City · Burke County, North Carolina

Morganton, North Carolina

Morganton is a city in Burke County, North Carolina, part of the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro area. It has 17,646 residents. Morganton, North Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 25 out of 100 (low), ranking #11,707 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within North Carolina it ranks #314 of 458 cities and towns. It ranks best on average commute time (low), social associations (high) and hospital quality rating (high). It ranks worst on drug overdose deaths (high), child poverty rate (high) and uninsured residents (under 65) (high).

25Low

Quality-of-life score: #11,707 of 15,651 cities and towns
North Carolina: #314 of 458 in NC
Population: 17,646 (2020-2024)
Land area: 19 mi²
Density: 917.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 3744400

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 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.

Safety32#10,602/15,637
Economy10#14,124/15,631
Housing58#6,310/14,977
Health8#14,348/15,609
Healthcare31#10,859/15,650
Environment75#3,877/15,453
Education40#9,360/15,649
Infrastructure40#9,333/15,650
Community33#10,448/15,651
Leisure & amenities29#11,146/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Average commute time · low17.7 min
92/100North Carolina 25.1 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Social associations · high14.3 /10k
88/100North Carolina 11.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBurke County value
Hospital quality rating · high4.0
80/100North Carolina 3.3United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesBurke County value
New homes permitted · high5.8 /1k
79/100North Carolina 8.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Child care cost burden · low24.5%
77/100North Carolina 25.1%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBurke County value
High ozone days · low0 days
76/100North Carolina 1 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyBurke County value

Weaknesses

Drug overdose deaths · high40.8 /100k
3/100North Carolina 20.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataBurke County value
Child poverty rate · high47.1%
5/100North Carolina 16.6%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high21.1%
6/100North Carolina 10.2%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Poverty rate · high25.7%
6/100North Carolina 12.6%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.493
9/100North Carolina 0.477United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Suicide rate · high23.8 /100k
11/100North Carolina 14.7 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataBurke County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
16,481 (2015-2019) → 17,646 (2020-2024)
+7.1%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
71.8% (2015-2019) → 90.4% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateWorsening
41.8% (2015-2019) → 47.1% (2020-2024)
+5.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$42,137 (2015-2019) → $51,355 (2020-2024)
+22%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
High school diploma or higherImproving
76.8% (2015-2019) → 81.2% (2020-2024)
+4.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Average commute timeImproving
21.3 min (2015-2019) → 17.7 min (2020-2024)
−17%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

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, Morganton, North Carolina improved on 2 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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.

Improved2

Broadband+19 points71.8% → 90.4%
Household income+22%$42,137 → $51,355

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Morganton, North Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.3 min2015-2019	17.7 min2020-2024	−3.5 min	Within the margin of error	83%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.4%2015-2019	26.1%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Broadband subscriptions	71.8%2015-2019	90.4%2020-2024	+19 points	Improved	88%
Child poverty rate	41.8%2015-2019	47.1%2020-2024	+5.3 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Effective property tax rate	1.05%2015-2019	0.69%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Little change	81%
High school diploma or higher	76.8%2015-2019	81.2%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Home price to income ratio	3.8×2015-2019	4.3×2020-2024	+0.5×	Within the margin of error	47%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4712015-2019	0.4932020-2024	+0.022	Within the margin of error	33%
Median household income	$42,1372015-2019	$51,3552020-2024	+22%	Improved	37%
Poverty rate	24.4%2015-2019	25.7%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Rent as share of income	29.0%2015-2019	29.4%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Rent-burdened households	47.4%2015-2019	48.0%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Unemployment rate	5.2%2015-2019	3.8%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	18.8%2015-2019	21.1%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Within the margin of error	23%

“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 Morganton, North Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Morganton, 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, Morganton, North Carolina itself moved +6 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

17,646 residents (±35)

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: 30–39 men (+3.7 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

17,646 residents (±35)

