations or high crime and disorder activity, and the fee is capped at $500 a year.

What this means if you own a building here

• Military tenancy drives turnover. Clean records of deposit handling and leasing timelines make a building easier to underwrite.
• Small buildings dominate, and most units are older than in the rest of the state, so documented capital work is a selling point.
• Flat tax rates this year make your current bill a reliable starting point for a buyer's numbers.

Skyline Capital Investments buys 5+ unit buildings in Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Spring Lake and Raeford. You can estimate value with our apartment building value calculator, check net income with our NOI glossary entry, plan a reinvestment with the 1031 exchange calculator, or see how we make offers on the sell your apartment building page.