Benson ranks #35 in North Carolina for graduation rate
Benson is ranked on 33 lists against the 297 North Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 2.
Steadier prices than 95% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Benson’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Benson does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Benson marked.
Benson lands in the top half on 6 of 19 lists
Each dot is Benson’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Benson does best come first.
Every NC list, and where Benson lands
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#174
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#38 Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#237
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#185
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#216
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#222
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#240
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#139
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#143 People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #147
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#54
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#244
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#124
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#94 
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 La Grange · 1.2 yrs
#161
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#148
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#204
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#244 Climate
Snowiest#1 Boone · 26 in
#141
Least snow#1 Laurinburg · 1.1 in
#61
Mildest winters#1 Southport · 36.8°
#83
Hottest summers#1 Laurinburg · 91.4°
#43
Coolest summers#1 Boone · 78.9°
#253
Longest growing season#1 Kill Devil Hills · 266 days
#98
Wettest#1 Brevard · 69 in
#107 
The number on the right is Benson’s spot. All of North Carolina’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every NC list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.