Rental numbers for Rutherford County, NC
The typical home here runs -$423 a month at 7.78% with 25% down, breaking even at about 3.7%.
- Gross yield
- 7.7%
- typical home, Zillow
- Median ZIP yield
- n/a
- 0 ZIPs with full data
- Cash flow
- -$423/mo
- at 7.78%, 25% down
- Typical price
- $217,000
- Zillow ZHVI, Aug 2026
- Typical rent
- $1,393/mo
- Zillow ZORI, Aug 2026
ZIP codes in Rutherford County
8 with published figures
| 28160Spindale | $148,000 | $930* | 7.6% | 3.3% | -$396 | n/a |
| 28114Mooresboro | $160,000 | $930* | 7.0% | 3.1% | -$448 | n/a |
| 28040Ellenboro | $186,000 | $930* | 6.0% | 2.4% | -$627 | n/a |
| 28043Forest City | $190,000 | $930* | 5.9% | 2.4% | -$641 | n/a |
| 28018Bostic | $219,000 | $1,040* | 5.7% | 2.4% | -$741 | n/a |
| 28139Rutherfordton | $249,000 | $1,060* | 5.1% | 2.0% | -$922 | n/a |
| 28167Union Mills | $242,000 | $1,030* | 5.1% | 1.9% | -$914 | n/a |
| 28746Lake Lure | $440,000 | $1,370* | 3.7% | 1.2% | -$1,933 | n/a |
* HUD Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom, where Zillow publishes no rent index. Conservative.
Trends
Five years to August 2026
- Price, 12 months
- +3.8%
- Rent, 12 months
- n/a
- Rent minus price growth
- n/a
- Property tax
- 0.58%
- effective rate, ACS 2024
Show the numbers
| Month | Typical value | Rent |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2021 | $181,935 | n/a |
| Aug 2022 | $211,109 | n/a |
| Aug 2023 | $208,243 | n/a |
| Aug 2024 | $221,761 | n/a |
| Aug 2025 | $209,002 | n/a |
| Aug 2026 | $216,947 | $1,393 |
HUD Fair Market Rent
FY2027, Rutherford County, NC
| Bedrooms | Studio | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed | 4 bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair Market Rent | $861 | $866 | $1,012 | $1,354 | $1,374 |
The 40th percentile gross rent for a standard unit, set by HUD each October and used for Section 8 payment standards. It runs below market rent; Zillow's index is shown above where it exists.
Supply
- Permits per 1,000 households
- 9.7
- 257 units, last 12 months
- National percentile
- 71th
- among US counties
Tools
Test a listing in Rutherford County against today's rate.
Open the calculatorPart of the Forest City, NC metro.
Questions
- Is Rutherford County good for rental property?
- The typical home here runs -$423 a month at 7.78% with 25% down, breaking even at about 3.7%. The figures use a typical home, 7.78% with 25% down and default costs shown on each ZIP page. They describe the market, not any one property.
- What is the property tax rate in Rutherford County?
- About 0.58% of value, from Census ACS median taxes paid over median home value. On a $217,000 home that is about $1,267 a year.
- What is Fair Market Rent in Rutherford County?
- HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rent here is $866 for a 1-bedroom, $1,012 for a 2-bedroom and $1,354 for a 3-bedroom. Typical cash flow at today's rate is -$423 a month.
Sources and method
- Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), mid tier, smoothed and seasonally adjusted
Zillow Research. Read: 2026-08.
Typical home value by ZIP, county, metro and state, and the price trend.
- Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), all homes plus multifamily, smoothed
Zillow Research. Read: 2026-08.
Typical market rent by ZIP, county and metro, and the rent trend (tier A pages).
- HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, FY2026
US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Read: FY2026.
Rent by bedroom count for every ZIP. The rent used on tier B pages, and a reference on all pages. It is the 40th percentile gross rent, so it runs below market.
- HUD Fair Market Rents by county, FY2027
US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Read: FY2027.
County rent by bedroom count on county pages.
- American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020 to 2024 (B25103 median real estate taxes paid, B25077 median home value, B11001 households)
US Census Bureau. Read: 2020 to 2024.
Effective property tax rate (median taxes paid divided by median value) by ZIP code tabulation area, county and state; households for the permits ratio.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, 30-year fixed (FRED series MORTGAGE30US)
Freddie Mac via the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Read: 2026-09-24.
The weekly 30-year rate. The site adds a disclosed investor premium to it for the loan payment.
- Building Permits Survey, county monthly files
US Census Bureau. Read: 2025-09 to 2026-08.
New housing units permitted in the last 12 months per 1,000 households, a supply-pressure signal.
Data: Zillow Research (ZHVI, ZORI), HUD, US Census Bureau, Freddie Mac. Every formula is on the methodology page.
Estimates from public data for a typical property. Not investment, tax or legal advice. Your property, financing and costs will differ.