Census-designated place · Iredell County, North Carolina

Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina

Lake Norman of Iredell is a census-designated place in Iredell County, North Carolina, part of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area. It has 12,494 residents. Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 86 out of 100 (very high), ranking #2,233 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within North Carolina it ranks #28 of 458 cities and towns. It ranks best on food insecurity (low), child poverty rate (low) and lack of reliable transportation (low). It ranks worst on hospital quality rating (low), income inequality (Gini index) (high) and public libraries (low).

86Very high

Quality-of-life score: #2,233 of 15,651 cities and towns
North Carolina: #28 of 458 in NC
Population: 12,494 (2020-2024)
Land area: 10 mi²
Density: 1,236.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 3736511

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.

Safety36#9,928/15,637
Economy97#514/15,631
Housing50#7,545/14,977
Health79#3,339/15,609
Healthcare64#5,639/15,650
Environment60#6,251/15,453
Education92#1,281/15,649
Infrastructure89#1,647/15,650
Community74#4,075/15,651
Leisure & amenities79#3,225/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Iredell 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

Food insecurity · low5.8%
99/100North Carolina 15.8%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Child poverty rate · low0.3%
99/100North Carolina 16.6%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
Lack of reliable transportation · low4.2%
99/100North Carolina 8.8%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Physical inactivity · low13.4%
98/100North Carolina 24.9%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Poor or fair health · low10.1%
98/100North Carolina 19.6%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Bachelor's degree or higher · high67.3%
96/100North Carolina 35.7%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100North Carolina 3.3United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesIredell County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.484
12/100North Carolina 0.477United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
14/100North Carolina 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesIredell County value
Home price to income ratio · high5.1×
19/100North Carolina 4.0×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Drought exposure · high73%
20/100North Carolina 80%United States 43%Nov 2025–Oct 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAIredell County value
Students per teacher · high16.9×
22/100North Carolina 16.0×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsIredell County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
8,196 (2015-2019) → 12,494 (2020-2024)
+52%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
37.6% (2015-2019) → 67.2% (2020-2024)
+30 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$81,110 (2015-2019) → $173,542 (2020-2024)
+114%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
87.7% (2015-2019) → 97.6% (2020-2024)
+9.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
7.7% (2015-2019) → 0.3% (2020-2024)
−7.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
35.9% (2015-2019) → 42.8% (2020-2024)
+6.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

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, Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina improved on 5 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 5 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

Bachelor's++30 points37.6% → 67.2%
Household income+114%$81,110 → $173,542
Uninsured−6.2 points9.0% → 2.8%
Poverty−3.2 points5.7% → 2.5%
Broadband+9.9 points87.7% → 97.6%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	38.3 min2015-2019	29.9 min2020-2024	−8.5 min	Within the margin of error	97%
Bachelor's degree or higher	37.6%2015-2019	67.2%2020-2024	+30 points	Improved	100%
Broadband subscriptions	87.7%2015-2019	97.6%2020-2024	+9.9 points	Improved	59%
Effective property tax rate	0.60%2015-2019	0.45%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	47%
High school diploma or higher	94.7%2015-2019	99.0%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Home price to income ratio	4.8×2015-2019	5.1×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	57%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4792015-2019	0.4842020-2024	+0.005	Within the margin of error	46%
Median household income	$81,1102015-2019	$173,5422020-2024	+114%	Improved	99%
Poverty rate	5.7%2015-2019	2.5%2020-2024	−3.2 points	Improved	71%
Unemployment rate	3.7%2015-2019	3.1%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.0%2015-2019	2.8%2020-2024	−6.2 points	Improved	90%

“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 Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Lake Norman of Iredell, 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, Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina itself moved +12.7 points in standing on average over the same 8 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

12,494 residents (±1,014)

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: 10–19 men (+3.1 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

12,494 residents (±1,014)

Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina
North Carolina share

White88%10,982
Black0.3%†37
Hispanic or Latino7.0%†876
Asian1.7%†211
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%†2
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races3.1%†386

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−8.8 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

8,991 residents (±665)

Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina
North Carolina share

No high school diploma1.0%†92
High school or GED9.6%860
Some college16%1,435
Associate degree6.2%†558
Bachelor's degree43%3,832
Graduate degree25%2,214

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Bachelor's degree (+15.2 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 B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

4,580 households (±354)

Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $25k4.8%†221
$25k–50k6.9%†315
$50k–75k8.5%†390
$75k–100k9.2%†421
$100k–150k17%767
$150k–200k7.9%†364
$200k or more46%2,102

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+30.7 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

4,580 households (±354)

Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Own95%4,345
Rent5.1%†235

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+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 B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

222 households (±90)

Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $75017%†37
$750–1,0004.5%†10
$1,000–1,50049%†

Home values

4,345 homes (±342)

Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $150k2.0%†86
$150k–250k2.7%†119
$250k–400k5.5%†239

Age of homes

5,300 homes (±340)

Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina
North Carolina share

2010 or later20%1,076
2000–200938%2,010
1980–199932%1,699

Size of homes

5,300 homes (±340)

Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom0.7%†35
2 bedrooms4.7%†247

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

5,645 workers (±643)

Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Drive alone65%3,660
Carpool3.8%†214
Public transit0.2%†12
Walk1.0%†57
Bike0.0%0
Work from home28%1,589
Other2.0%†113

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+18.6 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

4,056 workers (±551)

Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under 15 min16%637
15–29 min42%1,694
30–44 min17%695

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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

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 Iredell County, the county holding most of Lake Norman of Iredell's residents.

Iredell County has 5,405 employer establishments, 270 for every 10,000 residents (1.09× the US rate of 248; 1.14× North Carolina's), with 80,234 paid employees at an average annual pay of $63,989. The Census Bureau also counts 19,064 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 5,405; 19,064 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 270; US 248 · North Carolina 237
Paid employees: 80,234
Average annual pay: $63,989; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	418	20.9	1.00×About typical	4,092	$68,355	717
Specialty trade contractors	396	19.8	1.28×More than typical	3,482	$60,339	1,349
Restaurants and other eating places	350	17.5	0.95×About typical	7,445	$20,174	82
Lessors of real estate	291	14.5	1.18×About typical	572	$48,722	2,042
Construction of buildings	185	9.2	1.22×About typical	759	$74,548	610
Management, scientific and technical consulting	179	8.9	1.33×More than typical	1,075	$74,398	721
Services to buildings and dwellings	173	8.6	1.28×More than typical	1,034	$37,442	1,258
Real estate agents and brokers	171	8.5	1.76×More than typical	221	$52,186	684
Full-service restaurants	161	8	1.05×About typical	3,423	$23,101	36
Religious organizations	161	8	1.45×More than typical	979	$23,309	—
Building equipment contractors	155	7.7	1.29×More than typical	1,273	$59,977	254
Limited-service restaurants	152	7.6	0.95×About typical	3,542	$17,661	28

Rank places for an industry Open Iredell County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 200,005 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 $17.9M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina: $1,436 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $17.9M; −12% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,436; US $2,007
Sole-source: 14%; US 30%
Single offer: 35%; US 8.7%

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

Top buying agencies

Missile Defense Agency$9.1M51%
Department of the Navy$6.4M36%
Defense Logistics Agency$1.3M7.3%
Department of the Air Force$895.4K5.0%
Department of Veterans Affairs$153.6K0.9%
Defense Threat Reduction Agency$51.8K0.3%
Defense Health Agency$13.4K0.1%
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Acquisition and Property Management Division$7,5590.0%

Top recipients

CORVID TECHNOLOGIES, LLC$15.6M87%
LIBURDI TURBINE SERVICES, LLC$950.6K5.3%
ATEA TECHNOLOGIES, LLC$585.6K3.3%
FEDTRIBE LLC$575.3K3.2%
DE SOUTTER MEDICAL USA INC$162.4K0.9%

Spending by fiscal year

4.7MFY2017
3.5MFY2018
2.3MFY2019
7MFY2020
7.5MFY2021
6.2MFY2022
8.1MFY2023
14.7M

Top industries (NAICS)

Scientific research and development services · 5417$10.3M57%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$7.4M41%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$178.1K1.0%
Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment repair and maintenance · 8113$55.2K0.3%
Other chemical product and preparation manufacturing · 3259$52.6K0.3%
Other personal services · 8129

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 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 Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina's figures are part of those of Iredell County, NC ($77.2M in FY2026), never added to them: 23% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Lake Norman of Iredell is mostly in Iredell County.

See federal money in Iredell 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.

Lake Norman of Iredell, North Carolina is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Pat HarriganR-NC-10 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%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.

Iredell County83100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC75

Other cities and towns in Iredell 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

JSON · /api/v1/places/3736511

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends