River Bend ranks #8 in North Carolina for short commutes
River Bend is ranked on 32 lists against the 297 North Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 4.
Fewer kids than 97% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just River Bend’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists River Bend does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with River Bend marked.
River Bend lands in the top half on 10 of 18 lists
Each dot is River Bend’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where River Bend does best come first.
Every NC list, and where River Bend lands
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
#8 Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#168
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#145
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#125
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#166
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#62
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#63
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#55 People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #129
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#276
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#22
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#17
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#286 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 La Grange · 1.2 yrs
#150
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#189
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#123
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#101
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#166 
Climate
Snowiest#1 Boone · 26 in
#132
Least snow#1 Laurinburg · 1.1 in
#90
Mildest winters#1 Southport · 36.8°
#45
Hottest summers#1 Laurinburg · 91.4°
#132
Coolest summers#1 Boone · 78.9°
#160
Longest growing season#1 Kill Devil Hills · 266 days
#39
Wettest#1 Brevard · 69 in
#43 
The number on the right is River Bend’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.