Spring Lake is #1 in North Carolina for conserved land
Spring Lake is ranked on 36 lists against the 297 North Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 4.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Spring Lake marked.
Fewer seniors than 97% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Spring Lake’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Spring Lake lands in the top half on 5 of 23 lists
Each dot is Spring Lake’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Spring Lake does best come first.
3 spots from the top 25 for short commutes
Lists where Spring Lake sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Spring Lake 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.
Every NC list, and where Spring Lake lands
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#1
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
#9
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#272 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#28 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 La Grange · 1.2 yrs
#17
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#202
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#117
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
#51 Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#181
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#230
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#154
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#166
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
#189 People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #177
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#12
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#286
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#285
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#67 
The number on the right is Spring Lake’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.