How Burlington compares across North Carolina
Burlington is ranked on 37 lists against the 297 North Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 3.
The lists Burlington does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Burlington marked.
Burlington lands in the top half on 11 of 23 lists
Each dot is Burlington’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Burlington does best come first.
Drier than 84% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Burlington’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
3 spots from the top 25 for affordable rent
Lists where Burlington sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Burlington out-ranks 2 of its 5 ranked neighbors
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.
Where Burlington 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.
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#80
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
#142
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#73 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 La Grange · 1.2 yrs
#73
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#127
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#89
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
#28 
Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#213
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#246
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#154
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#202
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#260
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#63
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#235 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Emerald Isle · 68.9%
#138
Most new homes#1 Wendell · 77.4 per 1,000
#41
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Henderson · +129.4%
#98
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Tabor City · 19.2 per home
#15 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#136 
The number on the right is Burlington’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.