Bethlehem ranks #43 in North Carolina for cheap rent
Bethlehem is ranked on 29 lists against the 297 North Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 1.
Older than 93% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Bethlehem’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Bethlehem out-ranks every neighbor it can be compared with
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Bethlehem lands in the top half on 9 of 18 lists
Each dot is Bethlehem’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Bethlehem does best come first.
The lists Bethlehem does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Bethlehem marked.
Where Bethlehem lands in every NC ranking
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #80
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#275
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#23
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#32
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#273 Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#143
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#123
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#154
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#134
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#90
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#139
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#206 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 La Grange · 1.2 yrs
#190
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#43
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#187
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#184 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#249 Climate
Snowiest#1 Boone · 26 in
Least snow#1 Laurinburg · 1.1 in
Mildest winters#1 Southport · 36.8°
#231
Hottest summers#1 Laurinburg · 91.4°
#235
Coolest summers#1 Boone · 78.9°
#58
Longest growing season#1 Kill Devil Hills · 266 days
#167
Wettest#1 Brevard · 69 in
#159 
The number on the right is Bethlehem’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.