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%

Spindale$880/mo

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

Roxboro$1,330/mo

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

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

Schools

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

Health

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

12Spindale

5Roxboro

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

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

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

SpindaleRoxboro

Snow a year5″3″

January low—26°F

July high—89°F

Growing season (days)—194d

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

Outdoors & history

SpindaleRoxboro

Trails0 mi 1 mi

Conserved land0.9%0.6%

Settled1923 1855

National Register places—5

Archive photos11 5

Famous people born here2 18

Community

SpindaleRoxboro

Library hours a week47 hrs 47 hrs

Colleges in town1 —

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.

SpindaleNC RoxboroNC

Spindale ↔ Roxboro180 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

SpindaleRoxboro

People

Population 4,131Lowest 8,182Highest

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

Median age 44.9±3.4Lowest 15% above NC 45.3±7.8Highest 16% 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 13.6%±4.9Lowest NC: 21.8% 20.2%±4.1Highest 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+ 20.9%±5.2Lowest NC: 17.2% 22.3%±4.3Highest 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+ 15.5%Highest NC: 35.7% 14.1%Lowest NC: 35.7%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.8%±2.1Highest NC: 6.4% 2.5%±1.9Lowest 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 $41,262±$6kHighest 43% below NC $36,553±$6kLowest 50% 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 $167,400±$44kHighest 42% below NC $157,700±$22kLowest 45% 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 $755±$33Lowest 39% below NC $860±$50Highest 30% below NC

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

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

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

Housing

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

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

Getting to work

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

Work from home 9.2%±6.9Highest NC: 16.3% 6.8%±4.4Lowest 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 5.9%Lowest 17.6%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 23.3 miLowest 27.8 miHighest

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

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

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in RoxboroFew work in Spindale

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.9%Highest 0.6%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miLowest 0.5 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2 2

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

Schools

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

School district Rutherford County SchoolsRoxboro Community School · Person County Schools

High school in town None in townPerson High

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.

Spindale neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Spindale’s Town Square.

Roxboro neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Roxboro’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Spindale and Roxboro

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

Bordering Spindale

+ Compare

Rutherfordton3,680 people · $288K homes

+ Compare

Forest City7,363 people · $161K homes

Towns like Spindale

+ Compare

Williamston5,112 people · $107K homes

+ Compare

Wilkesboro3,646 people · $224K homes

+ Compare

Long View5,011 people · $157K homes

+ Compare

North Wilkesboro4,421 people · $213K 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.

Spindale vs Roxboro

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 Spindale and Roxboro

Bordering Spindale

Towns like Spindale

Post to Spindale

Check your email