State

North Carolina

North Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 38 out of 100 (low), ranking #32 of 51 US states. It ranks best on new homes permitted (high), job growth (high) and voter turnout (high). It ranks worst on drought exposure (high), dental care shortage (high) and distance to an emergency room (high).

38Low
Quality-of-life score
#32 of 51 states
Population
11,197,968 (2025)
Land area
48,624 mi²
Density
230.3 /mi²
FIPS code
37

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 78 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Location of North Carolina

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US states.

  • Safety28#37/51
  • Economy38#32/51
  • Housing44#29/51
  • Health30#36/51
  • Healthcare32#35/51
  • Environment65#18/49
  • Education56#23/51
  • Infrastructure38#32/51
  • Community56#23/51
  • Leisure & amenities48#27/51

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where North Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US states (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Weaknesses

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.

States like North Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of 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.

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).

Income

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

Homes

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

Getting to work

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

Jobs and pay

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

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.

Federal contract spending

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.

Public money & outcomes

Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.

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.

Counties of North Carolina

All 100 counties, best quality-of-life score first.

  1. 1Wake County94
  2. 2Union County87
  3. 3Dare County86
  4. 4Transylvania County86
  5. 5Orange County86
  6. 6Henderson County83
  7. 7Iredell County83
  8. 8Carteret County81
  9. 9Moore County81
  10. 10Buncombe County81
  11. 11Watauga County80
  12. 12Currituck County79
  13. 13Chatham County76
  14. 14Mecklenburg County76
  15. 15Camden County75
  16. 16New Hanover County75
  17. 17Durham County73
  18. 18Cabarrus County73
  19. 19Lincoln County72
  20. 20Brunswick County70
  21. 21Polk County68
  22. 22Macon County67
  23. 23Davie County67
  24. 24Clay County64
  25. 25Catawba County63
  26. 26Madison County61
  27. 27Forsyth County60
  28. 28Guilford County60
  29. 29Johnston County60
  30. 30Avery County59
  31. 31Haywood County59
  32. 32Pender County57
  33. 33Mitchell County56
  34. 34Yancey County54
  35. 35Craven County51
  36. 36Ashe County51
  37. 37Pamlico County51
  38. 38Jackson County50
  39. 39Alamance County49
  40. 40Cherokee County47
  41. 41Alleghany County46
  42. 42Pitt County46
  43. 43Pasquotank County45
  44. 44Onslow County45
  45. 45Swain County44
  46. 46Davidson County43
  47. 47Burke County42
  48. 48Lee County40
  49. 49Beaufort County40
  50. 50Stokes County40
  51. 51Caldwell County39
  52. 52Gaston County39
  53. 53Alexander County39
  54. 54Yadkin County39
  55. 55Stanly County39
  56. 56Surry County38
  57. 57Rowan County38
  58. 58Nash County38
  59. 59Graham County38
  60. 60McDowell County38
  61. 61Perquimans County38
  62. 62Granville County37
  63. 63Franklin County37
  64. 64Chowan County35
  65. 65Person County33
  66. 66Cumberland County33
  67. 67Wilkes County33
  68. 68Randolph County32
  69. 69Cleveland County32
  70. 70Caswell County30
  71. 71Hyde County30
  72. 72Gates County30
  73. 73Wayne County29
  74. 74Harnett County28
  75. 75Wilson County28
  76. 76Jones County28
  77. 77Montgomery County27
  78. 78Rutherford County26
  79. 79Martin County26
  80. 80Rockingham County24
  81. 81Lenoir County23
  82. 82Tyrrell County21
  83. 83Vance County20
  84. 84Washington County20
  85. 85Sampson County18
  86. 86Hoke County16
  87. 87Duplin County15
  88. 88Hertford County15
  89. 89Richmond County14
  90. 90Halifax County12
  91. 91Bertie County12
  92. 92Greene County11
  93. 93Northampton County11
  94. 94Edgecombe County10
  95. 95Anson County9
  96. 96Columbus County8
  97. 97Warren County8
  98. 98Scotland County7
  99. 99Bladen County6
  100. 100Robeson County2

Metro areas in North Carolina

Metropolitan and micropolitan areas based in North Carolina, largest first.

  1. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC752,938,830
  2. Raleigh-Cary, NC941,595,720
  3. Greensboro-High Point, NC52805,945
  4. Winston-Salem, NC51712,206
  5. Durham-Chapel Hill, NC83625,485
  6. Wilmington, NC81492,772
  7. Asheville, NC85422,345
  8. Fayetteville, NC25395,412
  9. Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC46376,890
  10. Jacksonville, NC48217,175
  11. Burlington, NC49186,177
  12. Greenville, NC55182,936
  13. Anderson Creek, NC24150,137
  14. Rocky Mount, NC24148,486
  15. New Bern, NC58127,358
  16. Goldsboro, NC31122,278
  17. Lumberton, NC2119,941
  18. Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC84110,619
  19. Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC18103,325
  20. Wilson, NC2281,150
  21. Mount Airy, NC3172,287
  22. Morehead City, NC8570,469
  23. Sanford, NC3270,258
  24. Albemarle, NC3368,830

Largest cities and towns in North Carolina

By population.

  1. Charlotte903,844
  2. Raleigh481,031
  3. Greensboro301,198
  4. Durham291,467
  5. Winston-Salem252,037
  6. Fayetteville210,815
  7. Cary179,306
  8. Wilmington120,805
  9. High Point116,245
  10. Concord108,719
  11. Asheville94,535
  12. Greenville92,857
  13. Gastonia82,884
  14. Jacksonville71,279
  15. Apex70,630
  16. Huntersville63,969
  17. Chapel Hill61,607
  18. Burlington59,610
  19. Kannapolis57,890
  20. Rocky Mount54,297
  21. Wake Forest52,844
  22. Mooresville52,381
  23. Wilson48,370
  24. Holly Springs45,248

All 776 cities and towns in North Carolina

Neighboring states

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar states

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.

JSON · /api/v1/places/37