Williamston ranks #8 in North Carolina for affordability
Williamston is ranked on 30 lists against the 297 North Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 5.
The lists Williamston does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Williamston marked.
1 spot from the top 25 for walkable streets
Lists where Williamston sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Williamston lands in the top half on 7 of 19 lists
Each dot is Williamston’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Williamston does best come first.
Longer growing season than 90% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Williamston’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Where Williamston 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
#8
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#14
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#79
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#48 Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#277
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#275
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#259
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#284
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#210
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#28
Closest to a top hospital#1 Charlotte · 0.0 mi
#130 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#193
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#26 
People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #271
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#235
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#63
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#74
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#194 
Climate
Snowiest#1 Boone · 26 in
Least snow#1 Laurinburg · 1.1 in
Mildest winters#1 Southport · 36.8°
#81
Hottest summers#1 Laurinburg · 91.4°
#138
Coolest summers#1 Boone · 78.9°
#153
Longest growing season#1 Kill Devil Hills · 266 days
#30
Wettest#1 Brevard · 69 in
#68 
The number on the right is Williamston’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.