Rockfish ranks #74 in North Carolina for affordability
Rockfish is ranked on 32 lists against the 297 North Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 1.
Fewer seniors than 98% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Rockfish’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Rockfish 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.
Rockfish lands in the top half on 11 of 19 lists
Each dot is Rockfish’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Rockfish does best come first.
The lists Rockfish does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Rockfish marked.
Where Rockfish 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.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 La Grange · 1.2 yrs
#74
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#186
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#109
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#124
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#123
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#125
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#117
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#125
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#214
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#106 
People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #205
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#35
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#264
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#288
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#20 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#206
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#262 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#276 Climate
Snowiest#1 Boone · 26 in
#197
Least snow#1 Laurinburg · 1.1 in
#12
Mildest winters#1 Southport · 36.8°
#65
Hottest summers#1 Laurinburg · 91.4°
#17
Coolest summers#1 Boone · 78.9°
#275
Longest growing season#1 Kill Devil Hills · 266 days
#84
Wettest#1 Brevard · 69 in
#146 
The number on the right is Rockfish’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.