Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety5#878/924
Economy27#673/925
Housing67#304/925
Health27#680/925
Healthcare27#678/923
Environment54#424/917
Education32#628/925
Infrastructure47#493/925
Community77#218/925
Leisure & amenities19#748/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Goldsboro, NC metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Cost of buying a home today · low24.0%
92/100North Carolina 33.1%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research
New homes permitted · high7.3 /1k
88/100North Carolina 8.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Access to exercise opportunities · high86.2%
84/100North Carolina 78.0%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Social associations · high14.0 /10k
81/100North Carolina 11.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · high29.6%
78/100North Carolina 30.0%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Mammography screening · high51.0%
74/100North Carolina 50.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Drought exposure · high98%
4/100North Carolina 79%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Homicide rate · high11.8 /100k
6/100North Carolina 6.9 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.8 /10k
6/100North Carolina 4.9 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Property crime rate · high2,164 /100k
7/100North Carolina 1,780 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Public libraries · low0.3 /10k
8/100North Carolina 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Violent crime rate · high512 /100k
10/100North Carolina 330 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
18% (2021) → 97% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+80 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
38.9% (2010 & 2021) → 86.2% (2022 & 2024)
+47 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
New homes permittedImproving
4.1 /1k (2021) → 7.3 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+79%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.9% (2015-2019) → 90.0% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Suicide rateWorsening
10.3 /100k (2021) → 15.2 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+48%5 yearsUS 14.5 /100k → 14.1 /100k
Drug overdose deathsImproving
30.8 /100k (2021) → 16.9 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−45%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k

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, Goldsboro, NC metro area improved on 13 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 6. 8 moved within the margin of error and 5 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved13

Inequality−0.0270.475 → 0.449
Child poverty−6.7 points32.8% → 26.1%
Poverty−2.9 points20.2% → 17.3%
Household income+34%$44,416 → $59,733
Restaurants+7.6%6.5 /10k → 7.0 /10k

Declined6

Libraries−23%0.3 /10k → 0.2 /10k
Suicides+79%8.5 /100k → 15.2 /100k
Firearm deaths+84%11.9 /100k → 21.9 /100k
Homicides+44%8.2 /100k → 11.8 /100k
Traffic deaths+35%14.7 /100k → 19.9 /100k

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Goldsboro, NC metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	1.9 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	−3.7%	Little change	22%
Average commute time	22.2 min2015-2019	22.9 min2020-2024	+0.8 min	Within the margin of error	37%
Average weekly wage	$7992020	$9662025	+21%	Improved	29%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.0%2015-2019	21.7%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Improved	48%
Broadband subscriptions	79.9%2015-2019	90.0%2020-2024	+10 points	Improved	64%
Child poverty rate	32.8%2015-2019	26.1%2020-2024	−6.7 points	Improved	87%
Distance to an airport	57 mi2020	57 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	28.2 /100k2020	16.9 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−40%	Improved	70%
Effective property tax rate	0.78%2015-2019	0.73%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Firearm deaths	11.9 /100k2020	21.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+84%	Declined	4%
Grocery stores	1.9 /10k2020	1.9 /10k2025	+0.7%	Little change	54%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.6 /10k2020	0.6 /10k2025	−3.7%	Little change	31%
High school diploma or higher	84.5%2015-2019	86.4%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	80%
Homicide rate	8.2 /100k2020	11.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+44%	Declined	6%
Income adjusted for local prices	$46,0772019	$60,9932024	+32%	Improved	56%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4752015-2019	0.4492020-2024	−0.027	Improved	93%
Median household income	$44,4162015-2019	$59,7332020-2024	+34%	Improved	84%
New business applications	9.6 /1k2020	12.8 /1k2025	+33%	Improved	30%
Pharmacies	1.4 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	−16%	Declined	31%
Poverty rate	20.2%2015-2019	17.3%2020-2024	−2.9 points	Improved	85%
Property crime rate	2,496 /100k2020	2,164 /100k2025	−13%	Improved	15%
Public libraries	0.3 /10k2019	0.2 /10k2024	−23%	Declined	3%
Public transit commuters	0.5%2015-2019	0.3%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Rent as share of income	29.3%2015-2019	28.7%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Rent-burdened households	48.4%2015-2019	47.3%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Restaurants and bars	6.5 /10k2020	7.0 /10k2025	+7.6%	Improved	73%
Suicide rate	8.5 /100k2020	15.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+79%	Declined	3%
Traffic deaths	14.7 /100k2015-2019	19.9 /100k2020-2024	+35%	Declined	14%
Unemployment rate	6.4%2020	3.9%2025	−2.5 points	Improved	36%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.9%2015-2019	14.6%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Violent crime rate	502 /100k2020	512 /100k2025	+2%	Little change	24%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Goldsboro, NC metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Goldsboro, NC metro area 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, Goldsboro, NC metro area itself moved −1.9 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

118,652 residents

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

47,507 households (±632)

Goldsboro, NC metro area
United States share

Under $25k19%8,966
$25k–50k23%11,053
$50k–75k17%8,265

Homes

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

Owners and renters

47,507 households (±632)

Goldsboro, NC metro area
United States share

Own61%29,195
Rent39%18,312

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

53,375 workers (±1,282)

