Scores by category

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

Safety30#646/924
Economy48#484/925
Housing58#388/925
Health33#623/925
Healthcare65#321/923
Environment95#47/917
Education60#368/925
Infrastructure29#655/925
Community79#199/925
Leisure & amenities57#401/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Mammography screening · high62.0%
99/100North Carolina 50.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · high31.7%
88/100North Carolina 30.0%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low6.0 µg/m³
85/100North Carolina 7.5 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Voter turnout · high72.3%
84/100North Carolina 72.9%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionAggregated from counties
Grocery stores · high2.1 /10k
84/100North Carolina 1.8 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Flu vaccinations · high49.6%
82/100North Carolina 48.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-3.3%
6/100North Carolina 0.8%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Injury deaths · high130 /100k
9/100North Carolina 97 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Premature death · high13,122 /100k
10/100North Carolina 9,400 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Homicide rate · high8.1 /100k
13/100North Carolina 6.9 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Distance to an emergency room · high9.8 mi
18/100North Carolina 7.9 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
Broadband subscriptions · low85.3%
20/100North Carolina 90.1%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
20% (2021) → 73% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+53 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
68.8% (2010 & 2021) → 84.9% (2022 & 2024)
+16 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
59.5 /100k (2021) → 21.7 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−63%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
18.9% (Dec 2021) → 30.0% (Aug 2026)
+11 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
New homes permittedImproving
3.3 /1k (2021) → 5.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+54%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Property crime rateImproving
2,171 /100k (2020) → 1,195 /100k (2025)
−45%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /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, New Bern, NC micropolitan area improved on 16 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 5 moved within the margin of error and 6 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.

Improved16

Libraries+20%0.7 /10k → 0.9 /10k
Uninsured−3.5 points13.8% → 10.3%
High school++3.8 points88.0% → 91.8%
Child poverty−6.7 points24.7% → 18.1%
Overdose deaths−53%46.0 /100k → 21.7 /100k

Declined3

Pharmacies−10%2.3 /10k → 2.0 /10k
Price / income+0.4×3.0× → 3.4×
Traffic deaths+5.2%14.1 /100k → 14.8 /100k

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of New Bern, NC micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.4 /10k2020	3.3 /10k2025	−3.4%	Little change	23%
Average commute time	21.8 min2015-2019	22.5 min2020-2024	+0.8 min	Within the margin of error	37%
Average weekly wage	$8912020	$1,0622025	+19%	Improved	17%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.3%2015-2019	26.6%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Improved	63%
Broadband subscriptions	78.8%2015-2019	85.3%2020-2024	+6.6 points	Improved	19%
Child poverty rate	24.7%2015-2019	18.1%2020-2024	−6.7 points	Improved	87%
Distance to an airport	75 mi2020	75 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	83%
Drug overdose deaths	46.0 /100k2020	21.7 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−53%	Improved	84%
Effective property tax rate	0.73%2015-2019	0.64%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	34%
Grocery stores	2.2 /10k2020	2.1 /10k2025	−3.4%	Little change	37%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.9 /10k2020	1.0 /10k2025	+14%	Improved	63%
High school diploma or higher	88.0%2015-2019	91.8%2020-2024	+3.8 points	Improved	89%
Home price to income ratio	3.0×2015-2019	3.4×2020-2024	+0.4×	Declined	53%
Homicide rate	13.3 /100k2020	8.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−39%	Improved	66%
Income adjusted for local prices	$52,7522019	$69,1142024	+31%	Improved	44%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4592015-2019	0.4512020-2024	−0.009	Within the margin of error	76%
Median household income	$51,0172015-2019	$64,4752020-2024	+26%	Improved	48%
New business applications	8.8 /1k2020	12.1 /1k2025	+37%	Improved	36%
Pharmacies	2.3 /10k2020	2.0 /10k2025	−10%	Declined	46%
Poverty rate	15.7%2015-2019	14.2%2020-2024	−1.5 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Property crime rate	2,171 /100k2020	1,195 /100k2025	−45%	Improved	75%
Public libraries	0.7 /10k2019	0.9 /10k2024	+20%	Improved	96%
Rent as share of income	28.9%2015-2019	28.3%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Rent-burdened households	47.1%2015-2019	46.1%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Restaurants and bars	8.0 /10k2020	7.9 /10k2025	−1.5%	Little change	39%
Suicide rate	19.9 /100k2020	20.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+3.9%	Little change	52%
Traffic deaths	14.1 /100k2015-2019	14.8 /100k2020-2024	+5.2%	Declined	53%
Unemployment rate	6.5%2020	3.9%2025	−2.6 points	Improved	38%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	13.8%2015-2019	10.3%2020-2024	−3.5 points	Improved	95%
Violent crime rate	386 /100k2020	283 /100k2025	−27%	Improved	69%

“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 New Bern, NC micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of New Bern, NC micropolitan 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, New Bern, NC micropolitan area itself moved +3.5 points in standing on average over the same 29 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

124,304 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

52,452 households (±648)

New Bern, NC micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k18%9,437
$25k–50k21%11,226
$50k–75k18%9,371

Homes

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

Owners and renters

52,452 households (±648)

New Bern, NC micropolitan area
United States share

Own71%37,142
Rent29%15,310

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+5.5 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

54,500 workers (±1,019)

New Bern, NC micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone78%42,706
Carpool9.6%5,212
Public transit0.5%†291

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 no occupation wages for New Bern, NC micropolitan area.

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.

New Bern, NC has 2,610 employer establishments, 208 for every 10,000 residents (0.84× the US rate of 248), with 34,087 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,355. The Census Bureau also counts 9,363 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,610; 9,363 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 208; US 248
Paid employees: 34,087
Average annual pay: $47,355; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	213	17	0.82×About typical	2,595	$63,274	444
Restaurants and other eating places	207	16.5	0.90×About typical	4,111	$18,767	43
Specialty trade contractors	147	11.7	0.76×Fewer than typical	1,129	$55,477	617
Lessors of real estate	130	10.4	0.84×About typical	364	$40,659	974
Religious organizations	106	8.5	1.53×More than typical	725	$24,407	—
Limited-service restaurants	102	8.1	1.02×About typical	2,136	$16,632	12
Construction of buildings	95	7.6	1.00×About typical	393	$50,654	352
Services to buildings and dwellings	84	6.7	0.99×About typical	468	$35,607	840
Full-service restaurants	83	6.6	0.86×About typical	1,769	$21,804	16
Automotive repair and maintenance	71	5.7	1.13×About typical	256	$41,980	121
Building equipment contractors	69	5.5	0.92×About typical	503	$45,082	98
Truck transportation	65	5.2	1.03×About typical	322	$57,537	189

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 125,249 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 $198.9M on contracts performed in New Bern, NC micropolitan area: $1,562 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $198.9M; −62% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,562; US $1,994
Sole-source: 11%; US 30%
Single offer: 8.8%; 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

Top recipients

EASTERN AVIATION FUELS, INC.$26.3M13%
AGILE JV, LLC$25.2M13%
APPLIED SOLUTIONS LOGISTICS, LLC$21.4M11%
V2X AEROSPACE LLC$9.9M5.0%
BLUE ROCK STRUCTURES, INC$8.6M4.3%

Spending by fiscal year

276.2MFY2017
192.7MFY2018
325.7MFY2019
859.1MFY2020
307.2MFY2021
419.9MFY2022
631.6MFY2023
577.7M

Top industries (NAICS)

Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$47.1M24%
Support activities for air transportation · 4881$35.5M18%
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing · 3241$26.3M13%
Warehousing and storage · 4931$24.2M12%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$19.8M10.0%
Facilities support services · 5612$13.1M

Largest awards

P197 DB AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE HANGAR - BASE PRICE AND OPTIONS$240M
WALSH FEDERAL LLC· Craven County, NC· Construction & real property· Apr 26, 2022 – May 15, 2026· N4008522C0016
HURRICANE FLORENCE RECOVERY MILCON PACKAGE 1, P162F, PP254F, P246F, P142F,&P130F.$160.5M
WHITING-TURNER CONTRACTING COMPANY, THE· Craven County, NC· Construction & real property· Aug 12, 2020 – Apr 15, 2026· N4008520C0055
BASE PRICE$133.6M
WALSH FEDERAL LLC· Craven County, NC· Construction & real property· Sep 29, 2023 – Mar 3, 2026· N4008523C0050
MOB VMAT-203 CORE MAINTENANCE SUPPORT

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 $1.2B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for New Bern, NC micropolitan area: $9,385 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $1.2B; −3.7% vs FY2025
Per resident: $9,385; US $12,955
Loan face value: $116.3M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.9%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$648.5M54%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$286.2M24%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$77.7M6.5%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$47.8M4.0%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$29.8M2.5%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$24.3M2.0%
64.110 · Veterans Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for Service-Connected Death$12.7M1.1%
64.028 · Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance$9.9M0.8%

Top recipients (organizations)

TRANSPORTATION NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT$32.4M2.7%
RALEIGH, NC
TWIN RIVERS OPPORTUNITIES, INC$7.8M0.7%
NEW BERN, NC
CRAVEN COMMUNITY COLLEGE$4.7M0.4%
NEW BERN, NC
COASTAL CAROLINA REGIONAL AIRPORT$3.4M0.3%
NEW BERN, NC
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF NEW BERN, N.C.

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$798.3M67%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$318.5M27%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$32.4M2.7%
Department of Transportation
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$9.1M0.8%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Farm Service Agency

Assistance by fiscal year

882.4MFY2021
942.4MFY2022
1BFY2023
1.1BFY2024
1.2BFY2025
1.2BFY2026

County aggregates

94%

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 New Bern, 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.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

New BernPrincipal city32,734

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
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/M35100

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved16

Declined3

Metro and micro areas like New Bern, NC micropolitan 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

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 New Bern, 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

Improved16

Declined3

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

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