Duplin County

Duplin County sits at a median home price of $187,547, with year-over-year appreciation of 2.64% and an affordability index of 90 out of 100, which places it in the top 11% of the 1,000 counties in this dataset nationally and second in North Carolina. The price point alone makes this one of the more accessible entry markets in the state. What the data does not provide is a cap rate or gross rent multiplier for Duplin itself, which is a meaningful gap: the cash flow score is listed as zero, suggesting the model could not produce a reliable cash flow estimate from available rent data. Investors should treat this as a market requiring independent rent comps before underwriting, not a disqualifying characteristic but a due-diligence flag. The appreciation score of 76 and the affordability score of 90 tell you where the return thesis is anchored: price gains at a relatively low entry cost, not immediate yield.

That profile suits a specific type of buyer. An appreciation-focused investor willing to carry a property at or near breakeven will find the $187,547 median price and 2.64% annual price growth a reasonable entry point into a market where the floor risk is limited by affordability. A pure cash-flow operator looking for day-one yield should proceed carefully: without confirmed rent data and a cap rate in the model, underwriting a spread above financing costs is speculative. A value-add operator buying below median in a low-price market has less room to manufacture equity through renovation than in a higher-priced county, since the exit prices are constrained by local income levels. The stability score of 50 is the number that will slow down lenders and long-hold investors alike; it suggests meaningful volatility or demographic softness that deserves scrutiny in your own research.

On carry costs, the tax-and-insurance burden at Duplin is manageable. Using North Carolina's state-average effective property tax rate of 0.84% (a Tax Foundation 2024 estimate; actual county and township rates in Duplin will differ), annual property tax on the median-priced home comes to roughly $1,575. Add the state-average insurance estimate of $525 annually, and the combined monthly tax-and-insurance load is approximately $175. At a 0.84% tax rate, the flag here is "normal," meaning it neither provides a meaningful tailwind nor creates an outsized drag. That $175 monthly figure is not the underwriting problem in Duplin; the issue is establishing what the rent actually is, since the model produced no rent estimate for this county.

The neighbors data reveals where Duplin fits in the regional opportunity stack. Northampton County carries a higher overall score of 78 versus Duplin's 73, at a median price of only $115,952, which is $71,595 cheaper than Duplin. If Northampton can support a reasonable rent, its lower entry price could produce superior cash-on-cash returns and a lower breakeven rent threshold. Perquimans County scores 68 at $264,692, offering less on both the score and affordability dimensions. Davidson County at $264,061 and a rent-to-price ratio of 0.066 and Cumberland County at $227,591 with a rent-to-price ratio of 0.075 both carry rent data that Duplin lacks; Cumberland's 0.075 ratio is the highest of the group, which matters if you are trying to model yield. Cherokee County scores 62 at $274,117 with a 0.071 rent-to-price ratio. Among the neighbors with confirmed rent data, Cumberland has the best yield metric at 7.5% gross rent-to-price, and a higher overall score than Davidson or Cherokee, though still below Duplin's 73.

Choose Duplin over its neighbors when your thesis is low entry price with appreciation exposure in a North Carolina county ranked second in the state for overall investment score, and when you can independently verify rents through local property managers before closing. Choose Northampton if you want an even lower entry price and are comfortable with the data limitations that come with smaller, more rural markets. Choose Cumberland if you need confirmed rent comps and a documented yield ratio before committing capital. The risk in Duplin is not the price or the taxes; it is building a cash flow model from incomplete data in a county with a stability score of 50, which rewards investors who can do local legwork over those who underwrite from a spreadsheet alone.