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.

Down paymentRate%

Conover$1,600/mo

Typical home $278K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.64% · or rent about $898/mo · Housing →

Zebulon$2,010/mo

Typical home $341K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.78% · or rent about $1,109/mo · Housing →

The difference: $400 a month, about $4,900 a year, between Zebulon and Conover.

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

Zebulon places higher on 12 of 18 NC lists

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.

Safety

–ConoverNot graded C−ZebulonSafer than 17% of U.S. towns

Schools

B+ConoverBetter than 65% of districts in the state B+ZebulonBetter than 74% of districts in the state

Health

C+ConoverHealthier than 40% of U.S. towns B−ZebulonHealthier than 46% of U.S. towns

5Conover

12Zebulon

Lists won, of 18 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Shortest commuteGetting around · 297 towns #23#279 Most remote workersWork · 285 towns #252#48 Fastest growingGrowth · 291 towns #190#23 Lowest depressionHealth · 296 towns #214#63 Most walkableOutdoors · 297 towns #219#83 Lowest property taxCost of living · 297 towns #135#226 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 297 towns #239#156 Most conserved landOutdoors · 276 towns #245#168

Left end = #1 in North Carolina. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Conover’s rankings →

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

ConoverZebulon

Snow a year4″3″

January low29°F —

July high87°F —

Growing season (days)217d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)12th 27th

Outdoors & history

ConoverZebulon

Trails2 mi 1 mi

Conserved land0.6%2.4%

Settled1876 1906

National Register places2 4

Archive photos4 —

Famous people born here2 —

Community

ConoverZebulon

Library hours a week39 hrs 68 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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

163 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

ConoverNC ZebulonNC

Conover ↔ Zebulon163 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.

Only big differences vs North Carolina average

ConoverZebulon

People

Population 8,580Lowest 8,711Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +3.1%Lowest NC: +9.5% +55.7%Highest NC: +9.5%

Median age 36.8±9Lowest 6% below NC 38.3±5.5Highest about the NC average

Zebulon and Conover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 30.5%±5.5Highest NC: 21.8% 23.9%±5.9Lowest NC: 21.8%

Conover and Zebulon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 18%±4.4Highest NC: 17.2% 12.9%±3.4Lowest NC: 17.2%

Conover and Zebulon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.8%Lowest NC: 35.7% 30.9%Highest NC: 35.7%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.1%±1.2Highest NC: 6.4% 1%±0.7Lowest NC: 6.4%

Conover and Zebulon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $65,972±$10kLowest 9% below NC $79,112±$14kHighest 9% above NC

Zebulon and Conover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $271,300±$30kLowest 6% below NC $320,700±$22kHighest 11% above NC

Zebulon and Conover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $898±$100Lowest 27% below NC $1,109±$170Highest 10% below NC

Zebulon and Conover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,723Lowest 9% below NC $2,505Highest 32% above NC

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 55.5%±16.3Lowest NC: 48.9% 82.4%±30.1Highest NC: 48.9%

Zebulon and Conover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 15.7%Highest NC: 13% 9%Lowest NC: 13%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 69%Highest NC: 66.6% 62.7%Lowest NC: 66.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1991Lowest same as NC 2000Highest 9 yrs newer than NC

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 25% below NC 33 minHighest 33% above NC

Work from home 4.1%±2.4Lowest NC: 16.3% 22.2%±7.8Highest NC: 16.3%

Work in townworking residents 11.2%Highest 5.9%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miLowest 19.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.76Highest 1.32Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Hickory (22%)Raleigh (35%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in ZebulonFew work in Conover

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.6%Lowest 2.4%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 1.8 miHighest 0.7 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.1 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Highest 3Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 38.1Lowest 62.8Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #132 of 252 in NC #175 of 252 in NC

School district Catawba County Schools · Newton Conover City SchoolsWake County 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.

Conover neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Conover’s Town Square.

Zebulon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Zebulon’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Conover and Zebulon

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Conover

+ Compare

Newton13,333 people · $186K homes

+ Compare

St. Stephens9,457 people · $213K homes

+ Compare

Hickory44,258 people · $278K homes

Towns like Conover

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Cherryville6,226 people · $232K homes

+ Compare

Butner8,065 people · $231K homes

+ Compare

Dallas6,104 people · $254K homes

+ Compare

Walkertown5,873 people · $237K homes

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.

Conover vs Zebulon

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $400 more a month in Zebulon

Zebulon places higher on 12 of 18 NC lists

What daily life feels like in each

163 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Conover and Zebulon

Bordering Conover

Towns like Conover

Post to Conover

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