Is Stallings NC a Good Place to Live? The Tradeoffs to Weigh

Is Stallings NC a good place to live? For a buyer who wants to live next to Matthews with a Union County tax bill, it’s a strong fit: the Union County part of Stallings pays 64.32 cents per $100 in county and town tax for 2026-27 against 77.22 cents inside Matthews, and homes in Stallings sold for a median $447,287 from July through September 2026, according to Steve Jarrell, Team Lead of The Longleaf Group at eXp Realty, using the county rate sheets and Redfin Data Center figures.

If you’ve been scrolling Matthews listings, some of those Matthews addresses may sit inside the Town of Stallings. Stallings and Matthews sit side by side and share a ZIP code. The difference shows up on the tax bill: on a $450,000 assessed value it runs about $580 a year in Stallings’ favor before the fire district line, and about $366 after it. I’m Steve Jarrell, and this guide walks through what that address mix-up means for you, what homes cost, how the drive into Charlotte works and who Stallings suits.

13 min read | By Steve Jarrell, The Longleaf Group at eXp Realty | Updated November 2026

What This Guide Covers

• Is Stallings NC a good place to live? The short answer
• A Matthews address with a Union County tax bill
• What does a house in Stallings cost, and how fast does it sell?
• Income, home values and the ZIP code lines
• The drive into Charlotte and what’s close to home
• Who Stallings suits, and who it doesn’t
• Frequently asked questions

Is Stallings NC a good place to live? The short answer

Yes, if you want to be right next to Matthews, pay Union County’s lower tax rate and spend a little less on the house. Stallings is a town of 18,355 people as of July 1, 2025, according to North Carolina’s state demographer, and 17,836 of them live on the Union County side of the line. That county line sets your county tax rate, even when your mailing address says Matthews.

You’ll give something up for that. Most of the drive into Charlotte runs on US 74 (Independence Boulevard, the highway that carries about 12 of the 15 miles into Uptown). The town has grown 13.9% since the 2020 Census, from 16,110 people to 18,355.

Stallings is one of the first places I’d pull up for anyone who likes being near Matthews but wants a lower tax line. At 2026-27 rates, a home on the Union County side of Stallings pays 64.32 cents per $100 in county and town tax, against 77.22 cents inside Matthews, which is about $580 a year less on a $450,000 assessed value before the fire district line. What I’d check first is the county on the tax record, not the city on the mailing address, because most of Stallings sits in a ZIP code the Postal Service calls Matthews.

A Matthews address with a Union County tax bill

The short version: in Stallings, the city on your envelope and the county on your tax bill often don’t match. The Census Bureau’s 2020 ZIP-to-town relationship file puts about 90.7% of Stallings’ land in ZIP code 28104, and the Postal Service’s ZIP lookup lists Matthews as that ZIP’s default city. It accepts Stallings too, so a 28104 address can read either town. Another 7.0% of the town sits in 28079, where Indian Trail is the default city, and about 2.3% in 28105.

Why it matters to you: the Town of Matthews is in Mecklenburg County, and almost all of Stallings’ residents live in Union County. Those are two different county tax rates. If you’re new to the area, the mailing address is the part that can mislead you, and our guide to what ZIP code Matthews uses covers 28104.

Here’s what the line is worth for 2026-27. Union County’s 2026-2027 rate sheet sets the county rate at 43.42 cents per $100 across its five funds, and the Town of Stallings’ FY27 budget ordinance levies 20.9 cents, for 64.32 cents combined. Mecklenburg County’s FY 2026-2027 chart puts the combined county and town rate inside Matthews at 77.22 cents. On a $450,000 assessed value, that’s about $2,894 a year in Stallings against about $3,475 in Matthews, a gap of $580.50.

Two more costs sit on a Stallings bill, and you should count both. Union County bills a separate fire district line, and its 2026-2027 fire district sheet lists 4.76 cents for the Stallings fire district and 4.72 cents for Hemby Bridge’s. At 4.76 cents, the Stallings bill on that $450,000 house rises to about $3,108.60, still about $366 under Matthews. The town’s FY27 budget ordinance also sets a $67 a year residential stormwater fee. The town’s own rate rose this year, too: the Mecklenburg chart shows it at 18.9 cents for 2025-26 and 20.9 cents for 2026-27.

The 519 residents on the Mecklenburg side are the exception. Their combined rate is Mecklenburg’s 49.27 cents plus the town’s 20.9, or 70.17 cents, about $3,157.65 a year on the same $450,000 value. If a listing sits near the county line, read the county on the tax record before anything else.

If you are weighing Stallings against the rest of the area before you get to price, our Living in South Charlotte guide compares the best places to live in South Charlotte town by town.

What does a house in Stallings cost, and how fast does it sell?

A Stallings house costs less than one in Matthews and a little less than one in Indian Trail at the median. Redfin’s Data Center files put the Stallings median sale price at $447,287 for July through September 2026, on 73 sales. That’s $32,485 under Matthews’ $479,772 and $14,993 under Indian Trail’s $462,280 for the same three months.

The square-foot price tells a slightly different story. Stallings homes sold for a median $224.81 a square foot, under Matthews’ $233.80 but well over Indian Trail’s $191.93. So you’re paying less for the house than in Matthews, while each square foot costs more than it would in Indian Trail (another Union County town).

Stallings, Matthews and Indian Trail compared: Redfin Data Center sales figures for July 1 to September 30, 2026, and 2026-27 county and town tax rates from the Union County and Mecklenburg County rate sheets (before any fire district tax)

Measure	Stallings	Matthews	Indian Trail
Median sale price	$447,287	$479,772	$462,280
Median sale price per square foot	$224.81	$233.80	$191.93
Median days on market	42	45	53
Homes sold	73	100	214
County and town tax rate per $100, 2026-27	64.32 cents (Union County side)	77.22 cents	60.42 cents
Yearly county and town tax on a $450,000 assessed value	about $2,894	about $3,475	about $2,719

Homes in Stallings spent a median 42 days on the market in that window, three days faster than the same stretch of 2025, and sold for an average 98.27% of list price. Only 8.33% sold above their original list price, against 28.57% in Matthews. Redfin’s file shows 3.2 months of supply. For you as a buyer, that points to a market with time to decide and some room to negotiate.

The median was down 1.7% from the same three months a year earlier. One three-month window is not a trend, so treat it as a snapshot rather than a direction you can count on. And Indian Trail’s lower combined rate, 60.42 cents with its 17-cent town rate, means Stallings is the middle option on tax: about $175 a year more than Indian Trail on a $450,000 value, and about $580 less than Matthews before the fire district line.

Income, home values and the ZIP code lines

Stallings’ median household income is $115,974, according to the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, which Census Reporter publishes by town. That’s above Union County’s $102,900 and North Carolina’s $72,388. The town figure comes from a sample and carries a margin of error of about $10,600, so you should read it as a range rather than an exact number.

The same survey puts the median home value in Stallings at $428,000, against $417,300 for Union County and $288,900 for the state. That’s owners’ own estimate of what their homes are worth, pooled over five years, which is one reason it differs from the $447,287 Redfin median for recent sales. Use the survey for the long view and the Redfin figure for what a house sells for now.

The ZIP codes are where you can trip up. Here’s how Stallings’ land splits, from the Census relationship file:

• 28104: about 90.7% of the town’s land. Stallings covers about 25.6% of this ZIP’s land, and the rest lies outside the town. The Postal Service’s default city is Matthews.
• 28079: about 7.0% of the town’s land, only about 1.3% of the ZIP. The default city is Indian Trail.
• 28105: about 2.3% of the town’s land, under 1% of the ZIP.

Because no ZIP code lines up with the town, the ZIP alone can’t tell you whether a house is in Stallings, Matthews or Indian Trail, or which county taxes it. The tax record can. If you’re comparing Stallings with its neighbors, our look at whether Matthews is a good place to live and the Indian Trail community guide cover those two towns.

Before you write an offer on a Stallings house, I’d pull three things for that exact parcel: the county and town on the tax record, which fire district line shows up on the Union County bill, and the school assignment for the address from Union County Public Schools. Then drive US 74 toward Uptown yourself at the hour you’d really be on the road. The 24-minute figure is a no-traffic number, and that drive is the tradeoff to test before you commit.

The drive into Charlotte and what’s close to home

From Stallings Town Hall to Uptown Charlotte (the downtown business district) is about 15 miles and about 24 minutes with no traffic, by the free routing service OSRM. About 12 of those miles are US 74, first as Independence Boulevard and then as the Independence Expressway. That 24 minutes is the floor, so plan on more if you’ll be on the road at rush hour.

If you’re weighing the Matthews side of town, our Matthews community guide covers the town Stallings shares a ZIP code with. If you only head into an office a day or two a week, the US 74 drive becomes an occasional cost rather than a daily one, and that changes how much it should weigh on your decision.

For time outside, the town’s parks include Stallings Municipal Park and Blair Mill Park. Stallings Municipal Park on Stallings Road has four playgrounds, four pickleball courts and a tennis court, a band shell, two rentable shelters and a half-mile walking loop. Its splash pad is closed for the 2026 season, per the town’s splash pad page. Blair Mill Park has a 12-hole disc golf course and a playground, and the town offers greenway spaces for walking, running and non-motorized bikes.

For schools, homes on the Union County side are part of Union County Public Schools. Look up the specific address with the district before you rely on the town name.

Who Stallings suits, and who it doesn’t

Stallings suits you if you want the Matthews side of town and a Union County tax bill, and you’d rather spend a little less on the house. At 2026-27 rates the Union County side pays 64.32 cents per $100 against 77.22 in Matthews, and the July to September 2026 median sale price of $447,287 sat $32,485 under Matthews’. It also suits you if you work from home part of the week, because the US 74 drive matters less when you make it twice a week.

It suits you less if a lower tax bill is your main goal. Indian Trail’s combined rate is 60.42 cents, under Stallings’ 64.32, and its median price per square foot was $191.93 against Stallings’ $224.81 in the same window. And if you’ll drive into Uptown every weekday at rush hour, test that drive before you commit.

The one step that protects you either way: before you make an offer, read the county and town on the parcel’s tax record. With 97.2% of residents in Union County and 90.7% of the land in a Matthews ZIP code, that record is what settles which town and county you’re buying in. For more towns side by side, start at our South Charlotte communities hub.

Frequently Asked Questions About Living in Stallings NC

Is Stallings NC a good place to live?

For a buyer who wants to live next to Matthews with a Union County tax bill, it’s a strong fit: the Union County part of Stallings pays 64.32 cents per $100 in county and town tax for 2026-27 against 77.22 cents inside Matthews, and homes in Stallings sold for a median $447,287 from July through September 2026, according to Steve Jarrell, Team Lead of The Longleaf Group at eXp Realty, using the county rate sheets and Redfin Data Center figures. The tradeoffs are a drive that runs mostly on US 74 and a mailing address that may read Matthews, so check the county on the tax record before you buy.

Is Stallings NC in Union County or Mecklenburg County?

Both, but almost all of its residents live in Union County. North Carolina’s state demographer estimated 18,355 people in Stallings on July 1, 2025: 17,836 in Union County and 519 in Mecklenburg County, so about 97.2% of residents live on the Union County side. The county line changes your tax rate, so check the county on the parcel’s tax record.

Is Stallings part of Matthews?

No. Stallings is its own town with its own town government and its own 20.9 cent tax rate for 2026-27. The confusion comes from the mail: about 90.7% of Stallings’ land sits in ZIP code 28104, and the Postal Service lists Matthews as that ZIP’s default city while also accepting Stallings. A Matthews address in 28104 can belong to a Stallings home that pays Union County taxes.

What ZIP code is Stallings NC?

Mostly 28104. In the Census Bureau’s 2020 ZIP-to-town relationship file, about 90.7% of Stallings’ land falls in 28104, about 7.0% in 28079 and about 2.3% in 28105. The Postal Service lists Matthews as the default city for 28104 and Indian Trail for 28079, so a Stallings mailing address can read Matthews or Indian Trail.

What is the property tax rate in Stallings NC?

For 2026-27 the Town of Stallings rate is 20.9 cents per $100, up from 18.9 cents in 2025-26, and Union County adds 43.42 cents, for 64.32 cents combined on the Union County side. On a $450,000 assessed value that’s about $2,894 a year, plus a fire district line on the county bill (4.76 cents in the Stallings fire district and 4.72 cents in Hemby Bridge’s). The town also charges a $67 residential stormwater fee.

What is the median household income in Stallings NC?

The Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the median household income in Stallings at $115,974, against $102,900 for Union County and $72,388 for North Carolina. The Stallings figure carries a margin of error of about $10,600, so treat it as an estimate. The same survey puts the median home value at $428,000, against $417,300 for Union County.

About the Author

I’m Steve Jarrell, a licensed North Carolina and South Carolina broker and the Team Lead of The Longleaf Group at eXp Realty, which I co-lead with my wife Amanda. Before real estate, I joined VisualTour as President, led its rebrand to Paradym, and led the company to its acquisition by Constellation Software in 2020. I hold an MBA from the University of Tennessee with concentrations in Marketing and Innovation. The Longleaf Group is an eXp ICON Team and a RealTrends Verified Top Team by Volume for 2026, with 175+ five-star reviews.

I live in Weddington, in Union County, and sell homes across South Charlotte every week. If you’d like a second opinion on a specific Stallings address, call me at 704-774-7170.