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Place dossier plate
SheetNC-PLEASANT-GARDEN-NC · Pleasant Garden, NC 4,989 pop · income 70th 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 Pleasant Garden
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Pleasant Garden on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Wadesboro · lowest
34,125
Wadesboro · lowest
34,125 median HH income
22.9% of the leader · rank #1
Doral · near
88,474
Doral · near
88,474 median HH income
59.4% of the leader · rank #2
La Presa · near
88,479
La Presa · near
88,479 median HH income
59.4% of the leader · rank #3
Pleasant Gard… · this city
88,482
Pleasant Gard… · this city
88,482 median HH income
59.4% of the leader · rank #4
Moodus · near
88,482
Moodus · near
88,482 median HH income
59.4% of the leader · rank #5
Markham · near
88,487
Markham · near
88,487 median HH income
59.4% of the leader · rank #6
Chain Lake · highest
148,932
Chain Lake · highest
148,932 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 Pleasant Garden 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: 4,989.
Pleasant Garden ranks in the 70th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.
70th
percentile, household income
46th
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: Pleasant Garden, NC
4,989 people live in Pleasant Garden, North Carolina - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Pleasant Garden brings in $88,482 a year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 6.4%. Pleasant Garden's housing stock carries a median value of $212,700, and the median resident age is 38.6 years. About 30.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 65.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The city is served by 1 public schools according to NCES Common Core of Data.
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). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,161 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in North Carolina run around $215, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. 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 Pleasant Garden'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 comparison shortlist to work and mobility to housing and income to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Pleasant Garden, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, annual population history, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for 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 Pleasant Garden growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +172 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +3.4% 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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Pleasant Garden?
Within North Carolina, the closest population matches are Long View (4,967 residents, $44,156 income); Wadesboro (4,966 residents, $34,125 income); Creedmoor (4,957 residents, $77,799 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Chain Lake, WA (4,989 residents); The Pinehills, MA (4,988 residents); Princeton, MN (4,988 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.
What does the journey to work look like in Pleasant Garden?
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 81.0%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
How far does income reach against housing in Pleasant Garden?
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 6.4%, 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.
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.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Pleasant Garden?
The NCES join finds 1 public school within the city match. 30.8% 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.
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
Matched public schools
1
Bachelor's degree+
30.8%
Poverty estimate
6.4%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Above median income · poverty 6.4% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
94.3 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, North Carolina average
C+
City profile score · Pleasant Garden, NC
63/100
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.
Household income B-
$88,482
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
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
30.8%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate C
6.4%
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).
Pleasant Garden profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 68/100 (B-) · $88,482
Cost of living: 67/100 (B-) · 94.3 index
Bachelor's+ share: 59/100 (C) · 30.8%
Poverty rate: 56/100 (C) · 6.4%
How does Pleasant Garden compare to other US cities?
Pleasant Garden measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income70% higher than other cities
Home value46% 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 Pleasant Garden 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 Pleasant Garden near the bottom of North Carolina's cities
Among the 746 North Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Pleasant Garden ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Pleasant Garden only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#106 of 700
85th percentile in North Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 746
0th percentile in North Carolina
Median Home Value
#299 of 708
58th percentile in North Carolina
Poverty Rate
#463 of 746
38th percentile in North Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#224 of 746
70th 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
70th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Pleasant Garden's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$212,700Among the most affordablemore affordable than 54% 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
Pleasant Garden's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.4×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#3,507 of 15,516
More affordable than 77% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,194 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.4×, Pleasant Garden sits in the affordable band:
national rank #3,507 of 15,516 and #3,194 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
$88,482Pleasant Garden, NC median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Pleasant Garden, 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 Pleasant Garden, NC.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)30.8%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)6.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)65.3%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
4,989
Median Income
$88,482
Median Home Value
$212,700
Median Age
38.6
Poverty Rate
6.4%
Labor force participation
65.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
30.8%
Schools
Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Pleasant Garden's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
4,993 residents
2021
4,968 residents
2022
5,032 residents
2023
5,080 residents
2024
5,137 residents
2025
5,165 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
81.0%
Carpool
5.3%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.1%
Work from Home
11.7%
Other
1.9%
Based on 2,600 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 Pleasant Garden. 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 Pleasant Garden 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 Pleasant Garden sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Pleasant Garden 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, NCES CCD, 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.