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%

Roxboro$1,330/mo

Typical home $220K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.97% · or rent about $860/mo · Housing →

Spindale$880/mo

Typical home $148K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.87% · or rent about $755/mo · Housing →

The difference: $450 a month, about $5,400 a year, between Roxboro and Spindale.

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

Spindale places higher on 12 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

D−RoxboroSafer than 3% of U.S. towns –SpindaleNot graded

Schools

C+RoxboroBetter than 36% of districts in the state B−SpindaleBetter than 51% of districts in the state

Health

DRoxboroHealthier than 8% of U.S. towns DSpindaleHealthier than 6% of U.S. towns

5Roxboro

12Spindale

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

Highest graduation rateSchools · 284 towns #276#133 Lowest depressionHealth · 296 towns #139#258 Best schoolsSchools · 252 towns #135#210 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 297 towns #237#180 Most remote workersWork · 285 towns #220#172 Fewest smokersHealth · 296 towns #244#288 Cheapest rentCost of living · 284 towns #67#27 Most walkableOutdoors · 297 towns #163#142

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

RoxboroSpindale

Snow a year3″5″

January low26°F —

July high89°F —

Growing season (days)194d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)17th 14th

Outdoors & history

RoxboroSpindale

Trails1 mi 0 mi

Conserved land0.6%0.9%

Settled1855 1923

National Register places5 —

Archive photos5 11

Famous people born here18 2

Community

RoxboroSpindale

Library hours a week47 hrs 47 hrs

Colleges in town—1

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

180 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

RoxboroNC SpindaleNC

Roxboro ↔ Spindale180 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

RoxboroSpindale

People

Population 8,182Highest 4,131Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2.7%Lowest NC: +9.5% -2.2%Highest NC: +9.5%

Median age 45.3±7.8Highest 16% above NC 44.9±3.4Lowest 15% above NC

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

Kids under 18 20.2%±4.1Highest NC: 21.8% 13.6%±4.9Lowest NC: 21.8%

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

Age 65+ 22.3%±4.3Highest NC: 17.2% 20.9%±5.2Lowest NC: 17.2%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 14.1%Lowest NC: 35.7% 15.5%Highest NC: 35.7%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.5%±1.9Lowest NC: 6.4% 3.8%±2.1Highest NC: 6.4%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $36,553±$6kLowest 50% below NC $41,262±$6kHighest 43% below NC

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $157,700±$22kLowest 45% below NC $167,400±$44kHighest 42% below NC

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $860±$50Highest 30% below NC $755±$33Lowest 39% below NC

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,524Highest 20% below NC $1,455Lowest 23% below NC

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 60.9%±14.3Highest NC: 48.9% 29.2%±15.4Lowest NC: 48.9%

Below poverty line 33.3%Highest NC: 13% 21.8%Lowest NC: 13%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 50.7%Highest NC: 66.6% 43.6%Lowest NC: 66.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1967Highest 24 yrs older than NC 1964Lowest 27 yrs older than NC

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 4% above NC 25 minLowest about the NC average

Work from home 6.8%±4.4Lowest NC: 16.3% 9.2%±6.9Highest NC: 16.3%

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

Work in townworking residents 17.6%Highest 5.9%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.8 miHighest 23.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.86Highest 1.18Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Durham (19%)Forest City (11%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in SpindaleFew work in Roxboro

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.6%Lowest 0.9%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.5 miHighest 0.1 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2 2

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 49.7Lowest 52.4Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #135 of 252 in NC #210 of 252 in NC

School district Roxboro Community School · Person County SchoolsRutherford County Schools

High school in town Person HighNone in town

Students per teacherat that high school 25.8 —

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.

Roxboro neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Roxboro’s Town Square.

Spindale neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Spindale’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Roxboro and Spindale

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

Towns like Roxboro

+ Compare

Oxford8,914 people · $196K homes

+ Compare

Williamston5,112 people · $107K homes

+ Compare

Dunn8,559 people · $194K homes

+ Compare

Long View5,011 people · $157K homes

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks North Carolina towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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.

Roxboro vs Spindale

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $450 more a month in Roxboro

Spindale places higher on 12 of 19 NC lists

What daily life feels like in each

180 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Roxboro and Spindale

Towns like Roxboro

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