Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety36#10,016/15,637
Economy14#13,439/15,631
Housing44#8,376/14,977
Health21#12,402/15,609
Healthcare20#12,497/15,650
Environment63#5,771/15,453
Education59#6,445/15,649
Infrastructure53#7,286/15,650
Community51#7,631/15,651
Leisure & amenities10#14,123/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Job growth · high2.1%
89/100North Carolina 0.8%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataWilkes County value
Public transit commuters · high2.5%
86/100North Carolina 0.6%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301High uncertainty
Social associations · high13.6 /10k
85/100North Carolina 11.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWilkes County value
High ozone days · low0 days
76/100North Carolina 1 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyWilkes County value
Average commute time · low18.9 min
75/100North Carolina 25.1 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Voter turnout · high71.9%
74/100North Carolina 72.9%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionWilkes County value

Weaknesses

Primary care shortage · high18.0
5/100North Carolina 9.9United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationWilkes County value
Median household income · low$40,907
6/100North Carolina $74,055United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.510
7/100North Carolina 0.477United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.8 /10k
9/100North Carolina 4.9 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWilkes County value
Drug overdose deaths · high28.8 /100k
11/100North Carolina 20.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataWilkes County value
Premature death · high12,508 /100k
11/100North Carolina 9,400 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWilkes County value

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsImproving
66.9% (2015-2019) → 45.7% (2020-2024)
−21 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
69.9% (2015-2019) → 90.5% (2020-2024)
+21 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
50.5% (2015-2019) → 30.0% (2020-2024)
−21 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
45.3% (2015-2019) → 29.0% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
High school diploma or higherImproving
76.5% (2015-2019) → 89.2% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
11.7% (2015-2019) → 8.0% (2020-2024)
−3.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 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.

Over about five years, Wilkesboro, North Carolina improved on 2 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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.

Improved2

Rent burden−21 points66.9% → 45.7%
Broadband+21 points69.9% → 90.5%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Wilkesboro, North Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.3 min2015-2019	18.9 min2020-2024	+2.7 min	Within the margin of error	22%
Bachelor's degree or higher	25.3%2015-2019	24.5%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Broadband subscriptions	69.9%2015-2019	90.5%2020-2024	+21 points	Improved	91%
Child poverty rate	50.5%2015-2019	30.0%2020-2024	−21 points	Within the margin of error	94%
Effective property tax rate	0.80%2015-2019	0.77%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	22%
High school diploma or higher	76.5%2015-2019	89.2%2020-2024	+13 points	Within the margin of error	98%
Home price to income ratio	4.6×2015-2019	5.5×2020-2024	+0.8×	Within the margin of error	29%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4642015-2019	0.5102020-2024	+0.045	Within the margin of error	18%
Median household income	$38,1362015-2019	$40,9072020-2024	+7.3%	Within the margin of error	14%
Poverty rate	22.4%2015-2019	22.6%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Rent as share of income	45.3%2015-2019	29.0%2020-2024	−16 points	Within the margin of error	98%
Rent-burdened households	66.9%2015-2019	45.7%2020-2024	−21 points	Improved	94%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.7%2015-2019	8.0%2020-2024	−3.7 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 Wilkesboro, North Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Wilkesboro, 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, Wilkesboro, North Carolina itself moved +10.9 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

3,646 residents (±21)

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: 20–29 women (−7.7 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

3,646 residents (±21)

Wilkesboro, North Carolina
North Carolina share

White76%2,771
Black13%†487
Hispanic or Latino10%†374

Education

2,609 residents (±216)

Wilkesboro, North Carolina
North Carolina share

No high school diploma11%†283
High school or GED28%722
Some college22%†582

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

1,670 households (±202)

Wilkesboro, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $25k24%†402
$25k–50k35%†578
$50k–75k21%†351
$75k–100k1.3%†21
$100k–150k11%†184
$150k–200k1.9%†31
$200k or more6.2%†103

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $75k–100k (−6.6 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 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