Morganton, North Carolina
North Carolina share

White58%10,301
Black14%2,522
Hispanic or Latino23%3,982

Education

11,969 residents (±546)

Morganton, North Carolina
North Carolina share

No high school diploma19%2,254
High school or GED27%3,277
Some college15%1,844

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

6,888 households (±324)

Morganton, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $25k26%1,788
$25k–50k21%1,418
$50k–75k23%1,609
$75k–100k9.4%644
$100k–150k9.4%645
$150k–200k6.5%†449
$200k or more4.9%†335

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−6.8 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 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

6,888 households (±324)

Morganton, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Own55%3,766
Rent45%3,122

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

3,055 households (±347)

Morganton, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $75033%†993
$750–1,00027%†827
$1,000–1,50029%888

Home values

3,766 homes (±357)

Morganton, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $150k33%1,260
$150k–250k24%916
$250k–400k25%958

Age of homes

7,547 homes (±360)

Morganton, North Carolina
North Carolina share

2010 or later7.7%580
2000–20095.4%†406
1980–199930%2,273

Size of homes

7,547 homes (±360)

Morganton, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Studio0.1%†11
1 bedroom6.7%†506
2 bedrooms43%3,221

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

7,451 workers (±616)

Morganton, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Drive alone76%5,631
Carpool15%†1,109
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.4%†30
Bike0.0%0
Work from home8.1%†605
Other1.0%†76

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+4.5 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

6,846 workers (±616)

Morganton, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under 15 min52%3,591
15–29 min26%1,770
30–44 min15%†1,014

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 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, 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 Burke County, the county holding most of Morganton's residents.

Burke County has 1,540 employer establishments, 175 for every 10,000 residents (0.70× the US rate of 248; 0.74× North Carolina's), with 24,509 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,806. The Census Bureau also counts 5,809 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,540; 5,809 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 175; US 248 · North Carolina 237
Paid employees: 24,509
Average annual pay: $44,806; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	130	14.7	0.80×About typical	2,735	$18,845	28
Ambulatory health care services	122	13.8	0.66×Fewer than typical	1,580	$83,934	257
Religious organizations	115	13	2.35×More than typical	546	$22,500	—
Specialty trade contractors	89	10.1	0.65×Fewer than typical	512	$44,883	527
Limited-service restaurants	69	7.8	0.98×About typical	1,632	$18,679	9
Lessors of real estate	64	7.3	0.59×Fewer than typical	101	$40,832	503
Construction of buildings	62	7	0.93×About typical	153	$43,092	261
Building equipment contractors	53	6	1.00×About typical	340	$49,212	92
Full-service restaurants	50	5.7	0.74×Fewer than typical	975	$19,816	18
Services to buildings and dwellings	44	5	0.74×Fewer than typical	376	$26,149	560
Gasoline stations	42	4.8	1.47×More than typical	199	$24,126	3
Offices of physicians	40	4.5	0.70×Fewer than typical	707	$132,201	55

Rank places for an industry Open Burke County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 88,217 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 $12.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Morganton, North Carolina: $0.69 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $12.1K; +632% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.69; US $1,994
Sole-source: 38%; 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

Department of the Army$7,49762%
Department of State$4,60038%

Top recipients

FERGUSON COPELAND LLC$4,60038%
S365 INC$2,69122%
PEPPER MOON CORP$2,58521%
135 FOODS INC$2,22118%

Spending by fiscal year

34.4KFY2017
63.6KFY2018
46.5KFY2019
78.1KFY2020
16.3KFY2021
6.6KFY2022
0FY2023
133.5KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Special food services · 7223$7,49762%
Household and institutional furniture and kitchen cabinet manufacturing · 3371$4,60038%

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 Morganton, North Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

Morganton, North Carolina's figures are part of those of Burke County, NC ($5.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.2% of that total.

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

See federal money in Burke 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.

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

House

Tim MooreR-NC-14 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.3%

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.

Burke County42100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC46

Other cities and towns in Burke 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/3744400

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends