Harnett’s juxtaposition: affordable housing quest teeters on higher-priced housing

Harnett County’s growing workforce is fueling housing demand, but low property values and limited industrial growth limit local revenue for schools and infrastructure expansion.

Commissioners reviewed affordable housing at their Nov. 12 work session. Affordable housing means spending no more than 30% of income on housing.

In Jan. 2025, Harnett was selected as one of 22 counties in North Carolina to participate in the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s “Our State, Our Homes” program.

The program promotes a mixture of housing types in appropriate areas, encourages the preservation and construction of affordable and workforce housing and works with partners to prevent and reduce homelessness.

Deputy County Manager Coley Price presented data on affordable housing. Coley said a local realtor contacted Price about participating in the program.

About 27% of households (12,810) are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing.

42% of renters (5,626 households) have difficulty affording their homes.

21% of homeowners (7,184 households) are cost-burdened, aka over-financed and underpaid.

Households spending more than 50% of income on housing are considered severely cost-burdened.

The county ranks No. 9 in North Carolina for eviction filings among renter households (1 = highest, 100 = lowest).

$20.08 per hour is the needed housing wage, the hourly rate needed to afford rent.

The fair market rentfor a two-bedroom unit is $1,044 per month, requiring an annual income of $41,760.

Higher housing costs can lead to eviction and foreclosure, which destabilizes families and harms community health.

The commissioners’ limited discussion about the impact of the housing crisis led to employment and school-related research.

According to Data USA, Harnett has about 55,000 people employed in manufacturing, retail trade, and health care and social assistance. Harnett’s growing and varied workforce drives greater housing needs and community development, but its lower property values limit how much tax revenue is available for schools and services.

“My heart has always been in jobs and affordable housing,” Commissioner Barbara McKoy said. “The gap is growing further and further.”

“What you attract is what you become,” Price said about the price of homes and attracting people with higher incomes.

“The tax benefits we have down here…” Chairman Matt Nicol said about people moving to Harnett for cheaper living. “We’re going to see incentives from developers, and the comps are going to drop.”

“Farming is going to take a hit,” Vice Chairman William Morris said about farmland being sold for development for subdivisions.

The affordable housing crisis affects quality education.

Harnett grew 11.6% from 2014-2023, but is the property tax rate sufficient to support ongoing and future county services?

Property taxes pay for education, and Harnett has 13 D-graded schools and hires teachers from other countries because it has not been successful in hiring teachers from the United States.

The property tax rate is 0.75%, lower than the national average of 1.02%.

Harnett uses about 2.84% of property taxes for education, according to World Population Review.

The average Harnett County home assessed value is $199,846.

The average Harnett County tax bill is $1,570, $830 lower than the national median property tax bill of $2,400.

Property taxes fund public schools, libraries, law enforcement, fire protection, emergency medical services, and county government operations. They support roads, parks, and community programs such as animal and veteran services.

Property taxes make up more than half of the county’s general budget, so property values directly affect the county’s ability to fund education and public safety.

Because much of the county’s housing stock is low priced, the tax base is limited, which constrains how much local revenue can go toward funding each student and maintaining community services.

To keep pace with economic and population growth, Harnett needs a stronger balance between affordable and higher-priced housing to expand its property tax base.

Attracting more industries that offer higher-wage jobs, would generate additional revenue and provide long-term stability for education, infrastructure and community development.

Harnett offers a competitive property tax rate of $0.591 per $100 of assessed value, along with various local and state-level incentives to attract businesses. The Edgerton site is part of a federal Opportunity Zone, which gives investors added tax benefits for long-term projects. Plus, the county works with the I-95 and I-40 Crossroads of America Economic Development Alliance to improve infrastructure and support workforce training. Recently, they secured $24 million in state funding to help with these efforts.

Nov. 12, 2025

Stephanie M. Sellers

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