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Compare towns

Trinity vs St. Stephens

71 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+59% in Trinity) and street grid (2× in St. Stephens).

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Trinity, NCKnown for its schoolsNorth Carolina · 7,111 people
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St. Stephens, NCKnown for its schoolsNorth Carolina · 9,457 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.

TrinityKnown for its schools
Schools#70 for schools in NCof 252 towns Housing$291K typical home13% below the NC typical home All about Trinity →
St. StephensKnown for its schools
Schools#63 for schools in NCof 252 towns All about St. Stephens →
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.

Property tax bill+59%
Tax bills are bigger in Trinity
Trinity $1,563St. Stephens $985
Street grid2×
St. Stephens has the more walkable street grid
St. Stephens 38.1Trinity 19.0
Growth since 2010+4.8 pts
Trinity has grown faster since 2010
Trinity +5.9%St. Stephens +1.1%
Jobs per worker+53%
Trinity is more of a job hub
Trinity 0.49St. Stephens 0.32
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $500 more a month in Trinity

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.

Trinity$1,700/mo
Typical home $291K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.72% · or rent about $955/mo · Housing →
St. Stephens$1,200/mo
Typical home $213K (Census) · tax rate 0.46% · or rent about $958/mo · Housing →

The difference: $500 a month, about $6,000 a year, between Trinity 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.

Report cards

St. Stephens 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−TrinityBetter than 53% of districts in the state B+St. StephensBetter than 65% of districts in the state
Health
C+TrinityHealthier than 42% of U.S. towns B−St. StephensHealthier than 49% of U.S. towns
8Trinity
9St. Stephens

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

Fewest uninsuredHealth · 296 towns #125#210 Lowest property taxCost of living · 297 towns #99#16 Highest incomeIncome · 297 towns #100#182 Most remote workersWork · 285 towns #160#236 Most educatedPeople · 297 towns #233#172 Most walkableOutdoors · 297 towns #276#218 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 297 towns #158#215 Fastest growingGrowth · 291 towns #160#209

Left end = #1 in North Carolina. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Trinity’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
TrinitySt. Stephens
Snow a year2″0″
January low32°F—
July high89°F—
Growing season (days)220d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)38th22nd
Outdoors & history
TrinitySt. Stephens
Trails1 mi0 mi
Conserved land0.7%0.1%
National Register places1—
Archive photos4—
Community
TrinitySt. Stephens
Library hours a week—50 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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

71 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

TrinityNCSt. StephensNC
Trinity ↔ St. Stephens71 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.

TrinitySt. Stephens
People
Population 7,111Lowest 9,457Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.9%Highest NC: +9.5% +1.1%Lowest NC: +9.5%
Median age 42±6.3Lowest 7% above NC 43.2±2.3Highest 10% above NC
St. Stephens and Trinity are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 24.2%±5.2Highest NC: 21.8% 22.9%±3.7Lowest NC: 21.8%
Trinity and St. Stephens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 20.3%±4.9 NC: 17.2% 20.3%±3 NC: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20.1%Lowest NC: 35.7% 25.7%Highest NC: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.2%±1.7Lowest NC: 6.4% 5.6%±1.9Highest NC: 6.4%
St. Stephens and Trinity are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $82,664±$21kHighest 14% above NC $60,394±$7kLowest 17% below NC
Trinity and St. Stephens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $216,600±$20kHighest 25% below NC $213,300±$15kLowest 26% below NC
Trinity and St. Stephens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $955±$48Lowest 22% below NC $958±$94Highest 22% below NC
St. Stephens and Trinity are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,563Highest 18% below NC $985Lowest 48% below NC
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 32.3%±12.4Lowest NC: 48.9% 60.6%±20.3Highest NC: 48.9%
St. Stephens and Trinity are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 11.6%Lowest NC: 13% 16.2%Highest NC: 13%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 80.1%Lowest NC: 66.6% 83.6%Highest NC: 66.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1979Highest 12 yrs older than NC 1977Lowest 14 yrs older than NC
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minHighest 6% below NC 22 minLowest 11% below NC
Work from home 10%±4.7Highest NC: 16.3% 5.5%±3.1Lowest NC: 16.3%
Trinity and St. Stephens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.6%Highest 1.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.8 miHighest 7.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.49Highest 0.32Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town High Point (22%)Hickory (30%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in St. StephensFew work in Trinity
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.7%Highest 0.1%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 1.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1 1
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 19.0Lowest 38.1Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #70 of 252 in NC#63 of 252 in NC
School district Randolph County School SystemCatawba County Schools
High school in town Trinity High SchoolSaint Stephens High
Students per teacherat that high school 17.4Lowest 22.1Highest
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.

Trinity neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 5d

Trinity Memories

1 neighbor in Trinity can answer.

St. Stephens neighborsTown Square →

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

Add a town

Set another town beside Trinity and St. Stephens

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

Bordering Trinity

+ Compare
Archdale12,087 people · $198K homes
T
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Thomasville27,321 people · $179K homes

Towns like Trinity

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Butner8,065 people · $231K homes
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Hudson3,772 people · $223K homes
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Boiling Spring Lakes6,347 people · $292K homes
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Landis3,765 people · $252K 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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