City profile · North Carolina · Census ACS 2023

Dobbins Heights, NC

Dobbins Heights's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

711
Residents
$21,389
Median income
$50,800
Median home
$1,161
Median rent (state)
View my watchlist

Compare or rank this city

Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.

Compare with another city

Starting with Dobbins Heights, NC - add up to three more cities on the compare page.

See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Dobbins Heights.

Place dossier plate

Sheet NC-DOBBINS-HEIGHTS-NC · Dobbins Heights, NC 711 pop · income 1st pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-LOW · COL-BELOW · SAFE-UNK · RANK-BOTTOM · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-LOW · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 711
  • INC-LOW $21,389
  • COL-BELOW 94.3
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-BOTTOM 1st
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Homer
  • HOME-LOW $50,800
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Homer, LA (+ $7 income $)

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 Dobbins Heights

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Dobbins Heights on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

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.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Dobbins Heights 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: 711.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $21,389. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Dobbins Heights - the verdict

Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Dobbins Heights lands in the 1st percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

1st
percentile, household income
0th
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: Dobbins Heights, NC

North Carolina's Dobbins Heights is a small town, with 711 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Median household income here is $21,389 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 38.6%. Dobbins Heights's housing stock carries a median value of $50,800, and the median resident age is 48.9 years. Educational attainment runs 2.6% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 36.5% 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). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,161 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts North Carolina's average monthly utility costs around $215 (state average). 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 Dobbins Heights'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 work and mobility to housing and income to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Dobbins Heights, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Population change

Is Dobbins Heights growing, shrinking, or holding steady?

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.

Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -4 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -0.6% 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.

See the national growth ranking →

2. Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in Dobbins Heights?

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.

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 70.8%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Compare commute patterns →

Question 3

How far does income reach against housing in Dobbins Heights?

The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 38.6%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

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. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Question 4

Which cities make useful reference points for Dobbins Heights?

Within North Carolina, the closest population matches are Ocracoke (709 residents); Hightsville (707 residents, $16,289 income); Kelly (706 residents, $51,155 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Leighton, AL (711 residents); Dudley, GA (711 residents); Golden, IL (711 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.

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.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Population

711 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$21,389 /yr

Lowest-decile income · poverty 38.6% (Highest-decile poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

94.3 (US=100)

Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, North Carolina average

City profile score · Dobbins Heights, NC

17/100

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.

Household income F
$21,389

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Poverty rate F
38.6%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Bachelor's+ share F
2.6%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Dobbins Heights profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Cost of living, Household income, Poverty rate, Bachelor's+ share. Cost of livingHousehold incomePoverty rateBachelor's+ share 17 F
Dobbins Heights profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Cost of living: 67/100 (B-) · 94.3 index
  • Household income: 0/100 (F) · $21,389
  • Poverty rate: 0/100 (F) · 38.6%
  • Bachelor's+ share: 0/100 (F) · 2.6%

How does Dobbins Heights compare to other US cities?

Here's how Dobbins Heights stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 1% higher than other cities
Home value 0% pricier than other cities
Median rent 48% 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 Dobbins Heights 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 Dobbins Heights near the bottom of North Carolina's cities

Among the 746 North Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Dobbins Heights ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Dobbins Heights only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#688 of 700
2nd percentile in North Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 746
0th percentile in North Carolina
Median Home Value
#701 of 708
1st percentile in North Carolina
Poverty Rate
#26 of 746
97th percentile in North Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#718 of 746
4th 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.

1stIncome percentile
Gauge source note

1st percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Dobbins Heights's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$50,800 Among the most affordable more affordable than 100% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). This entry sits in this band. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Above this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Dobbins Heights $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

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

Dobbins Heights's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.4×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#3,354 of 15,516
More affordable than 78% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,063 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 2.4×, Dobbins Heights sits in the affordable band: national rank #3,354 of 15,516 and #3,063 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

$21,389 Dobbins Heights, NC median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Dobbins Heights, NC Dobbins Heights, NC's median household income ($21,389) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Dobbins Heights, NC-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Dobbins Heights, NC median $21,389/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Dobbins Heights, 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 Dobbins Heights, NC.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 2.6%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 38.6%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 36.5%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
711
Median Income
$21,389
Median Home Value
$50,800
Median Age
48.9
Poverty Rate
38.6%
Labor force participation
36.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
2.6%

Population Change

PEP vintage

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
684 residents686 residents688 residents690 residents692 residents 202020212022202320242025 689 residents 685 residents ▼ -0.6%
Dobbins Heights's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 689 residents
2021 690 residents
2022 688 residents
2023 686 residents
2024 687 residents
2025 685 residents

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
70.8%
Carpool
20.6%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.9%
Work from Home
2.6%
Other
5.1%

Based on 233 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 Dobbins Heights. 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 Dobbins Heights 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 Dobbins Heights sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Dobbins Heights 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.

City Population Median Household Income
Dobbins Heights (this city) 711 $21,389
Ocracoke 709 N/A
Hightsville 707 $16,289
Kelly 706 $51,155
Primary sources on this page

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.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

Browse all city profiles → · Explore city rankings →

Verify with HUD →

Verify with FBI →

Verify with NOAA →

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Verify with EPA →

Verify with FEMA →

Verify with BEA →

Verify with EIA →

Verify with NCES →

Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every 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.

Share or download this profile