Morganton, NC: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Morganton is a city in and the county seat of Burke County, North Carolina, United States. It is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Catawba River. The population was 17,474 at the 2020 census. Morganton is approximately 75 miles (121 km) northwest of Charlotte and 57 miles (92 km) east of Asheville. It 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 Morganton ranks

All →

#11Shortest commute in NC #24Closest to a top hospital in NC #35Highest graduation rate in NC All NC rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code28655, 28680

Area code828

Living in Morganton

Housing in Morganton

$261K▲ 1.6% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Morganton home is worth about $261,000, up 1.6% in a year, 22% below the North Carolina typical home.

A balanced market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market62

Sale-to-list98.2%

Sold in May13

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Morganton

—

Not graded

A grade needs all of the FBI's latest years (2023–2025). Morganton's police department reported none of them, so we don't grade it yet. The figures below are still real.

Violent crime per 1,000

Morganton 4.1

North Carolina 4.1

U.S. 4

Property crime per 1,000

Morganton 33.3

North Carolina 21

U.S. 20

FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Health in Morganton

C⁻

Health Grade C−

Healthier than 21% of U.S. towns on seven CDC estimates, and 47% of towns with similar incomes.

Compared with North Carolina

17worse than NC

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

Conditions 6▼ 6 close Habits 2▼ 2 close Care 3▼ 4 close Mind 2▼ 3 close Everyday needs 4▼ 0 close

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

16.6%More uninsured adultsNC 10.4% · worse 21%More older adults who have lost all their teethNC 13.9% · worse 21.3%More adults facing food insecurityNC 15.2% · worse

Care nearby

Blue Ridge Healthcare HospitalsMorganton · 2.6 mi · ER

Morganton Office 301 E Meeting StreetMorganton · 1 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 Morganton · CMS · HRSAHealth in Morganton →

Schools in Morganton

All Morganton schools →

B

School Grade B

The public schools Morganton’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 57% of North Carolina’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.

#118Best public schoolsof 252 in NC

DistrictBurke County SchoolsSchools12

Mountain View Elementary CElementary · Grades PK–5 · 762 students New Dimensions AElementary · Grades K–8 · 569 students Forest Hill Elementary CElementary · Grades PK–5 · 305 students Hillcrest Elementary DElementary · Grades PK–5 · 254 students Morganton Day SchoolElementary · Grades PK–8 · 98 students Liberty Middle B-Middle · Grades 6–8 · 453 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 MorgantonWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Morganton.Meet them →