Census-designated place · McDowell County, North Carolina

Nebo, North Carolina

Nebo is a census-designated place in McDowell County, North Carolina, part of the Marion, NC metro area. It has 1,670 residents. Nebo, North Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 23 out of 100 (low), ranking #12,056 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within North Carolina it ranks #330 of 458 cities and towns. It ranks best on unemployment rate (low), effective property tax rate (low) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low). It ranks worst on bachelor's degree or higher (low), drug overdose deaths (high) and primary care shortage (high).

23Low

Quality-of-life score: #12,056 of 15,651 cities and towns
North Carolina: #330 of 458 in NC
Population: 1,670 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 315.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 3746100

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.

Safety32#10,572/15,637
Economy29#11,169/15,631
Housing53#7,022/14,977
Health9#14,171/15,609
Healthcare19#12,720/15,650
Environment82#2,787/15,453
Education9#14,299/15,649
Infrastructure34#10,382/15,650
Community56#6,917/15,651
Leisure & amenities15#13,350/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Unemployment rate · low0.0%
98/100North Carolina 3.8%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Effective property tax rate · low0.49%
89/100North Carolina 0.66%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low6.5 µg/m³
82/100North Carolina 7.5 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMcDowell County value
Mammography screening · high52.0%
81/100North Carolina 50.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMcDowell County value
Social associations · high12.5 /10k
80/100North Carolina 11.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMcDowell County value
Comfortable days · high30.0%
78/100North Carolina 30.0%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMcDowell County value

Weaknesses

Bachelor's degree or higher · low6.8%
4/100North Carolina 35.7%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003High uncertainty
Drug overdose deaths · high31.2 /100k
8/100North Carolina 20.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMcDowell County value
Primary care shortage · high17.0
9/100North Carolina 9.9United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMcDowell County value
Average weekly wage · low$936
9/100North Carolina $1,376United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMcDowell County value
Adult smoking · high20.8%
10/100North Carolina 16.2%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Depression · high29.5%
11/100North Carolina 24.8%United States 20.7%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
1,318 (2016-2020) → 1,670 (2020-2024)
+27%4 yearsCensus table B01003US 331,578,104 → 340,003,797
High school diploma or higherWorsening
86.7% (2016-2020) → 60.0% (2020-2024)
−27 pts4 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.5% → 89.6%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
63.1% (2016-2020) → 79.9% (2020-2024)
+17 pts4 yearsCensus table B28002US 85.2% → 91.0%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
17.5% (2016-2020) → 6.8% (2020-2024)
−11 pts4 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.9% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$33,094 (2016-2020) → $50,139 (2020-2024)
+52%4 yearsCensus table B19013US $67,340 → $81,604
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
12.2% (2016-2020) → 21.9% (2020-2024)
+9.7 pts4 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.4% → 9.8%

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 Nebo, North Carolina over five years.

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

The places whose measures looked most like those of Nebo, 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 Nebo, 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

1,670 residents (±654)

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

1,670 residents (±654)

Nebo, North Carolina
North Carolina share

White94%†1,573
Black0.8%†13
Hispanic or Latino0.5%†8

Education

1,146 residents (±386)

Nebo, North Carolina
North Carolina share

No high school diploma40%†458
High school or GED32%†364
Some college20%†229

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

757 households (±233)

Nebo, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $25k29%†218
$25k–50k20%†154
$50k–75k27%†201
$75k–100k15%†114
$100k–150k9.2%†70
$150k–200k0.0%0
$200k or more0.0%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 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

757 households (±233)

Nebo, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Own75%†567
Rent25%†190

† 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

170 households (±161)

Nebo, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,00024%†40
$1,000–1,50076%†130

Home values

567 homes (±221)

Nebo, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $150k69%†391
$150k–250k15%†84
$250k–400k16%†92

Age of homes

804 homes (±223)

Nebo, North Carolina
North Carolina share

2010 or later2.2%†18
2000–200927%†219
1980–199943%†343

Size of homes

804 homes (±223)

Nebo, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom0.0%0
2 bedrooms42%†340

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

717 workers (±290)

Nebo, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Drive alone94%†673
Carpool0.0%0
Public transit0.0%0
Walk4.3%†31
Bike0.0%0
Work from home1.8%†13
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

704 workers (±283)

Nebo, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under 15 min18%†124
15–29 min49%†344
30–44 min7.8%†55

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 Marion, 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 McDowell County, the county holding most of Nebo's residents.

McDowell County has 822 employer establishments, 183 for every 10,000 residents (0.74× the US rate of 248; 0.77× North Carolina's), with 13,495 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,727. The Census Bureau also counts 3,079 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 822; 3,079 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 183; US 248 · North Carolina 237
Paid employees: 13,495
Average annual pay: $46,727; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	73	16.2	0.88×About typical	1,144	$18,423	29
Specialty trade contractors	68	15.1	0.98×About typical	522	$48,205	350
Ambulatory health care services	65	14.5	0.69×Fewer than typical	531	$60,392	141
Religious organizations	51	11.3	2.05×More than typical	305	$25,030	—
Limited-service restaurants	34	7.6	0.94×About typical	717	$19,153	9
Services to buildings and dwellings	33	7.3	1.09×About typical	122	$36,590	354
Construction of buildings	32	7.1	0.94×About typical	115	$54,417	149
Building equipment contractors	31	6.9	1.15×About typical	206	$48,602	49
Full-service restaurants	30	6.7	0.87×About typical	387	$16,899	13
Lessors of real estate	30	6.7	0.54×Fewer than typical	43	$36,698	260
Gasoline stations	23	5.1	1.58×More than typical	208	$30,721	3
Offices of physicians	23	5.1	0.79×Fewer than typical	165	$96,121	22

Rank places for an industry Open McDowell County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 44,946 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 $42.7K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Nebo, North Carolina: $25.58 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $42.7K
Per resident: $25.58; US $1,994
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

Forest Service$42.7K100%

Top recipients

OAC ACTION CONSTRUCTION CORP.$33.5K78%
JORGE'S FORRESTRY SERVICES LLC$2,2385.2%
FORTAZO CORP.$1,8704.4%
CLEAN BRO, LLC$1,6843.9%
HIGH LONESOME TIMBER LLC$1,5363.6%
KAPUSCINSKI JOHN RAYMOND$1,4613.4%
KIRBY, BETTY$1,3803.2%
PRT USA INC$1,3783.2%

Spending by fiscal year

24.9KFY2017
31.6KFY2018
34.1KFY2019
26.9KFY2020
45.6KFY2021
8.9KFY2022
49.8KFY2023
21.9KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$33.5K78%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$6,39515%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$3,7748.8%
Forest nurseries and gathering of forest products · 1132$1,3783.2%

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

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

See federal money in McDowell 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.

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

House

Chuck EdwardsR-NC-11 · 100% of residentsWith party 96%Missed 1.6%

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.

McDowell County38100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Marion, NC36

Other cities and towns in McDowell 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/3746100

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

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