Census-designated place · Alamance County, North Carolina

Saxapahaw, North Carolina

Saxapahaw is a census-designated place in Alamance County, North Carolina, part of the Burlington, NC metro area. It has 1,301 residents. Saxapahaw, North Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 49 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #7,919 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within North Carolina it ranks #185 of 458 cities and towns. It ranks best on unemployment rate (low), distance to an Amtrak station (low) and public transit commuters (high). It ranks worst on drought exposure (high), distance to an emergency room (high) and dental care shortage (high).

49Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #7,919 of 15,651 cities and towns
North Carolina: #185 of 458 in NC
Population: 1,301 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 250.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 3759580

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 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.

Safety28#11,271/15,637
Economy47#8,248/15,631
Housing80#3,065/14,977
Health46#8,405/15,609
Healthcare15#13,250/15,650
Environment60#6,116/15,453
Education34#10,354/15,649
Infrastructure91#1,420/15,650
Community48#8,177/15,651
Leisure & amenities49#7,941/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Saxapahaw, North Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Alamance 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
Distance to an Amtrak station · low5 mi
95/100North Carolina 23 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAlamance County value
Public transit commuters · high4.8%
93/100North Carolina 0.6%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301High uncertainty
Child care cost burden · low22.0%
88/100North Carolina 25.1%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAlamance County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.53%
86/100North Carolina 0.66%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Broadband subscriptions · high97.0%
85/100North Carolina 90.1%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Weaknesses

Drought exposure · high96%
4/100North Carolina 80%United States 43%Nov 2025–Oct 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAlamance County value
Distance to an emergency room · high17.1 mi
5/100North Carolina 7.9 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAlamance County value
Dental care shortage · high16.0
18/100North Carolina 11.5United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationAlamance County value
Public libraries · low0.3 /10k
20/100North Carolina 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAlamance County value
Job growth · low-1.4%
20/100North Carolina 0.8%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataAlamance County value
Primary care physicians · low40 /100k
22/100North Carolina 71 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAlamance County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
1,599 (2015-2019) → 1,301 (2020-2024)
−19%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
81.9% (2015-2019) → 97.0% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateWorsening
16.5% (2015-2019) → 29.9% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Unemployment rateImproving
9.8% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−9.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Poverty rateWorsening
9.1% (2015-2019) → 15.1% (2020-2024)
+5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
25.8% (2015-2019) → 20.4% (2020-2024)
−5.5 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, Saxapahaw, North Carolina improved on 1 of 9 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 8 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.

Improved1

Broadband+15 points81.9% → 97.0%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 9 measures

Change of every measure of Saxapahaw, North Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	26.1 min2015-2019	26.2 min2020-2024	+0.1 min	Within the margin of error	46%
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.5%2015-2019	24.3%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Broadband subscriptions	81.9%2015-2019	97.0%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	80%
Effective property tax rate	0.59%2015-2019	0.53%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	27%
High school diploma or higher	81.0%2015-2019	84.2%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	52%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3562015-2019	0.3722020-2024	+0.017	Within the margin of error	36%
Median household income	$47,0112015-2019	$59,0002020-2024	+26%	Within the margin of error	45%
Rent as share of income	26.5%2015-2019	22.0%2020-2024	−4.5 points	Within the margin of error	81%

“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 Saxapahaw, North Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Saxapahaw, 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, Saxapahaw, North Carolina itself moved +5.4 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

1,301 residents (±344)

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: 60–69 men (+9.1 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

1,301 residents (±344)

Saxapahaw, North Carolina
North Carolina share

White91%1,185
Black6.5%†85
Hispanic or Latino1.8%†24

Education

994 residents (±260)

Saxapahaw, North Carolina
North Carolina share

No high school diploma16%†157
High school or GED32%†314
Some college

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

600 households (±146)

Saxapahaw, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $25k22%†132
$25k–50k23%†137
$50k–75k22%†132
$75k–100k14%†84
$100k–150k18%†105
$150k–200k1.7%†10
$200k or more0.0%0

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 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

600 households (±146)

Saxapahaw, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Own81%487
Rent19%†113

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+24.8 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 B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

113 households (±75)

Saxapahaw, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $75050%†56
$750–1,0008.0%†9
$1,000–1,50034%†

Home values

487 homes (±135)

Saxapahaw, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $150k39%†190
$150k–250k21%†101
$250k–400k27%†133

Age of homes

600 homes (±146)

Saxapahaw, North Carolina
North Carolina share

2010 or later21%†128
2000–200920%†119
1980–199928%†167

Size of homes

600 homes (±146)

Saxapahaw, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom5.7%†34
2 bedrooms19%†112

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

579 workers (±187)

Saxapahaw, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Drive alone71%†409
Carpool3.3%†19
Public transit4.8%†28
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home21%†123
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+15.4 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

456 workers (±180)

Saxapahaw, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under 15 min11%†49
15–29 min55%†252
30–44 min28%†

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 Burlington, 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 Alamance County, the county holding most of Saxapahaw's residents.

Alamance County has 3,652 employer establishments, 204 for every 10,000 residents (0.82× the US rate of 248; 0.86× North Carolina's), with 61,726 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,886. The Census Bureau also counts 13,489 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,652; 13,489 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 204; US 248 · North Carolina 237
Paid employees: 61,726
Average annual pay: $49,886; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	321	17.9	0.97×About typical	7,032	$19,205	72
Specialty trade contractors	296	16.5	1.07×About typical	2,464	$59,744	1,215
Ambulatory health care services	242	13.5	0.65×Fewer than typical	8,276	$80,552	491
Lessors of real estate	149	8.3	0.67×Fewer than typical	388	$43,381	1,108
Religious organizations	146	8.1	1.47×More than typical	1,019	$25,320	—
Limited-service restaurants	144	8	1.00×About typical	3,544	$18,086	23
Full-service restaurants	139	7.7	1.01×About typical	2,974	$21,058	33
Building equipment contractors	128	7.1	1.19×About typical	1,273	$53,946	281
Services to buildings and dwellings	125	7	1.03×About typical	781	$34,291	1,072
Construction of buildings	104	5.8	0.77×Fewer than typical	404	$47,785	462
Clothing and accessories stores	96	5.4	1.48×More than typical	1,318	$18,004	122
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	79	4.4	1.40×More than typical	708	$77,527	215

Rank places for an industry Open Alamance County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 179,369 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 $3,498 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Saxapahaw, North Carolina: $2.69 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $3,498; −78% vs FY2025
Per resident: $2.69; US $2,007
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$3,498100%

Top recipients

NC MANUFACTURING LLC$3,498100%

Spending by fiscal year

2KFY2017
3.1KFY2018
8.3KFY2019
6.4KFY2020
5.2KFY2021
501.2FY2022
7.1KFY2023
22.9KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Other food manufacturing · 3119$4,120100%
Bakeries and tortilla manufacturing · 3118$1845.3%

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

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

See federal money in Alamance 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.

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

House

Richard HudsonR-NC-9 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 1.2%

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.

Alamance County49100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Burlington, NC49

Other cities and towns in Alamance 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/3759580

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends