Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Ossipee vs Ruth

146 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (4.9× in Ruth) and property tax bill (+20% in Ruth).

O ×
Ossipee, NCA small town of 795North Carolina · 795 people
×
Ruth, NCA regional job hubNorth Carolina · 510 people
Swap order
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.

OssipeeA small town of 795
Quiet strengthsOssipee doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Ossipee →
RuthA regional job hub
Work371 jobsbased in Ruth, a regional job hub Housing$183K typical home45% below the NC typical home All about Ruth →
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.

Jobs per worker4.9×
Ruth is more of a job hub
Ruth 2.65Ossipee 0.54
Property tax bill+20%
Tax bills are bigger in Ruth
Ruth $1,174Ossipee $981
Street grid+47%
Ruth has the more walkable street grid
Ruth 52.2Ossipee 35.4
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $350 more a month in Ruth

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.

Ossipee$740/mo
Typical home $126K (Census) · tax rate 0.78% · or rent about $1,094/mo · Housing →
Ruth$1,090/mo
Typical home $183K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.85% · or rent about $675/mo · Housing →

The difference: $350 a month, about $4,200 a year, between Ruth and Ossipee.

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.

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
OssipeeRuth
Snow a year2″5″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)34th22nd
Outdoors & history
OssipeeRuth
Archive photos—3
Community
OssipeeRuth
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

146 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

OssipeeNCRuthNC
Ossipee ↔ Ruth146 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.

OssipeeRuth
People
Population 795Highest 510Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -1.3% NC: +9.5% —
Median age 34.8±10.1Lowest 11% below NC 35±14.1Highest 10% below NC
Ruth and Ossipee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26.3%±6.1Highest NC: 21.8% 22.4%±7.8Lowest NC: 21.8%
Ossipee and Ruth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 12.7%±1.6Lowest NC: 17.2% 14.5%±5.7Highest NC: 17.2%
Ruth and Ossipee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 9.7%Lowest NC: 35.7% 14.3%Highest NC: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.3%±5Highest NC: 6.4% 5.5%±4.8Lowest NC: 6.4%
Ossipee and Ruth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $70,417±$31kHighest about the NC average $51,250±$20kLowest 29% below NC
Ossipee and Ruth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $125,700±$34kLowest 56% below NC $138,300±$44kHighest 52% below NC
Ruth and Ossipee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,094±$645Highest 11% below NC $675±$349Lowest 45% below NC
Ossipee and Ruth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $981Lowest 48% below NC $1,174Highest 38% below NC
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 29.2%±35.3Lowest NC: 48.9% 64.6%±34.2Highest NC: 48.9%
Ruth and Ossipee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 14.2%Lowest NC: 13% 35.7%Highest NC: 13%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 80.1%Highest NC: 66.6% 75.3%Lowest NC: 66.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1974Lowest 17 yrs older than NC 1985Highest 6 yrs older than NC
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minLowest about the NC average 25 minHighest about the NC average
Work from home 8.4%±5.3Highest NC: 16.3% 1%±2.5Lowest NC: 16.3%
Ossipee and Ruth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 2.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 17.3 miHighest 13.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.54Lowest 2.65Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Burlington (21%)Forest City (16%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in RuthFew work in Ossipee
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 35.4Lowest 52.2Highest
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.

Ossipee neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ossipee’s Town Square.

Ruth neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ruth’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Ossipee and Ruth

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

Bordering Ossipee

A
+ Compare
Altamahaw491 people · $310K homes

Towns like Ossipee

E
+ Compare
East Bend715 people · $176K homes
C
+ Compare
Cooleemee988 people · $145K homes
S
+ Compare
Staley456 people · $133K homes
M
+ Compare
Maysville1,022 people · $161K 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.

Post to Ossipee

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in