Morganton ranks #11 in North Carolina for short commutes
Morganton is ranked on 36 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 Morganton does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Morganton marked.
Morganton lands in the top half on 10 of 22 lists
Each dot is Morganton’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Morganton does best come first.
Colder winters than 83% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Morganton’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
1 spot from the top 10 for short commutes
Lists where Morganton sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Where Morganton 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.
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#11 
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 La Grange · 1.2 yrs
#101
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#92
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#128
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
#35 Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#240
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#185
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#216
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#243
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#278
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#214
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#25 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#95
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
#73
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#217 People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #169
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#110
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#189
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#73
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#84 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Emerald Isle · 68.9%
#141
Most new homes#1 Wendell · 77.4 per 1,000
#54
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Henderson · +129.4%
#194
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Tabor City · 19.2 per home
#51 
The number on the right is Morganton’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.