City · Alamance County, North Carolina

Burlington, North Carolina

Burlington is a city in Alamance County, North Carolina, part of the Burlington, NC metro area. It has 59,610 residents. Burlington, North Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 30 out of 100 (low), ranking #11,001 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within North Carolina it ranks #283 of 458 cities and towns. It ranks best on distance to an Amtrak station (low), child care cost burden (low) and new homes permitted (high). It ranks worst on drought exposure (high), distance to an emergency room (high) and adult obesity (high).

30Low

Quality-of-life score: #11,001 of 15,651 cities and towns
North Carolina: #283 of 458 in NC
Population: 59,610 (2020-2024)
Land area: 31 mi²
Density: 1,906.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 3709060

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety28#11,271/15,637
Economy18#12,828/15,631
Housing73#4,004/14,977
Health36#10,040/15,609
Healthcare14#13,468/15,650
Environment61#6,097/15,453
Education29#11,154/15,649
Infrastructure37#9,862/15,650
Community45#8,640/15,651
Leisure & amenities49#7,941/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Burlington, North Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Alamance County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Distance to an Amtrak station · low5 mi
95/100North Carolina 23 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAlamance County value
Child care cost burden · low22.0%
88/100North Carolina 25.1%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAlamance County value
New homes permitted · high9.0 /1k
86/100North Carolina 8.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
High ozone days · low0 days
76/100North Carolina 1 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAlamance County value
Comfortable days · high29.5%
75/100North Carolina 30.0%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAlamance County value
Rent as share of income · low28.4%
70/100North Carolina 29.5%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071

Weaknesses

Drought exposure · high94%
4/100North Carolina 79%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAlamance County value
Distance to an emergency room · high17.1 mi
5/100North Carolina 7.9 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAlamance County value
Adult obesity · high41.1%
17/100North Carolina 37.2%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Lack of reliable transportation · high12.2%
18/100North Carolina 8.8%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Dental care shortage · high16.0
18/100North Carolina 11.5United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationAlamance County value
Food insecurity · high23.2%
19/100North Carolina 15.8%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
53,063 (2015-2019) → 59,610 (2020-2024)
+12%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
35.0% (2015-2019) → 20.3% (2020-2024)
−15 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.7% (2015-2019) → 88.9% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$43,225 (2015-2019) → $56,880 (2020-2024)
+32%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
25.4% (2015-2019) → 29.6% (2020-2024)
+4.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
High school diploma or higherImproving
82.2% (2015-2019) → 86.2% (2020-2024)
+4.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Burlington, North Carolina improved on 5 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 7 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved5

Child poverty−15 points35.0% → 20.3%
Poverty−4 points20.3% → 16.4%
Broadband+13 points75.7% → 88.9%
Bachelor's++4.1 points25.4% → 29.6%
Household income+32%$43,225 → $56,880

Declined1

Commute+2.6 min21.1 min → 23.7 min

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Burlington, North Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.1 min2015-2019	23.7 min2020-2024	+2.6 min	Declined	23%
Bachelor's degree or higher	25.4%2015-2019	29.6%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Improved	61%
Broadband subscriptions	75.7%2015-2019	88.9%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	74%
Child poverty rate	35.0%2015-2019	20.3%2020-2024	−15 points	Improved	89%
Effective property tax rate	1.01%2015-2019	0.77%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	66%
High school diploma or higher	82.2%2015-2019	86.2%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Home price to income ratio	3.1×2015-2019	3.5×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	54%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4832015-2019	0.4522020-2024	−0.030	Within the margin of error	74%
Median household income	$43,2252015-2019	$56,8802020-2024	+32%	Improved	59%
Poverty rate	20.3%2015-2019	16.4%2020-2024	−4 points	Improved	75%
Rent as share of income	29.0%2015-2019	28.4%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent-burdened households	47.7%2015-2019	46.8%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Unemployment rate	6.6%2015-2019	6.5%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	15.6%2015-2019	13.5%2020-2024	−2.1 points	Within the margin of error	69%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Burlington, North Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Burlington, North Carolina in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Burlington, North Carolina itself moved +4.4 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

59,610 residents (±62)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

25,505 households (±720)

Burlington, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $25k19%4,954
$25k–50k25%6,374
$50k–75k19%4,948

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

25,505 households (±720)

Burlington, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Own54%13,711
Rent46%11,794

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

27,584 workers (±903)

Burlington, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Drive alone77%21,344
Carpool11%3,097
Public transit0.0%†6

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Burlington, NC

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Alamance County, the county holding most of Burlington's residents.

Alamance County has 3,652 employer establishments, 204 for every 10,000 residents (0.82× the US rate of 248; 0.86× North Carolina's), with 61,726 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,886. The Census Bureau also counts 13,489 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,652; 13,489 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 204; US 248 · North Carolina 237
Paid employees: 61,726
Average annual pay: $49,886; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Alamance County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	321	17.9	0.97×About typical	7,032	$19,205	72
Specialty trade contractors	296	16.5	1.07×About typical	2,464	$59,744	1,215
Ambulatory health care services	242	13.5	0.65×Fewer than typical	8,276	$80,552	491
Lessors of real estate	149	8.3	0.67×Fewer than typical	388	$43,381	1,108
Religious organizations	146	8.1	1.47×More than typical	1,019	$25,320	—
Limited-service restaurants	144	8	1.00×About typical	3,544	$18,086	23
Full-service restaurants	139	7.7	1.01×About typical	2,974	$21,058	33
Building equipment contractors	128	7.1	1.19×About typical	1,273	$53,946	281
Services to buildings and dwellings	125	7	1.03×About typical	781	$34,291	1,072
Construction of buildings	104	5.8	0.77×Fewer than typical	404	$47,785	462
Clothing and accessories stores	96	5.4	1.48×More than typical	1,318	$18,004	122
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	79	4.4	1.40×More than typical	708	$77,527	215

Rank places for an industry Open Alamance County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 179,369 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated -$8.2M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Burlington, North Carolina: -$138 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: -$8.2M; −163% vs FY2025
Per resident: -$138; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of Veterans Affairs$7.7M0.0%
Defense Health Agency$1.5M0.0%
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement$882.9K0.0%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$833.4K0.0%
Defense Logistics Agency$564.3K0.0%
Departmental Offices$322K0.0%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management$320.1K0.0%
Indian Health Service$312.6K0.0%

Top recipients

TATRA SOLUTIONS, INC.$525.1K0.0%
GRAHAM DYEING & FINISHING INC$336.9K0.0%
LABORATORY CORPORATION OF AMERICA$282.4K0.0%
FOREFRONT TECHNOLOGIES, L.L.C$239.1K0.0%
SPECIAL T HOSIERY MILLS INC$207.6K0.0%

Spending by fiscal year

8.2MFY2017
5.2MFY2018
6.7MFY2019
9.4MFY2020
37MFY2021
42.9MFY2022
21.6MFY2023
5.6M

Top industries (NAICS)

Apparel knitting mills · 3151$544.4K0.0%
Employment services · 5613$322K0.0%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$239.1K0.0%
Other professional, scientific, and technical services · 5419$166.7K0.0%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$36.4K0.0%
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing · 3254

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Burlington, North Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Burlington is mostly in Alamance County.

See federal money in Alamance County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Burlington, North Carolina is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Burlington, NC49

Other cities and towns in Alamance County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3709060

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends