Midland ranks #28 in North Carolina for growth
Midland is ranked on 33 lists against the 297 North Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 9.
The lists Midland does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Midland marked.
Midland lands in the top half on 12 of 20 lists
Each dot is Midland’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Midland does best come first.
Hotter summers than 93% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Midland’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
3 spots from the top 25 for growth
Lists where Midland sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Midland 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 Midland lands
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
#38
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#62
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#47
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#30
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#62
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#139
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#75 
People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #127
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#132
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#164
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#270
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#163 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#194
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
#136
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#290 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 La Grange · 1.2 yrs
#218
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#218
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#222
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#270 Climate
Snowiest#1 Boone · 26 in
#89
Least snow#1 Laurinburg · 1.1 in
#106
Mildest winters#1 Southport · 36.8°
#124
Hottest summers#1 Laurinburg · 91.4°
#21
Coolest summers#1 Boone · 78.9°
#264
Longest growing season#1 Kill Devil Hills · 266 days
#189
Wettest#1 Brevard · 69 in
#265 
The number on the right is Midland’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.