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%

Dunn$1,380/mo

Typical home $228K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.95% · or rent about $788/mo · Housing →

Erwin$1,230/mo

Typical home $203K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.99% · or rent about $1,112/mo · Housing →

The difference: $150 a month, about $1,800 a year, between Dunn and Erwin.

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.

Where they are

Dunn and Erwin share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

DunnErwin

Dunn ↔ Erwin3.5 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

167 Erwin residents work in Dunn (8.9% of its workers)

Work & commute in Erwin →

Report cards

Erwin places higher on 10 of 20 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

D−DunnSafer than 3% of U.S. towns C−ErwinSafer than 17% of U.S. towns

Schools

C+DunnBetter than 37% of districts in the state C+ErwinBetter than 37% of districts in the state

Health

C−DunnHealthier than 23% of U.S. towns CErwinHealthier than 26% of U.S. towns

9Dunn

10Erwin

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Lowest depressionHealth · 296 towns #63#214 SafestSafety · 139 towns #129#72 Cheapest rentCost of living · 284 towns #39#153 Shortest commuteGetting around · 297 towns #166#272 Most walkableOutdoors · 297 towns #23#116 Fastest growingGrowth · 291 towns #273#191 Best schoolsSchools · 252 towns #237#179 Most remote workersWork · 285 towns #193#253

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

DunnErwin

Snow a year2″2″

January low32°F 32°F

July high92°F 92°F

Growing season (days)226d 226d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)28th 50th

Outdoors & history

DunnErwin

Trails0 mi 0 mi

Conserved land2.3%3.3%

Settled1887 —

National Register places4 1

Archive photos18 6

Famous people born here—4

Community

DunnErwin

Library hours a week45 hrs 41 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.

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

DunnErwin

People

Population 8,559Highest 4,687Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -8.8%Lowest NC: +9.5% +3.1%Highest NC: +9.5%

Median age 43.2±3.5Lowest 10% above NC 47.1±5.2Highest 20% above NC

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

Kids under 18 21.1%±2.9Highest NC: 21.8% 18.3%±5.7Lowest NC: 21.8%

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

Age 65+ 22.4%±2.7Highest NC: 17.2% 21.7%±3.4Lowest NC: 17.2%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20.9%Highest NC: 35.7% 17.3%Lowest NC: 35.7%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.7%±1.4Highest NC: 6.4% 3.8%±1.6Lowest NC: 6.4%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $46,830±$7kLowest 35% below NC $50,701±$7kHighest 30% below NC

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $193,900±$13kHighest 33% below NC $161,100±$7kLowest 44% below NC

Rentmedian gross, monthly $788±$64Lowest 36% below NC $1,112±$163Highest 9% below NC

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,835Highest 3% below NC $1,589Lowest 16% below NC

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 40%±6.4Lowest NC: 48.9% 53.9%±21.5Highest NC: 48.9%

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

Below poverty line 19.7%Highest NC: 13% 12.2%Lowest NC: 13%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 54%Lowest NC: 66.6% 71.4%Highest NC: 66.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1973Highest 18 yrs older than NC 1966Lowest 25 yrs older than NC

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 25 minLowest about the NC average 32 minHighest 29% above NC

Work from home 8%±2.8Highest NC: 16.3% 4%±2.6Lowest NC: 16.3%

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

Work in townworking residents 12.1%Highest 4.6%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.3 miHighest 25.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.47Highest 0.87Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Raleigh (12%)Raleigh (11%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Erwin9% work in Dunn

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 2.3%Lowest 3.3%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2 2

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 85.0Highest 56.5Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #237 of 252 in NC #179 of 252 in NC

School district Harnett County SchoolsHarnett County Schools

High school in town Harnett County Early CollegeTriton High

Students per teacherat that high school 34.3Highest 22.0Lowest

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.

Dunn neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dunn’s Town Square.

Erwin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Erwin’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Dunn and Erwin

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

Towns like Dunn

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Roxboro8,182 people · $158K 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.

Dunn vs Erwin

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs about the same each month

Dunn and Erwin share a border

Erwin places higher on 10 of 20 NC lists

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Dunn and Erwin

Towns like Dunn

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