1,670 households (±202)

Wilkesboro, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Own48%802
Rent52%868

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

811 households (±187)

Wilkesboro, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $75045%†364
$750–1,00035%†286
$1,000–1,5005.1%†

Home values

802 homes (±163)

Wilkesboro, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $150k23%†183
$150k–250k34%†270
$250k–400k17%†

Age of homes

1,943 homes (±226)

Wilkesboro, North Carolina
North Carolina share

2010 or later13%†262
2000–20096.4%†125
1980–199927%†532

Size of homes

1,943 homes (±226)

Wilkesboro, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Studio2.0%†38
1 bedroom9.3%†180
2 bedrooms42%819

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

1,457 workers (±224)

Wilkesboro, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Drive alone85%1,234
Carpool4.2%†61
Public transit2.5%†36
Walk3.9%†57
Bike0.0%0
Work from home3.4%†50
Other1.3%†19

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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,407 workers (±218)

Wilkesboro, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under 15 min57%806
15–29 min22%†307
30–44 min8.4%†118

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 North Wilkesboro, 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 Wilkes County, the county holding most of Wilkesboro's residents.

Wilkes County has 1,157 employer establishments, 175 for every 10,000 residents (0.71× the US rate of 248; 0.74× North Carolina's), with 19,772 paid employees at an average annual pay of $41,429. The Census Bureau also counts 4,964 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,157; 4,964 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 175; US 248 · North Carolina 237
Paid employees: 19,772
Average annual pay: $41,429; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	87	13.2	0.72×Fewer than typical	1,703	$16,879	28
Specialty trade contractors	86	13	0.84×About typical	558	$53,385	613
Religious organizations	83	12.6	2.27×More than typical	339	$22,799	—
Ambulatory health care services	70	10.6	0.51×Fewer than typical	940	$63,355	120
Gasoline stations	44	6.7	2.06×More than typical	220	$20,455	3
Building equipment contractors	43	6.5	1.08×About typical	289	$47,955	124
Limited-service restaurants	42	6.4	0.79×Fewer than typical	912	$17,468	10
Construction of buildings	39	5.9	0.78×Fewer than typical	130	$47,854	262
Full-service restaurants	36	5.5	0.71×Fewer than typical	668	$16,180	15
Lessors of real estate	34	5.1	0.42×Fewer than typical	195	$18,785	340
Automotive repair and maintenance	28	4.2	0.84×About typical	172	$38,134	135
Services to buildings and dwellings	27	4.1	0.61×Fewer than typical	274	$27,865	483

Rank places for an industry Open Wilkes County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 66,024 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 $171.6K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Wilkesboro, North Carolina: $47.08 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $171.6K; −95% vs FY2025
Per resident: $47.08; US $2,007
Sole-source: 3.2%; 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

Agricultural Marketing Service$87.4K51%
Department of the Army$84.6K49%

Top recipients

TYSON FOODS INC.$87.4K51%
TITAN CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT LLC$51.4K30%
LGX-RBS, LLC$31.4K18%
DUKE ENERGY CAROLINAS, LLC$3,6672.1%
WILKES COUNTY$2,3951.4%

Spending by fiscal year

210.7KFY2017
751.2KFY2018
189.1KFY2019
256KFY2020
110.1KFY2021
178.8KFY2022
176.4KFY2023
527.7K

Top industries (NAICS)

Animal slaughtering and processing · 3116$87.4K51%
Building finishing contractors · 2383$51.4K30%
Facilities support services · 5612$26.1K15%
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution · 2211$3,6672.1%
Investigation and security services · 5616$2,3951.4%
Water, sewage and other systems · 2213$980

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

Wilkesboro, North Carolina's figures are part of those of Wilkes County, NC ($2.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 8.2% of that total.

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

See federal money in Wilkes 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.

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

House

Virginia FoxxR-NC-5 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 0.4%

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.

Wilkes County33100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

North Wilkesboro, NC28

Other cities and towns in Wilkes 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/3774020

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends