Spencer ranks #29 in North Carolina for a top hospital nearby
Spencer is ranked on 31 lists against the 297 North Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 2.
Drier than 96% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Spencer’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Spencer does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Spencer marked.
Spencer lands in the top half on 7 of 18 lists
Each dot is Spencer’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Spencer does best come first.
4 spots from the top 25 for a top hospital nearby
Lists where Spencer sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Spencer out-ranks 0 of its 1 ranked neighbors
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.
Where Spencer 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.
Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#232
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#230
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#216
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#222
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#210
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#63
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#29 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 La Grange · 1.2 yrs
#80
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#115
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#151
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#77
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#144 
People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #175
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#223
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#77
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#59
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#220 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#271 Climate
Snowiest#1 Boone · 26 in
#133
Least snow#1 Laurinburg · 1.1 in
#83
Mildest winters#1 Southport · 36.8°
#213
Hottest summers#1 Laurinburg · 91.4°
#170
Coolest summers#1 Boone · 78.9°
#119
Longest growing season#1 Kill Devil Hills · 266 days
#217
Wettest#1 Brevard · 69 in
#276 
The number on the right is Spencer’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.