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%

Stanley$2,190/mo

Typical home $364K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.94% · or rent about $1,122/mo · Housing →

Rockfish$1,180/mo

Typical home $200K (Census) · tax rate 0.80% · or rent about $1,274/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,010 a month, about $12,200 a year, between Stanley and Rockfish.

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

Stanley places higher on 9 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.

Schools

B−StanleyBetter than 49% of districts in the state C+RockfishBetter than 41% of districts in the state

Health

BStanleyHealthier than 57% of U.S. towns B+RockfishHealthier than 66% of U.S. towns

9Stanley

8Rockfish

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

Most walkableOutdoors · 297 towns #63#262 Lowest property taxCost of living · 297 towns #228#109 Best schoolsSchools · 252 towns #149#80 Most affordableCost of living · 297 towns #153#74 Shortest commuteGetting around · 297 towns #197#276 Fastest growingGrowth · 291 towns #123#196 Most remote workersWork · 285 towns #144#77 Most conserved landOutdoors · 276 towns #169#206

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

StanleyRockfish

Snow a year1″1″

January low31°F 32°F

July high91°F 91°F

Growing season (days)228d 227d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)5th 49th

Outdoors & history

StanleyRockfish

Trails1 mi —

Conserved land2.4%—

Settled1879 —

National Register places1 —

Famous people born here2 —

Community

StanleyRockfish

Library hours a week40 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.

Where they are

117 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

StanleyNC RockfishNC

Stanley ↔ Rockfish117 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

StanleyRockfish

People

Population 4,069Highest 3,574Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +11.4%Highest NC: +9.5% +2.6%Lowest NC: +9.5%

Median age 36.9±5.7Highest 6% below NC 33.6±4.7Lowest 14% below NC

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

Kids under 18 20.7%±5.1Lowest NC: 21.8% 29%±6.8Highest NC: 21.8%

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

Age 65+ 16.6%±3.4Highest NC: 17.2% 7.6%±2.7Lowest NC: 17.2%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.1% NC: 35.7% 23.1% NC: 35.7%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.1%±2.7Highest NC: 6.4% 6.7%±3.5Lowest NC: 6.4%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $75,461±$20kHighest 4% above NC $64,476±$8kLowest 11% below NC

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $270,200±$51kHighest 6% below NC $199,900±$12kLowest 31% below NC

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,122±$84Lowest 9% below NC $1,274±$187Highest 4% above NC

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,533Highest 34% above NC $1,590Lowest 16% below NC

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 43.2%±16.9Lowest NC: 48.9% 53.3%±16.6Highest NC: 48.9%

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

Below poverty line 8.1%Lowest NC: 13% 15.2%Highest NC: 13%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 70.7%Lowest NC: 66.6% 70.8%Highest NC: 66.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1979Lowest 12 yrs older than NC 1996Highest 5 yrs newer than NC

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 26 minLowest 4% above NC 33 minHighest 30% above NC

Work from home 11.1%±5.9Lowest NC: 16.3% 18.7%±9.2Highest NC: 16.3%

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

Work in townworking residents 3.1%Highest 1.3%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 16.3 miHighest 14.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.61Highest 0.13Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Charlotte (34%)Fayetteville (31%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in RockfishFew work in Stanley

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 2.4%Highest 1.5%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 0.6 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Highest 0Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 65.8Highest 24.0Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #149 of 252 in NC #80 of 252 in NC

School district Gaston County SchoolsHoke County Schools

High school in town None in townNone in town

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.

Stanley neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Stanley’s Town Square.

Rockfish neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rockfish’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Stanley and Rockfish

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

Towns like Stanley

+ Compare

Canton4,419 people · $247K homes

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Cherryville6,226 people · $232K homes

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Rockwell2,782 people · $237K homes

+ Compare

Lillington4,709 people · $247K 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.

Stanley vs Rockfish

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $1,010 more a month in Stanley

Stanley places higher on 9 of 19 NC lists

What daily life feels like in each

117 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Stanley and Rockfish

Towns like Stanley

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