Lowell ranks #19 in North Carolina for a top hospital nearby
Lowell 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 4.
The lists Lowell does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Lowell marked.
Lowell lands in the top half on 9 of 21 lists
Each dot is Lowell’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Lowell does best come first.
Less snow than 89% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Lowell’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
2 spots from the top 25 for trails
Lists where Lowell sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Lowell 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 Lowell 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
#77
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#166
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#86
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#114
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
#27
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#173 Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#226
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#185
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#244
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#202
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#172
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#258
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#19 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#97 
People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #207
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#178
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#120
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#197
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#181 
The number on the right is Lowell’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.