Town · Martin County, North Carolina

Williamston, North Carolina

Williamston is a town in Martin County, North Carolina. It has 5,112 residents. Williamston, North Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 12 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,759 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within North Carolina it ranks #406 of 458 cities and towns. It ranks best on social associations (high), median Air Quality Index (low) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low). It ranks worst on average weekly wage (low), child poverty rate (high) and poverty rate (high).

12Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,759 of 15,651 cities and towns
North Carolina: #406 of 458 in NC
Population: 5,112 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 1,133.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 3774220

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.

Safety1#15,402/15,637
Economy3#15,177/15,631
Housing50#7,531/14,977
Health7#14,479/15,609
Healthcare10#14,112/15,650
Environment79#3,230/15,453
Education28#11,219/15,649
Infrastructure5#14,806/15,650
Community55#7,086/15,651
Leisure & amenities23#12,099/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Social associations · high17.7 /10k
96/100North Carolina 11.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMartin County value
Median Air Quality Index · low31
92/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMartin County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low6.3 µg/m³
86/100North Carolina 7.5 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMartin County value
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMartin County value
Pharmacies · high2.3 /10k
84/100North Carolina 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMartin County value
Mammography screening · high52.0%
81/100North Carolina 50.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMartin County value

Weaknesses

Average weekly wage · low$785
0/100North Carolina $1,376United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMartin County value
Child poverty rate · high67.7%
1/100North Carolina 16.6%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Poverty rate · high36.3%
2/100North Carolina 12.6%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Homicide rate · high15.2 /100k
3/100North Carolina 6.9 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataMartin County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100North Carolina 5.2 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyMartin County value
Firearm deaths · high26.3 /100k
5/100North Carolina 16.2 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataMartin County value

Trends

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

Child poverty rateWorsening
29.0% (2015-2019) → 67.7% (2020-2024)
+39 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
68.8% (2015-2019) → 84.3% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Poverty rateWorsening
21.5% (2015-2019) → 36.3% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Unemployment rateImproving
18.6% (2015-2019) → 9.8% (2020-2024)
−8.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
59.4% (2015-2019) → 50.9% (2020-2024)
−8.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
21.7% (2015-2019) → 14.3% (2020-2024)
−7.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

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, Williamston, North Carolina improved on 3 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 10 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.

Improved3

Unemployment−8.8 points18.6% → 9.8%
Inequality−0.1190.563 → 0.444
Broadband+16 points68.8% → 84.3%

Declined2

Child poverty+39 points29.0% → 67.7%
Poverty+15 points21.5% → 36.3%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Williamston, North Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	20.4 min2015-2019	20.1 min2020-2024	−0.3 min	Within the margin of error	51%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.7%2015-2019	14.3%2020-2024	−7.5 points	Within the margin of error	4%
Broadband subscriptions	68.8%2015-2019	84.3%2020-2024	+16 points	Improved	81%
Child poverty rate	29.0%2015-2019	67.7%2020-2024	+39 points	Declined	1%
Effective property tax rate	1.33%2015-2019	1.25%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	31%
High school diploma or higher	84.7%2015-2019	78.2%2020-2024	−6.5 points	Within the margin of error	4%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	71%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5632015-2019	0.4442020-2024	−0.119	Improved	97%
Median household income	$36,7072015-2019	$38,7382020-2024	+5.5%	Within the margin of error	12%
Poverty rate	21.5%2015-2019	36.3%2020-2024	+15 points	Declined	2%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	35.5%2015-2019	32.5%2020-2024	−3 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Rent-burdened households	59.4%2015-2019	50.9%2020-2024	−8.5 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Unemployment rate	18.6%2015-2019	9.8%2020-2024	−8.8 points	Improved	99%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.2%2015-2019	12.4%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	67%

“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 Williamston, North Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Williamston, 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, Williamston, North Carolina itself moved +3.3 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

5,112 residents (±28)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

2,364 households (±225)

Williamston, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $25k32%750
$25k–50k29%†675
$50k–75k13%†

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,364 households (±225)

Williamston, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Own51%1,194
Rent49%1,170

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

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

2,285 workers (±219)

Williamston, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Drive alone65%1,495
Carpool15%†349
Public transit0.0%0

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 Martin County, the county holding most of Williamston's residents.

Martin County has 426 employer establishments, 198 for every 10,000 residents (0.80× the US rate of 248; 0.84× North Carolina's), with 4,847 paid employees at an average annual pay of $36,261. The Census Bureau also counts 1,437 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 426; 1,437 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 198; US 248 · North Carolina 237
Paid employees: 4,847
Average annual pay: $36,261; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	39	18.2	0.87×About typical	362	$37,240	55
Religious organizations	35	16.3	2.94×More than typical	113	$17,248	—
Restaurants and other eating places	33	15.4	0.84×About typical	604	$16,199	9
Specialty trade contractors	20	9.3	0.60×Fewer than typical	186	$51,215	115
Limited-service restaurants	17	7.9	0.99×About typical	329	$19,912	6
Full-service restaurants	16	7.4	0.97×About typical	275	$11,756	3
Truck transportation	15	7	1.38×More than typical	80	$34,288	53
Offices of other health practitioners	14	6.5	1.07×About typical	102	$36,598	23
Gasoline stations	13	6.1	1.87×More than typical	104	$22,404	—
General merchandise stores	13	6.1	3.42×More than typical	378	$25,646	—
Lessors of real estate	11	5.1	0.42×Fewer than typical	17	$37,353	109
Banks and credit unions	10	4.7	1.44×More than typical	72	$44,014	—

Rank places for an industry Open Martin County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 21,484 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 $4,306 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Williamston, North Carolina: $0.84 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $4,306; +3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.84; 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

U.S. Agency for Global Media$4,306100%

Top recipients

GN WYNN FARMS, LLC$4,306100%

Spending by fiscal year

161.7FY2017
422FY2018
10.4FY2019
455.3FY2021
3.9KFY2023
4.3KFY2024
4.2KFY2025
4.3KFY2026

Top industries (NAICS)

Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$4,306100%

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

Williamston, North Carolina's figures are part of those of Martin County, NC ($175.8K in FY2026), never added to them: 2.4% of that total.

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

See federal money in Martin 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.

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

House

Donald G. DavisD-NC-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 70%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.

Martin County26100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Martin 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/3774220

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends