Scores by category

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

Safety6#873/924
Economy22#719/925
Housing76#225/925
Health18#762/925
Healthcare22#724/923
Environment72#253/917
Education20#741/925
Infrastructure19#754/925
Community60#371/925
Leisure & amenities24#702/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Distance to an Amtrak station · low8 mi
87/100North Carolina 23 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
New business applications · high16.0 /1k
83/100North Carolina 16.3 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
81/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Voter turnout · high70.7%
79/100North Carolina 72.9%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionAggregated from counties
Rent as share of income · low26.6%
79/100North Carolina 29.5%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Comfortable days · high29.8%
78/100North Carolina 30.0%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Drought exposure · high99%
2/100North Carolina 79%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Homicide rate · high15.0 /100k
4/100North Carolina 6.9 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Firearm deaths · high26.8 /100k
7/100North Carolina 16.2 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Premature death · high13,742 /100k
8/100North Carolina 9,400 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.9 /10k
8/100North Carolina 4.9 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Broadband subscriptions · low83.1%
10/100North 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
15% (2021) → 99% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+85 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
48.9% (2010 & 2021) → 74.8% (2022 & 2024)
+26 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
72.1% (2015-2019) → 83.1% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
18.0% (Dec 2021) → 27.0% (Aug 2026)
+9 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
41.8 /100k (2021) → 23.3 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−44%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Violent crime rateImproving
677 /100k (2020) → 391 /100k (2025)
−42%5 yearsUS 389 /100k → 328 /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, Rocky Mount, NC metro area improved on 15 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 8. 4 moved within the margin of error and 4 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.

Improved15

Libraries+11%0.5 /10k → 0.6 /10k
Rent / income−2.7 points29.3% → 26.6%
Poverty−3.1 points18.2% → 15.2%
Rent burden−5.1 points48.4% → 43.2%
Violent crime−42%677 /100k → 391 /100k

Declined8

Grocery stores−22%2.5 /10k → 2.0 /10k
Uninsured+2 points12.1% → 14.0%
Firearm deaths+36%19.8 /100k → 26.8 /100k
Homicides+11%13.5 /100k → 15.0 /100k
Suicides+22%13.2 /100k → 16.1 /100k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Rocky Mount, 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	1.9 /10k2025	+0.9%	Little change	31%
Average commute time	22.9 min2015-2019	23.3 min2020-2024	+0.4 min	Within the margin of error	49%
Average weekly wage	$8202020	$1,0382025	+27%	Improved	77%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.2%2015-2019	20.5%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Improved	41%
Broadband subscriptions	72.1%2015-2019	83.1%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	70%
Child poverty rate	26.7%2015-2019	23.6%2020-2024	−3.1 points	Within the margin of error	59%
Distance to an airport	54 mi2020	54 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	93%
Drug overdose deaths	29.2 /100k2020	23.3 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−20%	Improved	45%
Effective property tax rate	0.91%2015-2019	0.72%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	71%
Firearm deaths	19.8 /100k2020	26.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+36%	Declined	15%
Grocery stores	2.5 /10k2020	2.0 /10k2025	−22%	Declined	8%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.7 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	+26%	Improved	76%
High school diploma or higher	84.0%2015-2019	86.4%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+0.3×	Declined	65%
Homicide rate	13.5 /100k2020	15.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+11%	Declined	15%
Income adjusted for local prices	$49,3262019	$61,5002024	+25%	Improved	7%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4742015-2019	0.4562020-2024	−0.018	Within the margin of error	87%
Median household income	$44,5592015-2019	$59,6362020-2024	+34%	Improved	82%
New business applications	12.2 /1k2020	16.0 /1k2025	+31%	Improved	28%
Pharmacies	1.9 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	−6.2%	Declined	55%
Poverty rate	18.2%2015-2019	15.2%2020-2024	−3.1 points	Improved	87%
Property crime rate	1,838 /100k2020	1,857 /100k2025	+1%	Little change	6%
Public libraries	0.5 /10k2019	0.6 /10k2024	+11%	Improved	92%
Rent as share of income	29.3%2015-2019	26.6%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Improved	91%
Rent-burdened households	48.4%2015-2019	43.2%2020-2024	−5.1 points	Improved	89%
Restaurants and bars	6.6 /10k2020	6.2 /10k2025	−5.8%	Declined	23%
Suicide rate	13.2 /100k2020	16.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+22%	Declined	23%
Traffic deaths	25.0 /100k2015-2019	22.9 /100k2020-2024	−8.1%	Improved	76%
Unemployment rate	8.8%2020	5.1%2025	−3.7 points	Improved	73%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	12.1%2015-2019	14.0%2020-2024	+2 points	Declined	9%
Violent crime rate	677 /100k2020	391 /100k2025	−42%	Improved	90%

“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 Rocky Mount, NC metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Rocky Mount, 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, Rocky Mount, NC metro area itself moved +1.1 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

144,952 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

58,449 households (±741)

Rocky Mount, NC metro area
United States share

Under $25k20%11,436
$25k–50k22%12,835
$50k–75k19%11,061

Homes

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

Owners and renters

58,449 households (±741)

Rocky Mount, NC metro area
United States share

Own63%36,608
Rent37%21,841

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

63,392 workers (±1,442)

Rocky Mount, NC metro area
United States share

Drive alone80%50,698
Carpool7.6%4,790
Public transit0.4%†263

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 Rocky Mount, NC employ 11,720 people. 10 pay a median below the US median.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Rocky Mount, 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
Cashiers1,630 jobs	1,630	$26,610US $32,880	−19%	1.51×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand1,440 jobs	1,440	$36,550US $40,240	−9%	1.38×
Retail Salespersons1,380 jobs	1,380	$28,830US $35,410	−19%	1.01×
Cooks, Fast Food1,260 jobs	1,260	$23,710US $30,890	−23%	5.59×
Stockers and Order Fillers1,250 jobs	1,250	$35,050US $37,330	−6%	1.26×
Registered Nurses1,180 jobs	1,180	$82,300US $97,550	−16%	0.99×
Nursing Assistants940 jobs	940	$37,650US $42,260	−11%	1.84×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides890 jobs	890	$28,910US $35,800	−19%	0.59×
Fast Food and Counter Workers880 jobs	880	$26,850US $31,200	−14%	0.65×
Office Clerks, General870 jobs	870	$41,400US $45,010	−8%	1.01×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Rocky Mount, 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.

Rocky Mount, NC has 2,816 employer establishments, 193 for every 10,000 residents (0.78× the US rate of 248), with 50,593 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,026. The Census Bureau also counts 10,251 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,816; 10,251 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 193; US 248
Paid employees: 50,593
Average annual pay: $47,026; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	208	14.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	4,754	$18,223	58
Ambulatory health care services	189	12.9	0.62×Fewer than typical	2,348	$63,478	445
Specialty trade contractors	175	12	0.77×Fewer than typical	1,800	$56,477	824
Religious organizations	154	10.5	1.90×More than typical	719	$23,373	—
Limited-service restaurants	104	7.1	0.89×About typical	2,703	$18,131	11
Lessors of real estate	99	6.8	0.55×Fewer than typical	280	$40,129	887
Building equipment contractors	94	6.4	1.07×About typical	1,086	$58,789	176
Services to buildings and dwellings	92	6.3	0.93×About typical	542	$30,054	999
Gasoline stations	87	5.9	1.83×More than typical	603	$24,804	3
Construction of buildings	85	5.8	0.77×Fewer than typical	500	$65,214	303
Full-service restaurants	83	5.7	0.74×Fewer than typical	1,763	$18,705	23
General merchandise stores	62	4.2	2.40×More than typical	1,613	$25,555	47

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 146,278 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 $25.2M on contracts performed in Rocky Mount, NC metro area: $170 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $25.2M; −45% vs FY2025
Per resident: $170; US $1,994
Sole-source: 83%; US 30%
Single offer: 3.0%; 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

Defense Logistics Agency$10.7M42%
Department of the Air Force$7.5M

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 $1.1B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Rocky Mount, NC metro area: $7,126 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $1.1B; −3.5% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,126; US $12,955
Loan face value: $41.7M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.7%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$610.5M58%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$131.8M12%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$112M11%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$54.1M5.1%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$47.3M4.5%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$16.3M1.5%
57.001 · Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$11.1M1.0%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$8.2M0.8%

Top recipients (organizations)

TRANSPORTATION NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT$17.4M1.6%
RALEIGH, NC
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA$8.4M0.8%
ROCKY MOUNT, NC
NASH COMMUNITY COLLEGE$7.1M0.7%
ROCKY MOUNT, NC
EDGECOMBE COMMUNITY COLLEGE$5.1M0.5%
TARBORO, NC
NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY, 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$823.9M78%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$145.8M14%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$17.4M1.6%
Department of Transportation
Department of Education$16.8M1.6%
Farm Service Agency$15.8M1.5%

Assistance by fiscal year

946.9MFY2021
913.8MFY2022
991.8MFY2023
999.9MFY2024
1.1BFY2025
1.1BFY2026

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 Rocky Mount, 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.

Rocky MountPrincipal city54,297

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/M40580

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved15

Declined8

Metro and micro areas like Rocky Mount, 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

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Rocky Mount, 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

Improved15

Declined8

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

Top buying agencies

By type

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards