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Place dossier plate
SheetNC-BELHAVEN-NC · Belhaven, NC 1,421 pop · income 4th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Belhaven
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Belhaven on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Earle · lowest
26,985
Earle · lowest
26,985 median HH income
23.3% of the leader · rank #1
Ellington · near
33,953
Ellington · near
33,953 median HH income
29.4% of the leader · rank #2
Belhaven · this city
33,958
Belhaven · this city
33,958 median HH income
29.4% of the leader · rank #3
Elmore · near
33,958
Elmore · near
33,958 median HH income
29.4% of the leader · rank #4
Reform · near
33,958
Reform · near
33,958 median HH income
29.4% of the leader · rank #5
Cedar Glen La… · near
33,958
Cedar Glen La… · near
33,958 median HH income
29.4% of the leader · rank #6
Lake Dalecarl… · highest
115,588
Lake Dalecarl… · highest
115,588 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Belhaven on ACS population and median household income
. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 1,421.
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Belhaven lands in the 4th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.
4th
percentile, household income
9th
percentile, home value
48th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Belhaven, NC
Belhaven is a small town in North Carolina, home to 1,421 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Belhaven brings in $33,958 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 35.3%. Home values in Belhaven run a median of $98,200, and the median resident age is 47.0 years. 12.1% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 37.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 61.6°F with 52.3 inches of precipitation per year and 1.2 inches of snowfall.
Living costs in North Carolina run below the national norm: the state registers 94.3 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,161 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in North Carolina run around $215, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Belhaven report an average commute of 16.4 minutes, with 82.7% driving alone and 8.1% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 66.7 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Belhaven's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from population change to climate and hazard context to housing and income to work and mobility to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Belhaven, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, local building permits; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
Is Belhaven growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +1 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +0.1% change. No comparable local building-permit series is available here, so population change should not be read as a housing-supply measure. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 61.6°F, with 52.3 inches of precipitation and 1.2 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for North Carolina is 66.7 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
How far does income reach against housing in Belhaven?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 35.3%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Which cities make useful reference points for Belhaven?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.
Within North Carolina, the closest population matches are Broadway (1,429 residents, $62,679 income); Star (1,430 residents, $37,135 income); Cherry Branch (1,406 residents, $111,930 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Earle, AR (1,421 residents); Lake Dalecarlia, IN (1,421 residents); Oceana, WV (1,421 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Belhaven?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 82.7%. The reported mean trip to work is 16.4 minutes.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Drive alone
82.7%
Work from home
8.1%
Public transit
0.0%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 405 workers age 16+.
Lowest-decile income · poverty 35.3% (Highest-decile poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
94.3 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, North Carolina average
F
City profile score · Belhaven, NC
19/100
4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living B-
94.3 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share F
12.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$33,958
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
35.3%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
Belhaven profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 67/100 (B-) · 94.3 index
Bachelor's+ share: 12/100 (F) · 12.1%
Household income: 0/100 (F) · $33,958
Poverty rate: 0/100 (F) · 35.3%
How does Belhaven compare to other US cities?
Belhaven measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income4% higher than other cities
Home value9% pricier than other cities
Median rent48% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Belhaven against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to North Carolina only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
North Carolina-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Belhaven near the bottom of North Carolina's cities
Among the 746 North Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Belhaven ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Belhaven only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#648 of 700
7th percentile in North Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 746
0th percentile in North Carolina
Median Home Value
#635 of 708
10th percentile in North Carolina
Poverty Rate
#35 of 746
95th percentile in North Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#600 of 746
19th percentile in North Carolina
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within North Carolina only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
4th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Belhaven's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$98,200Among the most affordablemore affordable than 91% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Belhaven's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.9×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#6,072 of 15,516
More affordable than 61% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#5,213 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.9×, Belhaven sits in the affordable band:
national rank #6,072 of 15,516 and #5,213 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$33,958Belhaven, NC median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Belhaven, NC median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Belhaven, NC.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)12.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)35.3%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)37.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,421
Median Income
$33,958
Median Home Value
$98,200
Median Age
47.0
Poverty Rate
35.3%
Labor force participation
37.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
12.1%
Climate
Avg Temperature
61.6°F
Annual Precipitation
52.3"
Annual Snowfall
1.2"
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Belhaven's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
1,413 residents
2021
1,412 residents
2022
1,406 residents
2023
1,409 residents
2024
1,415 residents
2025
1,414 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
16.4 minutes
Drive Alone
82.7%
Carpool
6.2%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
3.0%
Work from Home
8.1%
Based on 405 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
North Carolina statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $215
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across North Carolina at $215 (electricity about $115 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are North Carolina statewide averages, not a meter reading for Belhaven. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
North Carolina's BEA cost-of-living index is 94.3 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Belhaven is $1,161/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to North Carolina statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 66.7 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a North Carolina statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Belhaven sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Belhaven compares to similar-size North Carolina cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.