Garner ranks #7 in North Carolina for new homes
Garner is ranked on 37 lists against the 297 North Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 10.
The lists Garner does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Garner marked.
Garner lands in the top half on 16 of 23 lists
Each dot is Garner’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Garner does best come first.
Steadier prices than 79% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Garner’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
4 spots from the top 3 for new homes
Lists where Garner sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Garner out-ranks 0 of its 2 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 Garner lands
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Emerald Isle · 68.9%
#176
Most new homes#1 Wendell · 77.4 per 1,000
#7
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Henderson · +129.4%
#206
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Tabor City · 19.2 per home
#42 
Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#79
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#84
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#47
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#75
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#90
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#63
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#72 People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #61
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#107
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#191
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#190
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#204 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#65
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
#61
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#53 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#199 
The number on the right is Garner’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.