Population
223 residents
Census ACS 2023 - North Carolina
City profile · North Carolina · Census ACS 2023
Castalia, NC
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Castalia - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 223
- Residents
- $1,143
- Median rent (state)
Castalia - the verdict
Castalia has 223 residents in North Carolina. Source: Census ACS.
- 32nd
- 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: Castalia, NC
Castalia is a small town in North Carolina, home to 223 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The median resident age is 33.7 years. 17.9% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 43.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Living costs in North Carolina run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts North Carolina at 94.3 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Below Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,143 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in North Carolina run around $215, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 80.6 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (High).
Median Household Income
N/A /yr
Poverty 36.2%
Cost of Living Index (state)
94.3 (US=100)
Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, North Carolina average
How does Castalia compare to other US cities?
Castalia measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Median rent 32% 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 Castalia 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
Poverty Rate is Castalia's strongest outlier among North Carolina cities
Among the 746 North Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported poverty rate data, Castalia ranks #33 - the 96th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Castalia only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Gross Rent
#362 of 746
50th percentile in North Carolina
Poverty Rate
#33 of 746
96th percentile in North Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#463 of 746
38th percentile in North Carolina
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.
Income distribution context
Median household income is not available for Castalia in the current Census ACS release (common for very small places).
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 17.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 36.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 43.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
223
Median Income
N/A
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
33.7
Poverty Rate
36.2%
Labor force participation
43.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
17.9%
Population Change
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
83.1%
Carpool
6.2%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
10.8%
Based on 65 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for North Carolina - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$115
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$45
avg/month
Total Utilities
$215
estimated/month
Estimates reflect North Carolina state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a North Carolina state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Castalia sits in
Cost of Living Index
94.3
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,143/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
80.6 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in North Carolina
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Castalia's 223 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Castalia compares to nearby North Carolina cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Census ACS 5-year FIPS NC OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Castalia, NC?
What is the population of Castalia, NC? +
223 people live in Castalia, NC according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the cost of living in Castalia? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Castalia; the closest available measure is the North Carolina state average, a cost of living index of 94.3 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within North Carolina vary by metro area.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCitiesEvery figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.