Rocky Mount, NC: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Rocky Mount is a city in Nash and Edgecombe counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The city's population was 54,341 as of the 2020 census, making it the 20th-most populous city in North Carolina. It is the principal city of the Rocky Mount metropolitan area—often called the "Twin Counties"—which had an estimated population of 145,383 in 2023. Rocky Mount is also an anchor city of the Rocky Mount-Wilson-Roanoke Rapids, NC Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 288,366 in 2023. English and Scots traders encountered the indigenous people in this area of the falls of the Tar River beginning in the mid-1700s. Incorporated in 1867, the community continued to develo…

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How Rocky Mount ranks

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#11Rent easiest to afford in NC #41Most affordable in NC #57Shortest commute in NC All NC rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code27801, 27802, 27803

Area code252

Living in Rocky Mount

Housing in Rocky Mount

$189K≈ same as a year ago Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Rocky Mount home is worth about $189,000, about the same as a year ago, 44% below the North Carolina typical home.

A buyer's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market93

Sale-to-list96%

Sold in May44

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Rocky Mount

D

Safety Grade D

Rocky Mount reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 95% report less.

Violent crime per 1,000

Rocky Mount 6.7

North Carolina 3.3

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Rocky Mount 33.6

North Carolina 18.1

U.S. 15.5

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

Schools in Rocky Mount

All Rocky Mount schools →

C⁻

School Grade C-

The public schools Rocky Mount’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 77% of North Carolina’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.

See how Rocky Mount’s schools compare in NC →

DistrictNash County Public SchoolsSchools18

G R Edwards Elementary C-Elementary · Grades K–5 · 632 students Benvenue Elementary DElementary · Grades K–5 · 562 students Winstead Avenue ElementaryElementary · Grades K–5 · 555 students Englewood Elementary C-Elementary · Grades K–5 · 383 students Fairview ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–2 · 255 students Baskerville ElementaryElementary · Grades K–5 · 225 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.