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Place dossier plate
SheetNC-WAXHAW-NC · Waxhaw, NC 21,565 pop · income 90th 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 Waxhaw
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Waxhaw on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Boone · lowest
28,633
Boone · lowest
28,633 median HH income
22.3% of the leader · rank #1
South Pasadena · near
128,105
South Pasadena · near
128,105 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #2
South Windham · near
128,108
South Windham · near
128,108 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #3
Waxhaw · this city
128,115
Waxhaw · this city
128,115 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #4
Durhamville · near
128,125
Durhamville · near
128,125 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #5
Fishers · near
128,141
Fishers · near
128,141 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #6
Centennial · highest
128,167
Centennial · highest
128,167 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 Waxhaw 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: 21,565.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Waxhaw - the verdict
Waxhaw ranks in the 90th percentile for household income and the 86th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
90th
percentile, household income
85th
percentile, home value
48th
percentile, median rent
86th
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: Waxhaw, NC
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 21,565 residents in Waxhaw, a small city within North Carolina. The typical household in Waxhaw brings in $128,115 a year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 3.8%. Typical homes in Waxhaw are valued around $506,300, and the median resident age is 36.9 years. About 54.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 66.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 42 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 85% from five years earlier. Waxhaw reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 481.3 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
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. Natural-hazard exposure scores 66.7 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Waxhaw'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 schools and households to housing and income to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to reported crime to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Waxhaw, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, annual population history, matched public-school count, local building permits.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
What does the education layer cover for Waxhaw?
The NCES join finds 11 public schools within the city match. 54.9% 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 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.
How far does income reach against housing in Waxhaw?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 4.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 3.8%, 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. 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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Waxhaw?
Within North Carolina, the closest population matches are Clemmons (21,574 residents, $84,326 income); Shelby (21,868 residents, $50,705 income); Carrboro (21,170 residents, $85,927 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Del City, OK (21,561 residents); Alliance, OH (21,574 residents); Green Valley, AZ (21,581 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. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
What does the journey to work look like in Waxhaw?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 61.6%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
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 Waxhaw?
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.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 481.3 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 79% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
422.7
Violent rate
58.6
Total reported rate
481.3
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
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 +2,359 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +11.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 42 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
+11.4%
2025 estimate
23,140
2020 estimate
20,781
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, North Carolina average
A-
City profile score · Waxhaw, NC
80/100
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.
Household income A
$128,115
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share A
54.9%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime A-
59 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate B
3.8%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
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.
Waxhaw profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 89/100 (A) · $128,115
Bachelor's+ share: 88/100 (A) · 54.9%
Violent crime: 81/100 (A-) · 59 /100k
Poverty rate: 73/100 (B) · 3.8%
Cost of living: 67/100 (B-) · 94.3 index
Where Waxhaw sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Waxhaw'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 - Waxhaw highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Waxhaw, NC (this city): home $506,300, crime 481/100k
Del City, OK : home $112,800, crime 3,674/100k
Alliance, OH : home $113,300, crime 2,336/100k
Ennis, TX : home $225,900, crime 1,701/100k
Seymour, IN : home $153,300, crime 1,610/100k
Lindenwold, NJ : home $168,300, crime 2,515/100k
Shelby, NC : home $185,400, crime 3,477/100k
Carrboro, NC : home $507,100, crime 2,110/100k
Lexington, NC : home $158,100, crime 3,458/100k
Kinston, NC : home $108,300, crime 5,923/100k
Boone, NC : home $373,600, crime 999/100k
How does Waxhaw compare to other US cities?
Where Waxhaw sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income90% higher than other cities
Home value85% pricier than other cities
Median rent48% pricier than other cities
Safety86% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to North Carolina alone, Waxhaw ranks #8 of 195 North Carolina cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Waxhaw 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 Waxhaw near the bottom of North Carolina's cities
Among the 746 North Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Waxhaw ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Waxhaw only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#25 of 700
96th percentile in North Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 746
0th percentile in North Carolina
Median Home Value
#36 of 708
95th percentile in North Carolina
Poverty Rate
#554 of 746
25th percentile in North Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#62 of 746
92nd 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
90th percentile nationally for median household income · 86th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Waxhaw's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Waxhaw'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 Waxhaw's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$506,30015th percentilemore affordable than 15% 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
Waxhaw's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#10,562 of 15,516
More affordable than 32% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,941 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 4.0×, Waxhaw sits in the moderate band:
national rank #10,562 of 15,516 and #1,941 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
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
$128,115Waxhaw, NC median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Waxhaw, 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 Waxhaw, NC.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)54.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)3.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)66.5%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
21,565
Median Income
$128,115
Median Home Value
$506,300
Median Age
36.9
Poverty Rate
3.8%
Labor force participation
66.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
54.9%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
481.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
58.6
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
422.7
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
11
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Waxhaw's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
20,781 residents
2021
21,722 residents
2022
22,559 residents
2023
23,155 residents
2024
23,205 residents
2025
23,140 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
42
housing units authorized
Single-Family
42
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
289
289
0
$44.4M
2020
348
348
0
$51.4M
2021
344
344
0
$58.4M
2022
143
143
0
$28.3M
2023
14
14
0
$4.0M
2024
42
42
0
$10.5M
Permit volume decreased 85% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
61.6%
Carpool
9.2%
Public Transit
0.1%
Walk
0.7%
Work from Home
27.9%
Based on 10,245 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 Waxhaw. 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 Waxhaw 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 Waxhaw sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Waxhaw 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.