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St. Stephens vs Bethlehem

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: property tax bill (2.1× in Bethlehem) and home values (+53% in Bethlehem).

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St. Stephens, NCKnown for its schoolsNorth Carolina · 9,457 people
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Bethlehem, NCKnown for its schoolsNorth Carolina · 4,101 people
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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.

St. StephensKnown for its schools
Schools#63 for schools in NCof 252 towns All about St. Stephens →
BethlehemKnown for its schools
Schools#91 for schools in NCof 252 towns HealthHealthier than 59%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Bethlehem →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Property tax bill2.1×
Tax bills are bigger in Bethlehem
Bethlehem $2,108St. Stephens $985
Home values+53%
Homes cost more in Bethlehem
Bethlehem $327,000St. Stephens $213,300
Household income+45%
Households in Bethlehem earn more
Bethlehem $87,795St. Stephens $60,394
Kids under 18+9.6 pts
St. Stephens has more kids
St. Stephens 22.9%Bethlehem 13.3%
Median age9.5 yrs
Bethlehem skews older
Bethlehem 52.7St. Stephens 43.2
Bachelor’s degree++17.6 pts
More adults in Bethlehem have a degree
Bethlehem 43.3%St. Stephens 25.7%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $690 more a month in Bethlehem

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.

St. Stephens$1,200/mo
Typical home $213K (Census) · tax rate 0.46% · or rent about $958/mo · Housing →
Bethlehem$1,890/mo
Typical home $327K (Census) · tax rate 0.64% · or rent about $795/mo · Housing →

The difference: $690 a month, about $8,300 a year, between Bethlehem and St. Stephens.

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

St. Stephens and Bethlehem share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

St. StephensBethlehemSt. StephensBethlehem
St. Stephens ↔ Bethlehem3.9 miles apart · They share a border
Report cards

Bethlehem places higher on 11 of 18 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.

Schools
B+St. StephensBetter than 65% of districts in the state BBethlehemBetter than 64% of districts in the state
Health
B−St. StephensHealthier than 49% of U.S. towns BBethlehemHealthier than 59% of U.S. towns
6St. Stephens
11Bethlehem

Lists won, of 18 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Lowest property taxCost of living · 297 towns #16#187 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 296 towns #210#90 Highest incomeIncome · 297 towns #182#78 Most affordableCost of living · 297 towns #97#190 Most educatedPeople · 297 towns #172#80 Highest graduation rateSchools · 284 towns #93#173 Shortest commuteGetting around · 297 towns #102#184 Lowest depressionHealth · 296 towns #214#139

Left end = #1 in North Carolina. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of St. Stephens’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
St. StephensBethlehem
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)22nd55th
Outdoors & history
St. StephensBethlehem
Trails0 mi0 mi
Conserved land0.1%0%
Community
St. StephensBethlehem
Library hours a week50 hrs28 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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.

St. StephensBethlehem
People
Population 9,457Highest 4,101Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.1%Lowest NC: +9.5% +6.6%Highest NC: +9.5%
Median age 43.2±2.3Lowest 10% above NC 52.7±4Highest 35% above NC
Kids under 18 22.9%±3.7Highest NC: 21.8% 13.3%±4.8Lowest NC: 21.8%
Age 65+ 20.3%±3Lowest NC: 17.2% 27.9%±4.1Highest NC: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 25.7%Lowest NC: 35.7% 43.3%Highest NC: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.6%±1.9Lowest NC: 6.4% 6.7%±4.4Highest NC: 6.4%
Bethlehem and St. Stephens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $60,394±$7kLowest 17% below NC $87,795±$15kHighest 21% above NC
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $213,300±$15kLowest 26% below NC $327,000±$41kHighest 13% above NC
Rentmedian gross, monthly $958±$94Highest 22% below NC $795±$59Lowest 35% below NC
Property taxmedian, yearly $985Lowest 48% below NC $2,108Highest 11% above NC
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 60.6%±20.3Highest NC: 48.9% 44.3%±23.5Lowest NC: 48.9%
St. Stephens and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 16.2%Highest NC: 13% 4.5%Lowest NC: 13%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 83.6%Lowest NC: 66.6% 89.5%Highest NC: 66.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Lowest 14 yrs older than NC 1992Highest 1 yr newer than NC
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 22 minLowest 11% below NC 26 minHighest about the NC average
Work from home 5.5%±3.1Lowest NC: 16.3% 9.2%±6.4Highest NC: 16.3%
Bethlehem and St. Stephens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.9%Lowest 3.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 7.8 miLowest 9.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.32Lowest 0.43Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Hickory (30%)Hickory (29%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BethlehemFew work in St. Stephens
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.1%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1 1
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 38.1Highest 28.5Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #63 of 252 in NC#91 of 252 in NC
School district Catawba County SchoolsAlexander County Schools
High school in town Saint Stephens HighNone in town
Students per teacherat that high school 22.1 —
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.

St. Stephens neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to St. Stephens’s Town Square.

Bethlehem neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Outdoors in Bethlehem

1 neighbor in Bethlehem can answer.

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Bordering St. Stephens

+ Compare
Hickory44,258 people · $278K homes
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Conover8,580 people · $271K homes

Towns like St. Stephens

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Archdale12,087 people · $198K homes
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Trinity7,111 people · $217K homes
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Boiling Spring Lakes6,347 people · $292K homes
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Butner8,065 people · $231K 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.

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