Emma is #1 in North Carolina for low property taxes
Emma is ranked on 29 lists against the 297 North Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 5.
Emma is on North Carolina’s podium 2 times
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Emma marked.
More year-round than 99% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Emma’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Emma lands in the top half on 7 of 17 lists
Each dot is Emma’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Emma does best come first.
Emma out-ranks 0 of its 1 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.
Every NC list, and where Emma lands
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 La Grange · 1.2 yrs
#3
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#133
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#1
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#45 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
#51 Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#214
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#185
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#216
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#215
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#293
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#139
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#160 
People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #230
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#18
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#280
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#15 
Climate
Snowiest#1 Boone · 26 in
#3
Least snow#1 Laurinburg · 1.1 in
#216
Mildest winters#1 Southport · 36.8°
#271
Hottest summers#1 Laurinburg · 91.4°
#268
Coolest summers#1 Boone · 78.9°
#23
Longest growing season#1 Kill Devil Hills · 266 days
#232
Wettest#1 Brevard · 69 in
#221 
The number on the right is Emma’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.