St. Stephens ranks #16 in North Carolina for low property taxes
St. Stephens is ranked on 30 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 St. Stephens does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with St. Stephens marked.
St. Stephens lands in the top half on 6 of 19 lists
Each dot is St. Stephens’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where St. Stephens does best come first.
Cooler summers than 84% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just St. Stephens’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
St. Stephens out-ranks 1 of its 3 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 St. Stephens 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
#97
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#99
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#16
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#102 Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#162
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#185
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#154
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#151
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#210
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#214
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#214 People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #172
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#208
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#88
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#101
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#117 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#270
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#218 Climate
Snowiest#1 Boone · 26 in
Least snow#1 Laurinburg · 1.1 in
Mildest winters#1 Southport · 36.8°
#210
Hottest summers#1 Laurinburg · 91.4°
#242
Coolest summers#1 Boone · 78.9°
#47
Longest growing season#1 Kill Devil Hills · 266 days
#167
Wettest#1 Brevard · 69 in
#131 
The number on the right is St. Stephens’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.