Hamlet ranks #8 in North Carolina for cheap rent
Hamlet is ranked on 31 lists against the 297 North Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 4.
Steadier prices than 99% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Hamlet’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Hamlet does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Hamlet marked.
Hamlet lands in the top half on 6 of 19 lists
Each dot is Hamlet’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Hamlet does best come first.
2 spots from the top 10 for affordability
Lists where Hamlet sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Every NC list, and where Hamlet 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
#12
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#8
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#25
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#90 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#130
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#48 
Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#273
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#264
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#273
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#264
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#210
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#214
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#245 
People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #265
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#147
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#153
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#177
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#128 
Climate
Snowiest#1 Boone · 26 in
Least snow#1 Laurinburg · 1.1 in
Mildest winters#1 Southport · 36.8°
#80
Hottest summers#1 Laurinburg · 91.4°
#7
Coolest summers#1 Boone · 78.9°
#280
Longest growing season#1 Kill Devil Hills · 266 days
#139
Wettest#1 Brevard · 69 in
#176 
The number on the right is Hamlet’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.