Market Guide · Pinehurst & the Sandhills
Commercial Real Estate in Pinehurst and the Sandhills, NC
Moore County’s Sandhills combine the home of American golf, a regional medical hub, and steady in-migration. Our Pinehurst office serves owners, tenants, and investors across the region.
At a Glance
110,619
Moore County residents, 2025
+17.6%
Population growth, 2015–2025
2,413
Net new residents by migration, 2024–25
4th
Lowest county property tax of NC’s 100
5
U.S. Opens at Pinehurst No. 2, 2024–2047
$901M
Visitor spending, 2025
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 county estimates; Moore County Economic Development Partnership (2025–26 tax ranking); USGA; Visit North Carolina and Tourism Economics.
Growth
A Storied Village in a Growing County
Pinehurst opened as a winter resort in 1895 and grew into the home of American golf. Today it anchors Moore County, where Pinehurst, Southern Pines, and Aberdeen sit a few miles apart and share the same corridors, customers, and workforce.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 (via FRED and USAFacts); The Pilot; Moore County housing study.
18,502
Pinehurst residents, 2024
16,987
Southern Pines residents, 2024
7,724
Housing units short of need through 2029
~20,000
Workers who commute in daily
Location & Access
At the Center of the Sandhills
| Destination | Drive time |
|---|---|
| Raleigh / RDU | ≈ 1 hr 20 min |
| Fayetteville | ≈ 1 hr 10 min |
| Greensboro | ≈ 1 hr 25 min |
| Charlotte | ≈ 2 hr 10 min |
| Wilmington | ≈ 2 hr 30 min |
| Corridor | Vehicles per day |
|---|---|
| US 1 at US 15-501 | 38,500 |
| US 1 in Aberdeen | 31,500 |
| US 15-501 south of Morganton Rd | 29,000 |
| US 1 at Midland Rd | 28,500 |
| NC 211 at Page Rd | 22,500 |
| NC 5 | 18,500 |
Economy & Health Care
A Regional Medical Hub
FirstHealth of the Carolinas is headquartered in Pinehurst. Its flagship, Moore Regional Hospital, is a 402-bed referral center for a 15-county region, and health care accounts for more than a quarter of private jobs in the county. Fort Bragg, the Army’s largest installation by population, lies to the east.
Sources: Moore County Economic Development Partnership (2025); FirstHealth of the Carolinas; Business North Carolina; U.S. Army.
| Employer | Employees |
|---|---|
| FirstHealth (Moore Regional Hospital) | 4,100+ |
| Moore County Schools | 1,700+ |
| Pinehurst Resort | 1,000+ |
| Industry | Share of private jobs |
|---|---|
| Health care & social assistance | 27.3% |
| Accommodation & food services | 16.5% |
| Retail trade | 13.7% |
| Manufacturing | 4.5% |
Golf & the USGA
The National Championship Has a Home Here
In 2020 the USGA named Pinehurst No. 2 the first anchor site for the U.S. Open and built Golf House Pinehurst, its second headquarters, with an equipment-testing center and the World Golf Hall of Fame.
$242.5M
State economic impact of the 2024 U.S. Open
$901M
Visitor spending in 2025, a record
207
Holes at Pinehurst Resort when No. 11 opens in 2027
- 2027U.S. Women’s Amateur
- 2029U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open, back to back
- 2032U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior
- 2035U.S. Open
- 2038U.S. Amateur
- 2041U.S. Open
- 2044U.S. Women’s Amateur
- 2047U.S. Open
Sources: USGA announcements (2020, 2023, 2025); USGA and Eventcorp, 2024 U.S. Open economic impact; Visit North Carolina, 2025; Pinehurst Resort.
Commercial Market
Tight Vacancy Across the Board
Retail, office, and flex space are close to full, and almost nothing is under construction. Retail sales volume reached a record $105 million in 2025.
| Type | Inventory | Vacancy | Market rent | 5-yr rent growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail | 5.71M SF | 1.7% | $22.80/SF | 4.3% |
| Office | 1.81M SF | 2.5% | $25.77/SF | 4.7% |
| Industrial | 4.04M SF | 5.3% | $6.85/SF | 7.4% |
| Flex | 379K SF | 0.6% | $12.21/SF | — |
Source: CoStar, Pinehurst–Southern Pines market, Q4 2026.
Kuester Here
Kuester in Pinehurst
Local Office
Sandhills Office
Pinehurst, NC 28374
910.621.1600
Mon–Thu 8:30 am–5:00 pm · Fri 8:30 am–4:00 pm
Map data © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap · Tap the map for directions
Questions
Pinehurst Commercial Real Estate FAQ
Why open a business in the Sandhills?
Moore County is adding residents every year, visitors spent a record $901 million in 2025, and vacancy is under 3% for retail and office space.
How tight is the Pinehurst commercial market?
CoStar shows 1.7% retail vacancy, 2.5% office vacancy, and 0.6% flex vacancy in the Pinehurst–Southern Pines market in Q4 2026, with almost nothing under construction.
Does Kuester have an office in Pinehurst?
Yes. Our Sandhills office is at 205 McCaskill Rd. E in Pinehurst.
