Spindale ranks #27 in North Carolina for cheap rent
Spindale 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 2.
The lists Spindale does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Spindale marked.
Spindale lands in the top half on 5 of 19 lists
Each dot is Spindale’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Spindale does best come first.
Fewer kids than 92% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Spindale’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
2 spots from the top 25 for cheap rent
Lists where Spindale sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Spindale out-ranks 1 of its 2 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.
Every NC list, and where Spindale lands
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
#42
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#27
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#80
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#180 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#235
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#142 Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#280
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#264
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#288
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#264
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#240
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#258
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#180 
People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #266
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#229
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#70
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#89
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#271 Climate
Snowiest#1 Boone · 26 in
#64
Least snow#1 Laurinburg · 1.1 in
#151
Mildest winters#1 Southport · 36.8°
#174
Hottest summers#1 Laurinburg · 91.4°
#139
Coolest summers#1 Boone · 78.9°
#154
Longest growing season#1 Kill Devil Hills · 266 days
#262
Wettest#1 Brevard · 69 in
#69 
The number on the right is Spindale’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.