Goldsboro, NC metro area
United States share

Drive alone81%43,405
Carpool11%6,028
Public transit0.3%†161

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Goldsboro, NC employ 9,830 people. 1 pay a median above the US median and 9 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Goldsboro, NC by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Retail Salespersons1,460 jobs	1,460	$29,960US $35,410	−15%	1.44×
Cashiers1,270 jobs	1,270	$27,170US $32,880	−17%	1.59×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides1,190 jobs	1,190	$38,300US $35,800	+7%	1.06×
Cooks, Fast Food1,110 jobs	1,110	$22,510US $30,890	−27%	6.66×
Stockers and Order Fillers1,000 jobs	1,000	$33,850US $37,330	−9%	1.36×
Registered Nurses950 jobs	950	$82,740US $97,550	−15%	1.08×
Fast Food and Counter Workers760 jobs	760	$28,070US $31,200	−10%	0.76×
Customer Service Representatives740 jobs	740	$34,500US $44,770	−23%	1.1×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand710 jobs	710	$34,730US $40,240	−14%	0.92×
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education640 jobs	640	$49,240US $63,970	−23%	1.78×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Goldsboro, NC.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

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.

Goldsboro, NC has 2,195 employer establishments, 183 for every 10,000 residents (0.74× the US rate of 248), with 33,629 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,726. The Census Bureau also counts 8,307 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,195; 8,307 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 183; US 248
Paid employees: 33,629
Average annual pay: $42,726; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	188	15.7	0.85×About typical	4,630	$17,842	46
Ambulatory health care services	157	13.1	0.63×Fewer than typical	1,829	$54,507	349
Specialty trade contractors	151	12.6	0.81×About typical	1,448	$50,741	551
Religious organizations	142	11.9	2.14×More than typical	654	$20,982	—
Limited-service restaurants	97	8.1	1.01×About typical	2,972	$16,715	20
Full-service restaurants	75	6.3	0.82×About typical	1,491	$19,793	16
Building equipment contractors	64	5.3	0.89×About typical	553	$58,712	116
Lessors of real estate	64	5.3	0.43×Fewer than typical	224	$37,915	606
Automotive repair and maintenance	60	5	1.00×About typical	377	$33,899	210
Services to buildings and dwellings	59	4.9	0.73×Fewer than typical	496	$29,276	830
Gasoline stations	53	4.4	1.37×More than typical	342	$25,251	7
Construction of buildings	52	4.3	0.57×Fewer than typical	462	$78,970	260

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 119,731 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $62.9M on contracts performed in Goldsboro, NC metro area: $514 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $62.9M; +228% vs FY2025
Per resident: $514; US $1,994
Sole-source: 12%; US 30%
Single offer: 3.9%; 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 Air Force$45.4M72%
Department of Veterans Affairs$6.8M11%
Department of the Army$6M9.6%
Defense Health Agency$1.8M2.8%
Defense Logistics Agency$1.6M2.6%
Defense Commissary Agency$568K0.9%
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service$538.7K0.9%
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center$37.6K0.1%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

136.2MFY2017
54.6MFY2018
116.3MFY2019
73.3MFY2020
87.5MFY2021
81.4MFY2022
116.9MFY2023
81.9M

Top industries (NAICS)

Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$19.9M32%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$12.1M19%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$8M13%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$3.8M6.0%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$3.1M4.9%
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors · 2381

Largest awards

CONTRACTOR SHALL FURNISH ALL PERSONNEL, EQUIPMENT, TOOLS, MATERIALS, SUPERVISION, REQUIRED TO PERFORM F-15E, F-16, F-22A CONTRACT AIRCREW TRAINING (CAT), COURSEWARE DEVELOPMENT (CWD) TO INCLUDE (IRC) INSTRUCTION, (DMO) AND (DMT).$48.7M
KT CONSULTING, INC.· Wayne County, NC· Education & social services· Oct 26, 2022 – Jun 5, 2026· FA489023F0005
REPAIR AIRFIELD PAVEMENTS$19.9M
SOUTHERN MANAGEMENT INC· Wayne County, NC· Construction & real property· Apr 17, 2026 – Apr 21, 2026· FA480926F0029
SEYMOUR JOHNSON TANK REPAIR$18M
KINLEY CONSTRUCTION COMPANY· Wayne County, NC· Construction & real property· Feb 22, 2024 – Jun 2, 2026· W9128F24F0073

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $841.5M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Goldsboro, NC metro area: $6,882 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $841.5M; −2.5% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,882; US $12,955
Loan face value: $69.3M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.9%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$419.4M50%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$181.6M22%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$79.6M9.5%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$42.2M5.0%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$29.8M3.5%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$13.1M1.6%
64.110 · Veterans Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for Service-Connected Death$12.2M1.4%
93.600 · Head Start$11M1.3%

Top recipients (organizations)

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF GOLDSBORO, N.C$12M1.4%
GOLDSBORO, NC
WAYNE ACTION GROUP FOR ECONOMIC SOLVENCY, INC.$11M1.3%
GOLDSBORO, NC
WAYNE COMMUNITY COLLEGE$8M0.9%
GOLDSBORO, NC
TRANSPORTATION NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT$7M0.8%
RALEIGH, NC
UNIVERSITY OF MOUNT OLIVE INC

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$571.1M68%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$205.4M24%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$15.6M1.9%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Education$14.3M1.7%
Administration for Children and Families

Assistance by fiscal year

735.1MFY2021
724.4MFY2022
749.5MFY2023
783.6MFY2024
862.7MFY2025
841.5MFY2026

County aggregates

93%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Goldsboro, NC

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Wayne CountyCentral county29122,278

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

GoldsboroPrincipal city34,383

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in North Carolina

Areas based in North Carolina, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M24140

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined6

Metro and micro areas like Goldsboro, NC metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Goldsboro, NC

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in North Carolina

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved13

Declined6

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought