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Place dossier plate
SheetNC-NORTH-WILKESBORO-NC · North Wilkesboro, NC 4,348 pop · income 7th pct · 18 tracts
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 North Wilkesboro
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest North Wilkesboro on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Spindale · lowest
38,509
Spindale · lowest
38,509 median HH income
15.7% of the leader · rank #1
Sedgwick · near
39,286
Sedgwick · near
39,286 median HH income
16.0% of the leader · rank #2
St. Johns · near
39,286
St. Johns · near
39,286 median HH income
16.0% of the leader · rank #3
Dupont · near
39,286
Dupont · near
39,286 median HH income
16.0% of the leader · rank #4
North Wilkesb… · this city
39,288
North Wilkesb… · this city
39,288 median HH income
16.0% of the leader · rank #5
Weleetka · near
39,292
Weleetka · near
39,292 median HH income
16.0% of the leader · rank #6
Union Mill · highest
245,265
Union Mill · highest
245,265 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, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for North Wilkesboro on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. 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: 4,348.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
North Wilkesboro - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, North Wilkesboro lands in the 7th percentile for household income and the 26th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
7th
percentile, household income
51st
percentile, home value
48th
percentile, median rent
26th
percentile, safety
📝 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: North Wilkesboro, NC
4,348 people live in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. North Wilkesboro households earn a median of $39,288 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 17.1%. North Wilkesboro's housing stock carries a median value of $231,400, and the median resident age is 41.6 years. 26.2% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 50.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 1 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 50% from five years earlier. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 2313.2 in FBI UCR data, near the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
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. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,161 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts North Carolina's average monthly utility costs around $215 (state average). FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 66.7 out of 100 (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of North Wilkesboro'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 housing and income to reported crime to within-city variation to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For North Wilkesboro, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, matched public-school count, local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
Is North Wilkesboro growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -53 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -1.2% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 1 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
How far does income reach against housing in North Wilkesboro?
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. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 17.1%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
What can 18 Census tracts reveal inside North Wilkesboro?
PlainCities matches 18 Census tracts to this city.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
Which cities make useful reference points for North Wilkesboro?
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. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within North Carolina, the closest population matches are Sunset Beach (4,326 residents, $84,934 income); Canton (4,417 residents, $64,034 income); Newport (4,428 residents, $76,091 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are McMurray, PA (4,348 residents); Belleair, FL (4,350 residents); Hutchinson Island South, FL (4,350 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.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in North Wilkesboro?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2313.2 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, near the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 1% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Total reported rate
2313.2
Violent rate
254.5
Property rate
2058.8
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
What does the journey to work look like in North Wilkesboro?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 79.2%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
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
79.2%
Work from home
12.2%
Public transit
0.6%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 1,775 workers age 16+.
What does the education layer cover for North Wilkesboro?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 4 public schools within the city match. 26.2% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Poverty estimate
17.1%
Bachelor's degree+
26.2%
Matched public schools
4
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Lowest-decile income · poverty 17.1% (High poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
94.3 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, North Carolina average
F
City profile score · North Wilkesboro, NC
34/100
5 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 C-
26.2%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime D
255 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate F
17.1%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$39,288
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
North Wilkesboro profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 67/100 (B-) · 94.3 index
Bachelor's+ share: 51/100 (C-) · 26.2%
Violent crime: 40/100 (D) · 255 /100k
Poverty rate: 19/100 (F) · 17.1%
Household income: 6/100 (F) · $39,288
Where North Wilkesboro sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
North Wilkesboro's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - North Wilkesboro highlighted among 9 peers.Read the chart values
North Wilkesboro, NC (this city): home $231,400, crime 2,313/100k
Belleair, FL : home $642,600, crime 679/100k
Sykesville, MD : home $398,600, crime 608/100k
Isle of Palms, SC : home $1,192,200, crime 1,462/100k
Sunset Beach, NC : home $354,300, crime 1,073/100k
Canton, NC : home $226,400, crime 2,038/100k
Newport, NC : home $245,300, crime 1,742/100k
Shallotte, NC : home $301,300, crime 4,524/100k
Franklin, NC : home $190,600, crime 3,153/100k
How does North Wilkesboro compare to other US cities?
Where North Wilkesboro sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income7% higher than other cities
Home value51% pricier than other cities
Median rent48% pricier than other cities
Safety26% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at North Carolina, North Wilkesboro ranks #91 of 195 North Carolina cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares North Wilkesboro 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 North Wilkesboro near the bottom of North Carolina's cities
Among the 746 North Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, North Wilkesboro ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares North Wilkesboro only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#588 of 700
16th percentile in North Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 746
0th percentile in North Carolina
Median Home Value
#243 of 708
66th percentile in North Carolina
Poverty Rate
#195 of 746
74th percentile in North Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#276 of 746
63rd 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
7th percentile nationally for median household income · 26th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
North Wilkesboro's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
North Wilkesboro's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How North Wilkesboro's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$231,40049th percentilemore affordable than 49% 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
North Wilkesboro's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.9×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,015 of 15,516
More affordable than 10% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#10,416 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 5.9×, North Wilkesboro sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,015 of 15,516 and #10,416 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
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
$39,288North Wilkesboro, NC median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context North Wilkesboro, 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 North Wilkesboro, NC.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)26.2%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)17.1%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)50.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
4,348
Median Income
$39,288
Median Home Value
$231,400
Median Age
41.6
Poverty Rate
17.1%
Labor force participation
50.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
26.2%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2313.2
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
254.5
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2058.8
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
4
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
North Wilkesboro's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
4,422 residents
2021
4,357 residents
2022
4,407 residents
2023
4,403 residents
2024
4,393 residents
2025
4,369 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
1
housing units authorized
Single-Family
1
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.2
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
2
2
0
$0.9M
2020
2
2
0
$0.9M
2021
3
3
0
$0.7M
2022
2
2
0
$0.5M
2023
1
1
0
$0.3M
2024
1
1
0
$0.3M
Permit volume decreased 50% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
79.2%
Carpool
4.6%
Public Transit
0.6%
Walk
2.8%
Work from Home
12.2%
Other
0.6%
Based on 1,775 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 North Wilkesboro. 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 North Wilkesboro 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 North Wilkesboro sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How North Wilkesboro 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, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, 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.