Town · Lenoir County, North Carolina

La Grange, North Carolina

La Grange is a town in Lenoir County, North Carolina, part of the Kinston, NC metro area. It has 2,756 residents. La Grange, North Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 16 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,073 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within North Carolina it ranks #379 of 458 cities and towns. It ranks best on home price to income ratio (low), job growth (high) and median Air Quality Index (low). It ranks worst on dental care shortage (high), primary care shortage (high) and unemployment rate (high).

16Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,073 of 15,651 cities and towns
North Carolina: #379 of 458 in NC
Population: 2,756 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 1,196.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 3736400

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 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.

Safety4#15,083/15,637
Economy8#14,402/15,631
Housing59#6,115/14,977
Health7#14,452/15,609
Healthcare21#12,381/15,650
Environment82#2,834/15,453
Education13#13,552/15,649
Infrastructure30#10,984/15,650
Community48#8,103/15,651
Leisure & amenities25#11,685/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Home price to income ratio · low1.7×
95/100North Carolina 4.0×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Job growth · high1.8%
87/100North Carolina 0.8%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataLenoir County value
Median Air Quality Index · low35
86/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyLenoir County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100North Carolina 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLenoir County value
Social associations · high13.7 /10k
85/100North Carolina 11.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLenoir County value
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyLenoir County value

Weaknesses

Dental care shortage · high20.0
1/100North Carolina 11.5United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationLenoir County value
Primary care shortage · high19.0
3/100North Carolina 9.9United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationLenoir County value
Unemployment rate · high14.7%
3/100North Carolina 3.8%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Premature death · high14,762 /100k
4/100North Carolina 9,400 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLenoir County value
Food environment index · low6.1
4/100North Carolina 6.9United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLenoir County value
Drought exposure · high94%
4/100North Carolina 79%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAALenoir County value

Trends

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

New homes permittedWorsening
0.7 /1k (2019) → 0.0 /1k (2024)
−100%5 yearsUS 4.2 /1k → 4.3 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
58.3% (2015-2019) → 43.0% (2020-2024)
−15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
76.5% (2015-2019) → 90.7% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Unemployment rateWorsening
3.6% (2015-2019) → 14.7% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
High school diploma or higherImproving
80.6% (2015-2019) → 90.7% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
32.7% (2015-2019) → 23.3% (2020-2024)
−9.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, La Grange, North Carolina improved on 0 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 12 moved within the margin of error and 0 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of La Grange, North Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.2 min2015-2019	21.1 min2020-2024	−6.1 min	Within the margin of error	93%
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.6%2015-2019	11.8%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Broadband subscriptions	76.5%2015-2019	90.7%2020-2024	+14 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Child poverty rate	56.5%2015-2019	59.4%2020-2024	+2.9 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Effective property tax rate	1.18%2015-2019	1.05%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	42%
High school diploma or higher	80.6%2015-2019	90.7%2020-2024	+10 points	Within the margin of error	95%
Home price to income ratio	3.1×2015-2019	1.7×2020-2024	−1.4×	Within the margin of error	99%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5022015-2019	0.4072020-2024	−0.095	Within the margin of error	95%
Median household income	$34,2382015-2019	$48,0782020-2024	+40%	Within the margin of error	74%
Poverty rate	24.1%2015-2019	32.0%2020-2024	+8 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Rent-burdened households	58.3%2015-2019	43.0%2020-2024	−15 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.6%2015-2019	16.8%2020-2024	+6.2 points	Within the margin of error	7%

“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 La Grange, North Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of La Grange, 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, La Grange, North Carolina itself moved +25.1 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

2,756 residents (±17)

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

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 40–49 men (−12.0 points).

† 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

2,756 residents (±17)

La Grange, North Carolina
North Carolina share

White36%†989
Black60%1,648
Hispanic or Latino0.0%†1

Education

1,733 residents (±233)

La Grange, North Carolina
North Carolina share

No high school diploma9.3%†162
High school or GED56%†964
Some college14%

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

1,075 households (±173)

La Grange, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $25k22%†236
$25k–50k36%†383
$50k–75k14%†147
$75k–100k20%†213
$100k–150k4.0%†43
$150k–200k4.9%†53
$200k or more0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (+22.0 points).

† 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

1,075 households (±173)

La Grange, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Own46%†496
Rent54%†579

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

† 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

481 households (±194)

La Grange, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $75059%†286
$750–1,00022%†105
$1,000–1,50019%†

Home values

496 homes (±207)

La Grange, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $150k75%†374
$150k–250k6.7%†33
$250k–400k16%†

Age of homes

1,165 homes (±182)

La Grange, North Carolina
North Carolina share

2010 or later1.1%†13
2000–200917%†202
1980–199944%†511

Size of homes

1,165 homes (±182)

La Grange, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom2.7%†32
2 bedrooms42%†495

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

898 workers (±229)

La Grange, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Drive alone74%663
Carpool15%†134
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home11%†101
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (−17.6 points).

† 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

797 workers (±196)

La Grange, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under 15 min37%†296
15–29 min46%†370
30–44 min6.5%†

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 Kinston, 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 Lenoir County, the county holding most of La Grange's residents.

Lenoir County has 1,220 employer establishments, 222 for every 10,000 residents (0.89× the US rate of 248; 0.93× North Carolina's), with 25,562 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,388. The Census Bureau also counts 3,789 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,220; 3,789 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 222; US 248 · North Carolina 237
Paid employees: 25,562
Average annual pay: $46,388; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	99	18	1.16×About typical	966	$55,584	313
Ambulatory health care services	93	16.9	0.81×About typical	1,590	$54,423	188
Restaurants and other eating places	83	15.1	0.82×About typical	1,623	$18,640	14
Religious organizations	64	11.6	2.10×More than typical	302	$23,642	—
Limited-service restaurants	47	8.5	1.07×About typical	1,021	$18,812	4
Building equipment contractors	44	8	1.33×More than typical	519	$60,497	44
Automotive repair and maintenance	38	6.9	1.37×More than typical	182	$36,511	98
Lessors of real estate	36	6.5	0.53×Fewer than typical	146	$131,856	273
Offices of physicians	33	6	0.93×About typical	399	$78,090	21
Services to buildings and dwellings	31	5.6	0.84×About typical	517	$31,948	384
Gasoline stations	30	5.5	1.68×More than typical	158	$26,481	—
Truck transportation	29	5.3	1.04×About typical	251	$57,940	79

Rank places for an industry Open Lenoir County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 54,983 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 $667 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in La Grange, North Carolina: $0.24 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $667; −29% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.24; US $1,995
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Defense Logistics Agency$667100%

Top recipients

PACIFIC COAST SALES LLC$667100%

Spending by fiscal year

-2.8KFY2017
402.2FY2018
5.4KFY2019
244.9FY2020
292.1FY2021
7KFY2022
1.4KFY2023
618.2FY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344$667100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 La Grange, North Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

La Grange, North Carolina's figures are part of those of Lenoir County, NC ($1M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

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

See federal money in Lenoir 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.

La Grange, North Carolina is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Donald G. DavisD-NC-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 70%Missed 1.8%

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.

Lenoir County23100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Kinston, NC19

Other cities and towns in Lenoir 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/3736400

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends