Census-designated place · Craven County, North Carolina

Cherry Branch, North Carolina

Cherry Branch is a census-designated place in Craven County, North Carolina, part of the New Bern, NC metro area. It has 1,684 residents. Cherry Branch, North Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 52 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #7,578 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within North Carolina it ranks #178 of 458 cities and towns. It ranks best on mammography screening (high), rent as share of income (low) and poverty rate (low). It ranks worst on natural hazard risk (high), primary care shortage (high) and premature death (high).

52Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #7,578 of 15,651 cities and towns
North Carolina: #178 of 458 in NC
Population: 1,684 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,466.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 3712186

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 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.

Safety18#12,872/15,637
Economy76#3,703/15,631
Housing97#379/14,977
Health20#12,519/15,609
Healthcare39#9,470/15,650
Environment65#5,400/15,453
Education39#9,582/15,649
Infrastructure41#9,255/15,650
Community69#4,822/15,651
Leisure & amenities45#8,598/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Cherry Branch, North Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Craven 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

Mammography screening · high63.0%
100/100North Carolina 50.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCraven County value
Rent as share of income · low17.9%
99/100North Carolina 29.5%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Poverty rate · low1.4%
97/100North Carolina 12.6%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
Unemployment rate · low0.4%
95/100North Carolina 3.8%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Effective property tax rate · low0.47%
90/100North Carolina 0.66%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low6.0 µg/m³
90/100North Carolina 7.5 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyCraven County value

Weaknesses

Natural hazard risk · high98.8
1/100North Carolina 45.12025Federal Emergency Management AgencyCraven County value
Primary care shortage · high17.0
9/100North Carolina 9.9United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationCraven County value
Premature death · high12,828 /100k
9/100North Carolina 9,400 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCraven County value
Homicide rate · high9.8 /100k
9/100North Carolina 6.9 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCraven County value
Job growth · low-2.5%
9/100North Carolina 0.8%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataCraven County value
Injury deaths · high129 /100k
10/100North Carolina 97 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCraven County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,397 (2016-2020) → 1,684 (2020-2024)
+21%4 yearsCensus table B01003US 331,578,104 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
29.6% (2016-2020) → 15.1% (2020-2024)
−15 pts4 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.1% → 51.1%
Average commute timeWorsening
35.7 min (2016-2020) → 51.8 min (2020-2024)
+45%4 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Rent as share of incomeImproving
26.1% (2016-2020) → 17.9% (2020-2024)
−8.2 pts4 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.6% → 30.6%
Poverty rateImproving
9.4% (2016-2020) → 1.4% (2020-2024)
−8 pts4 yearsCensus table B17001US 11.9% → 12.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
9.4% (2016-2020) → 1.7% (2020-2024)
−7.6 pts4 yearsCensus table B17001US 15.7% → 15.5%

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.

There is not enough history to compare Cherry Branch, North Carolina over five years.

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

The places whose measures looked most like those of Cherry Branch, 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.

No place that looked like Cherry Branch, North Carolina five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

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

1,684 residents (±607)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,684 residents (±607)

Cherry Branch, North Carolina
North Carolina share

White65%†1,099
Black21%†358
Hispanic or Latino11%†183

Education

966 residents (±350)

Cherry Branch, North Carolina
North Carolina share

No high school diploma1.4%†14
High school or GED15%†149
Some college29%†284

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

516 households (±178)

Cherry Branch, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $25k1.4%†7
$25k–50k12%†63
$50k–75k4.8%†25
$75k–100k20%†105
$100k–150k44%†228
$150k–200k5.0%†26
$200k or more12%†62

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

516 households (±178)

Cherry Branch, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Own86%†443
Rent14%†73

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

73 households (±75)

Cherry Branch, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,50015%†11

Home values

443 homes (±169)

Cherry Branch, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $150k1.6%†7
$150k–250k41%†183
$250k–400k51%†227

Age of homes

523 homes (±179)

Cherry Branch, North Carolina
North Carolina share

2010 or later23%†118
2000–200952%†272
1980–199925%†133

Size of homes

523 homes (±179)

Cherry Branch, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Studio0.8%†4
1 bedroom0.0%0
2 bedrooms0.0%0

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

840 workers (±336)

Cherry Branch, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Drive alone78%†653
Carpool3.3%†28
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home19%†159
Other0.0%0

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

681 workers (±315)

Cherry Branch, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under 15 min1.0%†7
15–29 min30%†202
30–44 min28%†188

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 New Bern, 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 Craven County, the county holding most of Cherry Branch's residents.

Craven County has 2,224 employer establishments, 215 for every 10,000 residents (0.87× the US rate of 248; 0.91× North Carolina's), with 30,858 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,609. The Census Bureau also counts 7,514 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,224; 7,514 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 215; US 248 · North Carolina 237
Paid employees: 30,858
Average annual pay: $48,609; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	194	18.8	0.90×About typical	2,341	$64,378	374
Restaurants and other eating places	181	17.5	0.95×About typical	3,732	$18,913	38
Lessors of real estate	118	11.4	0.93×About typical	321	$41,583	810
Specialty trade contractors	113	10.9	0.71×Fewer than typical	915	$59,220	494
Limited-service restaurants	92	8.9	1.11×About typical	1,949	$16,582	12
Religious organizations	86	8.3	1.50×More than typical	679	$24,283	—
Construction of buildings	77	7.4	0.99×About typical	267	$53,502	263
Full-service restaurants	74	7.2	0.93×About typical	1,630	$22,061	16
Services to buildings and dwellings	68	6.6	0.98×About typical	414	$36,570	593
Automotive repair and maintenance	57	5.5	1.10×About typical	223	$42,592	78
Offices of physicians	55	5.3	0.82×About typical	845	$99,853	85
Real estate agents and brokers	55	5.3	1.09×About typical	110	$44,064	251

Rank places for an industry Open Craven County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 103,370 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Craven 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.

Cherry Branch, North Carolina is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Gregory F. MurphyR-NC-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 12.9%

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.

Craven County51100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

New Bern, NC58

Other cities and towns in Craven 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
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

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