You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in North Carolina. Best suburbs in North Carolina. Best counties in North Carolina.
Etc., etc., etc.
But they all focus on major cities and towns in the Tar Heel State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in North Carolina based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.
We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in North Carolina ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.
$151,563 median income · 0.4% unemployment
$94,632 median income · 2.0% unemployment
$101,250 median income · 1.0% unemployment
$113,261 median income · 0.0% unemployment
$104,844 median income · 0.7% unemployment
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$107,802 median income · 3.1% unemployment
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$169,167 median income · 2.5% unemployment
$104,149 median income · 2.3% unemployment
$86,599 median income · 0.0% unemployment
$107,885 median income · 3.2% unemployment
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is North Carolina’s statewide median.
North Carolina statewide median: $72,388
North Carolina statewide median: $336,408
North Carolina statewide median: 4.7%
On the map
Where North Carolina’s best small towns are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In North Carolina
We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in North Carolina possible.
Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 276 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 276, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in North Carolina. Top of that list — Wrightsville Beach.
This is our eleventh time ranking the best small places to live in North Carolina.
The full plate
Best Small Towns In North Carolina
Click any column to sort. Search by town name.
| Rank | Town | Population | Median Income | Median Home Value | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wrightsville Beach | 2,665 | $151,563 | $1,666,435 | 0.4% |
| 2 | Bayshore | 2,949 | $94,632 | $612,264 | 2.0% |
| 3 | Northlakes | 1,716 | $101,250 | $426,769 | 1.0% |
| 4 | Avery Creek | 2,887 | $113,261 | $480,799 | 0.0% |
| 5 | Jame | 3,708 | $104,844 | $380,540 | 0.7% |
| 6 | Trent Woods | 4,032 | $107,802 | $383,828 | 3.1% |
| 7 | Biltmore Forest | 1,587 | $169,167 | $1,552,552 | 2.5% |
| 8 | Kure Beach | 2,466 | $104,149 | $761,406 | 2.3% |
| 9 | Valley Hill | 2,675 | $86,599 | $411,165 | 0.0% |
| 10 | Royal Pines | 4,325 | $107,885 | $466,010 | 3.2% |
| 11 | Weaverville | 4,687 | $88,221 | $468,960 | 3.4% |
| 12 | Alamance | 1,267 | $99,375 | $474,278 | 0.2% |
| 13 | Fearrington Village | 2,356 | $86,116 | $550,316 | 3.0% |
| 14 | Nags Head | 3,160 | $91,264 | $720,239 | 1.0% |
| 15 | Sunset Beach | 4,351 | $81,976 | $440,728 | 0.7% |
| 16 | Laurel Park | 2,408 | $90,000 | $473,206 | 2.9% |
| 17 | Emerald Isle | 3,934 | $89,773 | $748,242 | 1.2% |
| 18 | Brices Creek | 3,415 | $85,723 | $394,397 | 0.0% |
| 19 | Sea Breeze | 1,849 | $69,942 | $471,716 | 1.6% |
| 20 | Bermuda Run | 3,211 | $69,301 | $404,761 | 0.0% |
| 21 | Cape Carteret | 2,703 | $86,136 | $456,115 | 1.3% |
| 22 | Walnut Creek | 1,422 | $166,250 | $438,300 | 1.7% |
| 23 | Pine Knoll Shores | 1,351 | $109,375 | $723,530 | 3.8% |
| 24 | Southport | 4,205 | $87,641 | $410,516 | 0.0% |
| 25 | Red Oak | 3,405 | $90,214 | $337,136 | 0.0% |
| 26 | Banner Elk | 1,473 | $86,382 | $577,965 | 2.4% |
| 27 | Cedar Point | 1,917 | $98,750 | $481,693 | 2.8% |
| 28 | Mountain Home | 3,437 | $83,083 | $465,777 | 0.7% |
| 29 | Swepsonville | 2,517 | $100,559 | $362,418 | 2.2% |
| 30 | Pittsboro | 4,752 | $81,639 | $548,636 | 1.1% |
| 31 | McAdenville | 1,010 | $112,083 | $438,995 | 0.4% |
| 32 | River Bend | 2,874 | $71,824 | $277,017 | 4.3% |
| 33 | Mars Hill | 3,025 | $81,429 | $415,655 | 4.5% |
| 34 | Advance | 1,408 | $115,391 | $408,121 | 0.0% |
| 35 | Southern Shores | 3,139 | $131,429 | $803,113 | 13.2% |
