How Kannapolis compares across North Carolina
Kannapolis is ranked on 34 lists against the 297 North Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 3.
The lists Kannapolis does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Kannapolis marked.
Kannapolis lands in the top half on 10 of 21 lists
Each dot is Kannapolis’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Kannapolis does best come first.
Drier than 84% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Kannapolis’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Kannapolis out-ranks 1 of its 4 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.
Where Kannapolis 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
#166
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#145
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#154
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#166
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#172
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#139
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#40 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#183
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
#166
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#62 
People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #145
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#84
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#211
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#220
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#139 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 La Grange · 1.2 yrs
#158
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#195
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#213
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
#37 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#198 
The number on the right is Kannapolis’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.