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EconPulse

Local economy signal dashboard

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COUNTYThriving

Forsyth County, NC

Thriving overall. Federal Funds is the clearest support signal, while gdp / output needs the most attention. Housing reads as affordable for a median-income household.

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Overall score71out of 100
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64
68
68
73
95

Population

389,977

Data freshness

Unknown

GDP / Output

+3.6% YoY

64

$34.4B

Output changed +3.6% in 2024.

Vintage date unknown

State growth6.2%
U.S. growth5.3%

Jobs

Unemployment rate

68

3.6%

Unemployment is 3.6% for April 2026.

Vintage date unknown

State avg3.7%
U.S. avg4.3%

Population

+3.0% 5-year

68

389,977

Population moved +3.0% over the latest ACS window.

Vintage date unknown

State population10,730,404
U.S. population334,922,499

Housing

Rent share of income

73

19.6%

Median rent consumes 19.6% of median household income: Affordable.

Vintage date unknown

State rent$1.2K
U.S. rent$1.4K
HUD_API_TOKEN missing; ACS median gross rent is used as the housing affordability fallback.

Federal Funds

$7.5K per resident

95

$2.9B

$2.9B in federal obligations flowed here in FY2025.

Vintage date unknown

State total$129.4B
U.S. total$5.3T

Population and output

Trend Snapshot

Reported share

Industry Breakdown

FY2025

Federal Money

Federal obligations

$2.9B

$7.5K per resident in reported federal flow.

Top agencies

Dollars
1. Social Security Administration$2.0B
2. Department of Veterans Affairs$281.6M
3. Department of Health and Human Services$182.3M

Top recipients

Dollars
1. WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES$174.9M
2. TRANSPORTATION NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT$110.8M
3. HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF WINSTON-SALEM$54.9M

Affordable

Housing Affordability

19.6%

of median income

1BR estimate$900
2BR estimate$1,186
Median income$67,165
Median home value$250,400

ACS context

Quick Facts

Population

389,977

Median age

38.4

Bachelor's degree+

38.5%

Poverty rate

14.5%

Labor force participation

62.2%

Prime rate

6.8%

CPI YoY

+3.9%

U.S. GDP YoY

+5.9%

Sources and warnings

Data Provenance

Census ACS 5-year

2024

BLS LAUS / CPS

April 2026

BEA regional CAGDP1

2024

USAspending

FY2025

FRED

2026-06-10

HUD Fair Market Rent

Latest available

Data notes
  • HUD_API_TOKEN missing; ACS median gross rent is used as the housing affordability fallback.

5-year compound growth

Historical Trends

Population CAGR

+0.6%

GDP CAGR

+5.7%

Federal flow

5 years

Population (5 years)
2020378,499
2021380,583
2022383,739
2023386,740
2024389,977
GDP (5 years)
2020$26.0B
2021$28.4B
2022$30.6B
2023$33.2B
2024$34.4B

2-year linear forecast

Predictive Outlook

Population forecast

2024389,977
2025392,642 *
2026395,553 *

R² = 99.5% · * projected

GDP forecast

2024$34.4B
2025$37.0B *
2026$39.1B *

R² = 98.9% · * projected

Linear regression over available historical data. Projections are estimates based on past trends and do not account for policy changes, economic shocks, or other external factors.

housing affordability breakdown

Cost of Living

Median household income$67,165/yr
Median rent$1,098/mo
Rent share of income19.6%
Est. mortgage (30yr, 6.5%)$15,194/yr
Mortgage share of income22.6%

Rent data from Census ACS 5-year. Mortgage estimate assumes 20% down, 6.5% APR, 30-year fixed.

employment snapshot

Job Market

Unemployment rate3.6%
State avg3.7%
U.S. avg4.3%
Labor force participation62.2%
Poverty rate14.5%

Data from BLS LAUS / CPS. April 2026.

valuation snapshot

Real Estate

Median home value$250,400
Median monthly rent$1,098
Price-to-rent ratio19.0x

Moderate price-to-rent ratio — buying and renting are roughly balanced in this market.

composite score

Investment Climate

Investment climateStrong
Composite score68/100
Economic growth64/100
Labor market68/100
Population momentum68/100
Overall stability71/100

Composite score weighs economic growth, labor market health, population momentum, and overall stability. Not financial advice.

Location Context

Forsyth County, North Carolina

County

Part of

Winston-Salem, NC

Nearby locations

Winston-Salem, NCWalkertown, NCBethania, NCRural Hall, NCGermanton, NC