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Bostic vs Micro

205 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+77% in Micro) and street grid (2.1× in Micro).

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Bostic, NCHomes around $220KNorth Carolina · 433 people
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Micro, NCA small town of 573North Carolina · 573 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

MicroA small town of 573
Quiet strengthsMicro doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Micro →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $220 more a month in Bostic

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Bostic$1,260/mo
Typical home $220K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.57% · or rent about $855/mo · Housing →
Micro$1,040/mo
Typical home $171K (Census) · tax rate 1.02% · or rent about $917/mo · Housing →

The difference: $220 a month, about $2,600 a year, between Bostic and Micro.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every North Carolina ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
BosticMicro
Snow a year5″1″
January low—31°F
July high—92°F
Growing season (days)—220d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)35th57th
Outdoors & history
BosticMicro
Trails—0 mi
Conserved land—4.6%
Settled—1890
National Register places1—
Archive photos9—
Famous people born here11
Community
BosticMicro
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

205 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Bostic ↔ Micro205 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

BosticMicro
People
Population 433Lowest 573Highest
Median age 38.7±8.5 about the NC average 38.7±12.2 about the NC average
Kids under 18 28.2%±9.2Highest NC: 21.8% 20.9%±5.2Lowest NC: 21.8%
Bostic and Micro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 20.6%±6.4Highest NC: 17.2% 18.7%±7.6Lowest NC: 17.2%
Bostic and Micro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 18.8%Highest NC: 35.7% 16%Lowest NC: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.5%±4.9Highest NC: 6.4% 4.5%±5.5Lowest NC: 6.4%
Bostic and Micro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $57,813±$34kHighest 20% below NC $44,531±$29kLowest 38% below NC
Bostic and Micro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $171,900±$70kHighest 40% below NC $170,700±$36kLowest 41% below NC
Bostic and Micro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $855±$141Lowest 30% below NC $917±$434Highest 25% below NC
Micro and Bostic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $985Lowest 48% below NC $1,741Highest 8% below NC
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 46.2%±57.8Lowest NC: 48.9% 76.8%±33.6Highest NC: 48.9%
Micro and Bostic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 17.8%Lowest NC: 13% 22.9%Highest NC: 13%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 68.1%Highest NC: 66.6% 66.2%Lowest NC: 66.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1975Lowest 16 yrs older than NC 1983Highest 8 yrs older than NC
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minLowest about the NC average 27 minHighest 7% above NC
Work from home 3.1%±6.1Lowest NC: 16.3% 20.9%±13.3Highest NC: 16.3%
Micro and Bostic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 miLowest 28.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.64Highest 0.33Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Forest City (14%)Raleigh (17%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MicroFew work in Bostic
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.5%Lowest 4.6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 29.1Lowest 60.3Highest
Schools
School district Rutherford County SchoolsJohnston County Public Schools
High school in town None in townNone in town
North Carolina average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Bostic neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bostic’s Town Square.

Micro neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Micro’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Bostic

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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