Lenoir, NC: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Lenoir ( le-NOR) is a city in and the county seat of Caldwell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 18,263 at the 2020 census. Lenoir is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. To the northeast are the Brushy Mountains, a spur of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Hibriten Mountain, located just east of the city limits, marks the western end of the Brushy Mountains range. Lenoir is one of the principal cities in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Lenoir ranks

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#11Cheapest rent in NC #4Rent easiest to afford in NC #50Most affordable in NC All NC rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code28633, 28645

Area code828

Living in Lenoir

Housing in Lenoir

$214K▲ 0.7% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Lenoir home is worth about $214,000, up 0.7% in a year, 36% below the North Carolina typical home.

A balanced market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market37

Sale-to-list97.9%

Sold in May21

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Lenoir

C⁻

Safety Grade C-

Lenoir reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 84% report less. Within North Carolina, it does better than 43% of towns.

Violent crime per 1,000

Lenoir 3.4

North Carolina 3.3

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Lenoir 29.7

North Carolina 18.1

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Health in Lenoir

Compared with North Carolina

17worse than NC

of 32 measures CDC estimates. The other 15 are too close to call.

Conditions 7▼ 5 close Habits 2▼ 2 close Care 2▼ 5 close Mind 2▼ 3 close Everyday needs 4▼ 0 close

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

10.1%More adults with COPDNC 7.1% · worse 19.5%More older adults who have lost all their teethNC 13.9% · worse 17.8%More smokersNC 13.5% · worse

Care nearby

Caldwell Memorial HospitalLenoir · 1 mi · ER

Kintegra Family Medicine-Happy ValleyLenoir · 6 mi · sliding-scale fees

Primary careShortage · county-wide

DentalShortage · county-wide

Mental healthShortage · county-wide

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Lenoir · CMS · HRSAHealth in Lenoir →

Schools in Lenoir

All Lenoir schools →

B⁻

School Grade B-

The public schools Lenoir’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 50% of North Carolina’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.

See how Lenoir’s schools compare in NC →

DistrictCaldwell County SchoolsSchools8

Davenport A+ School CElementary · Grades PK–5 · 429 students Lower Creek Elementary BElementary · Grades PK–5 · 396 students Whitnel Elementary DElementary · Grades PK–5 · 330 students Valmead ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–5 · 305 students Horizons Elementary D-Elementary · Grades K–5 · 29 students William Lenoir Middle B-Middle · Grades 6–8 · 512 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within NC. Ratings are from neighbors.

Famous people from LenoirWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Lenoir.Meet them →