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%

Newton$1,530/mo

Typical home $259K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.79% · or rent about $1,091/mo · Housing →

Conover$1,600/mo

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

The difference: $70 a month, about $900 a year, between Conover and Newton.

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

Newton and Conover share a border

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

NewtonConover

Newton ↔ Conover3.8 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

486 Newton residents work in Conover (8.5% of its workers)

318 Conover residents work in Newton (8.5% of its workers)

Work & commute in Newton →

Report cards

Newton places higher on 13 of 19 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

C−NewtonSafer than 19% of U.S. towns –ConoverNot graded

Schools

B+NewtonBetter than 65% of districts in the state B+ConoverBetter than 65% of districts in the state

Health

B−NewtonHealthier than 45% of U.S. towns C+ConoverHealthier than 40% of U.S. towns

13Newton

5Conover

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most conserved landOutdoors · 276 towns #96#245 Most trailsOutdoors · 177 towns #89#162 Most affordableCost of living · 297 towns #59#154 Lowest depressionHealth · 296 towns #139#214 Cheapest rentCost of living · 284 towns #146#84 Shortest commuteGetting around · 297 towns #80#23 Best schoolsSchools · 252 towns #84#132 Lowest property taxCost of living · 297 towns #85#135

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

NewtonConover

Snow a year6″4″

January low30°F 29°F

July high89°F 87°F

Growing season (days)201d 217d

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

Outdoors & history

NewtonConover

Trails6 mi 2 mi

Conserved land5.4%0.6%

Settled1845 1876

National Register places11 2

Archive photos12 4

Famous people born here17 2

Community

NewtonConover

Library hours a week60 hrs 39 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

NewtonConover

People

Population 13,333Highest 8,580Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.4%Lowest NC: +9.5% +3.1%Highest NC: +9.5%

Median age 38.2±2.9Highest about the NC average 36.8±9Lowest 6% below NC

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

Kids under 18 21%±3.8Lowest NC: 21.8% 30.5%±5.5Highest NC: 21.8%

Age 65+ 20.5%±3.6Highest NC: 17.2% 18%±4.4Lowest NC: 17.2%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21%Lowest NC: 35.7% 23.8%Highest NC: 35.7%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.8%±1Highest NC: 6.4% 2.1%±1.2Lowest NC: 6.4%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $62,015±$6kLowest 14% below NC $65,972±$10kHighest 9% below NC

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $186,300±$33kLowest 36% below NC $271,300±$30kHighest 6% below NC

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,091±$128Highest 11% below NC $898±$100Lowest 27% below NC

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,473Lowest 22% below NC $1,723Highest 9% below NC

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 45.3%±12.8Lowest NC: 48.9% 55.5%±16.3Highest NC: 48.9%

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

Below poverty line 12%Lowest NC: 13% 15.7%Highest NC: 13%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 72.6%Highest NC: 66.6% 69%Lowest NC: 66.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1977Lowest 14 yrs older than NC 1991Highest same as NC

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 22 minHighest 14% below NC 19 minLowest 25% below NC

Work from home 5.6%±2.7Highest NC: 16.3% 4.1%±2.4Lowest NC: 16.3%

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

Work in townworking residents 12.4%Highest 11.2%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.8 miHighest 8.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.69Lowest 2.76Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Hickory (20%)Hickory (22%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 8% work in Conover9% work in Newton

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 5.4%Highest 0.6%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 5.6 miHighest 1.8 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 8Highest 7Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 45.5Highest 38.1Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #84 of 252 in NC #132 of 252 in NC

School district Catawba County Schools · Newton Conover City SchoolsCatawba County Schools · Newton Conover City Schools

High school in town Newton-Conover HighNone in town

Students per teacherat that high school 16.5 —

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.

Newton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Newton’s Town Square.

Conover neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Conover’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Newton and Conover

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

Bordering Newton

+ Compare

Hickory44,258 people · $278K homes

Towns like Newton

+ Compare

Hope Mills17,939 people · $191K homes

+ Compare

Butner8,065 people · $231K homes

+ Compare

Kings Mountain12,039 people · $204K homes

+ Compare

Cherryville6,226 people · $232K 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.

Newton vs Conover

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs about the same each month

Newton and Conover share a border

Newton places higher on 13 of 19 NC lists

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Newton and Conover

Bordering Newton

Towns like Newton

Post to Newton

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