| 36 | Atlantic Beach | 1,719 | $70,402 | $533,048 | 2.9% |
| 37 | Flat Rock | 3,530 | $95,098 | $464,129 | 5.1% |
| 38 | Balfour | 1,134 | $70,116 | $340,716 | 0.0% |
| 39 | Youngsville | 3,011 | $86,528 | $410,704 | 1.5% |
| 40 | Forest Oaks | 4,293 | $107,604 | $406,740 | 0.0% |
| 41 | Midway | 4,897 | $83,446 | $319,174 | 2.7% |
| 42 | Kitty Hawk | 3,724 | $94,450 | $645,915 | 8.9% |
| 43 | Foxfire | 1,925 | $85,117 | $417,909 | 0.0% |
| 44 | Troutman | 3,995 | $98,462 | $396,169 | 3.4% |
| 45 | Surf City | 4,396 | $81,433 | $621,962 | 2.8% |
| 46 | Swansboro | 3,997 | $114,425 | $351,711 | 2.7% |
| 47 | Lake Park | 3,431 | $66,411 | $375,232 | 3.5% |
| 48 | Lowesville | 3,874 | $113,510 | $473,346 | 2.8% |
| 49 | Seven Lakes | 4,535 | $91,085 | $459,373 | 2.3% |
| 50 | Lake Junaluska | 3,175 | $66,165 | $442,617 | 6.6% |
| 51 | Beaufort | 4,689 | $53,321 | $425,781 | 5.7% |
| 52 | Southmont | 1,525 | $91,307 | $493,840 | 0.0% |
| 53 | Midland | 4,860 | $101,477 | $424,408 | 1.8% |
| 54 | Boiling Springs | 4,757 | $89,875 | $260,289 | 6.3% |
| 55 | Wanchese | 1,956 | $88,750 | $369,420 | 1.9% |
| 56 | Bethlehem | 4,101 | $87,795 | $380,773 | 6.0% |
| 57 | Wallburg | 3,150 | $88,406 | $400,219 | 4.8% |
| 58 | Mount Pleasant | 2,230 | $90,795 | $381,226 | 3.2% |
| 59 | Woodlawn | 1,085 | $72,734 | $381,472 | 0.0% |
| 60 | Mineral Springs | 3,314 | $91,500 | $432,122 | 2.1% |
| 61 | Dortches | 1,158 | $74,500 | $327,150 | 1.5% |
| 62 | Highlands | 1,074 | $71,509 | $1,026,523 | 4.3% |
| 63 | Fairview | 3,619 | $98,808 | $524,192 | 1.8% |
| 64 | Fairfield Harbour | 2,948 | $72,583 | $329,373 | 4.5% |
| 65 | Efland | 1,611 | $65,735 | $392,646 | 0.0% |
| 66 | Ranlo | 4,617 | $78,033 | $263,926 | 5.7% |
| 67 | Fairview | 2,298 | $92,132 | $524,192 | 5.7% |
| 68 | Tryon | 1,810 | $57,721 | $343,759 | 2.5% |
| 69 | Belville | 2,573 | $81,944 | $334,003 | 3.5% |
| 70 | Buies Creek | 3,746 | $53,933 | $420,946 | 1.7% |
| 71 | Stanley | 4,069 | $75,461 | $364,171 | 5.8% |
| 72 | Clyde | 1,359 | $56,406 | $334,321 | 0.4% |
| 73 | Tobaccoville | 2,664 | $80,263 | $271,373 | 3.3% |
| 74 | Rockwell | 2,782 | $69,632 | $291,579 | 5.3% |
| 75 | Neuse Forest | 2,671 | $84,500 | $306,115 | 6.5% |
| 76 | Stedman | 1,670 | $107,250 | $274,414 | 1.7% |
| 77 | Pine Level | 2,031 | $75,263 | $257,342 | 3.8% |
| 78 | Horse Shoe | 1,490 | $64,096 | $507,348 | 10.8% |
| 79 | Stem | 1,249 | $95,625 | $324,714 | 1.1% |
| 80 | Camden | 1,115 | $94,412 | $388,001 | 9.7% |
| 81 | Lake Royale | 3,168 | $107,806 | $326,510 | 1.3% |
| 82 | James City | 4,789 | $58,973 | $238,012 | 2.5% |
| 83 | Stony Point | 1,372 | $73,209 | $274,162 | 0.0% |
| 84 | Claremont | 1,922 | $66,667 | $257,826 | 1.2% |
| 85 | Holly Ridge | 4,904 | $104,788 | $344,569 | 1.6% |
| 86 | Wingate | 4,425 | $63,068 | $318,363 | 5.7% |
| 87 | Canton | 4,419 | $69,924 | $290,715 | 1.8% |
| 88 | Manteo | 2,020 | $83,777 | $516,962 | 6.1% |
| 89 | Lowell | 3,768 | $52,500 | $271,479 | 3.7% |
| 90 | Benson | 4,282 | $67,102 | $317,984 | 2.9% |
| 91 | Broad Creek | 1,836 | $57,500 | $284,357 | 2.1% |
| 92 | Lillington | 4,709 | $81,760 | $290,910 | 3.9% |
| 93 | Pinetops | 1,426 | $60,458 | $149,744 | 2.7% |
| 94 | Rutherfordton | 3,680 | $59,375 | $254,731 | 7.3% |
| 95 | Rutherford College | 1,374 | $67,500 | $216,121 | 2.2% |
| 96 | Carthage | 2,896 | $82,695 | $339,639 | 2.7% |
| 97 | Vass | 1,644 | $73,581 | $366,142 | 3.9% |
| 98 | Landis | 3,765 | $75,000 | $257,510 | 3.4% |
| 99 | Denver | 2,497 | $65,721 | $547,144 | 2.6% |
| 100 | Mountain View | 3,982 | $71,792 | $259,089 | 4.1% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 276 North Carolina towns between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these small towns in North Carolina are the best in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
The best small towns in North Carolina are Wrightsville Beach, Bayshore, Northlakes, Avery Creek, Jame, Trent Woods, Biltmore Forest, Kure Beach, Valley Hill, and Royal Pines.
