Elon makes North Carolina’s top 10 on 2 lists
Elon is ranked on 33 lists against the 297 North Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 10.
Younger than 100% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Elon’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Elon does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Elon marked.
Elon 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.
2 spots from the top 3 for fewest smokers
Lists where Elon sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Elon lands in the top half on 13 of 20 lists
Each dot is Elon’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Elon does best come first.
Where Elon 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.
Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#48
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#13
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#5
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#21
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#62
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#286
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#247 People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #45
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#2
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#296
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#242
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#284 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#47 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#135
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#27 
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 La Grange · 1.2 yrs
#216
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#277
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#241
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
The number on the right is Elon’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.