New Bern, NC: Local News, Events & Neighbors

New Bern (pronounced /'nu bərn/ NEW-bern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 31,291 at the 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Neuse and the Trent Rivers, near the headwaters of Pamlico Sound on the North Carolina coast. It lies 112 miles (180 km) east of Raleigh, 89 miles (143 km) north of Wilmington, and 162 miles (261 km) south of Norfolk, Virginia. New Bern was founded in October 1710 by the Palatines and Swiss under the leadership of Christoph von Graffenried. The new colonists named their settlement after Bern, the Swiss region from which many of the colonists and their patron had emigrated. New Bern i…

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How New Bern ranks

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#25Shortest commute in NC #27Rent easiest to afford in NC #55Safest in NC All NC rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code28560, 28561, 28562

Area code252

Living in New Bern

Housing in New Bern

$284K▲ 1.8% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical New Bern home is worth about $284,000, up 1.8% in a year, 15% below the North Carolina typical home.

A seller's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market56

Sale-to-list98.6%

Sold in May73

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in New Bern

C

Safety Grade C

New Bern reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 74% report less. Within North Carolina, it does better than 57% of towns.

Violent crime per 1,000

New Bern 3.7

North Carolina 3.3

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

New Bern 16.8

North Carolina 18.1

U.S. 15.5

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

Schools in New Bern

All New Bern schools →

B⁻

School Grade B-

The public schools New Bern’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 53% of North Carolina’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.

See how New Bern’s schools compare in NC →

DistrictCraven County Board of EducationSchools14

Creekside Elementary AElementary · Grades K–5 · 453 students Trent Park Elementary C+Elementary · Grades K–5 · 390 students Oaks Road Academy DElementary · Grades PK–5 · 352 students Ben D. Quinn Elementary C+Elementary · Grades K–5 · 312 students J.T. Barber Elementary C-Elementary · Grades PK–5 · 270 students H J MacDonald Middle C+Middle · Grades 6–8 · 632 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.