Graham ranks #16 in North Carolina for new homes
Graham 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 4.
The lists Graham does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Graham marked.
Graham lands in the top half on 9 of 23 lists
Each dot is Graham’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Graham does best come first.
Fewer homes per newcomer than 94% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Graham’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Graham 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.
Every NC list, and where Graham 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%
#133
Most new homes#1 Wendell · 77.4 per 1,000
#16
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Henderson · +129.4%
#42
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Tabor City · 19.2 per home
#5 
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 La Grange · 1.2 yrs
#118
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#137
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#101
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
#19 Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#194
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#230
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#154
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#166
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#240
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#63
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#212 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#203
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
#95
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#88 
People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #180
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#109
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#188
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#154
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#178 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#186 
The number on the right is Graham’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.