United States › North Carolina
Caldwell County, North Carolina
Population 80,536 · Lenoir, Sawmills, Granite Falls
- Overall cost of living: −11.5% vs the US average, higher than 50% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- Terrain relief: 3,623.7 ft, higher than 91% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−11.5% | higher than 50% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $192,200 | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Median rent | $744 | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $164/mo | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $6,001/yr | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.6% | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 4.75% | lower than 70% of US counties |
| State income tax | 4.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $1,150 | lower than 71% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $56,425 | lower than 76% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.9% | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -2.9% | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 296.5 | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈215 days | higher than 52% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 87°F | lower than 50% of US counties |
| January low | 28°F | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 4 in | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 36 days | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 91 days | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 12.1% of weeks | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈64.3°F | higher than 55% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 50.9 in | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $123/yr | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $103/yr | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $1.9/yr | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $5.4/yr | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $6/yr | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.23/yr | lower than 60% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.9 µg/m³ | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 212.3 mi | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈3,623.7 ft | higher than 91% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 84.9% | lower than 81% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 18.8% | lower than 68% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 6.2% | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 9 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 14.6:1 | higher than 62% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 86% | lower than 71% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 7.95 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8 | higher than 60% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.92 | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 2.2 | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 52/100k | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 8 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2.8★ | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 71.9 yrs | lower than 85% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 13.4% | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 121/100k | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 36/100k | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 79.8% | higher than 76% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 82 min | higher than 82% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 82 min | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 26 min | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 86.4% | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Work-from-home share | 7.1% | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 86 min | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 20 per sq mi | lower than 53% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.7 per 1k | lower than 57% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 17.8 per 1k | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Population | 80,536 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Median age | 45.4 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +6.7 per 1k/yr | higher than 69% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 23.4% Dem | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 76% Rep | higher than 66% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 0.7% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| % White | 85.3% | higher than 60% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 6.7% | higher than 59% of US counties |
| % Black | 4.1% | higher than 61% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.1% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 3.2% | lower than 58% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.1% | lower than 67% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 94 parks | higher than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 13.7 | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 2.6 | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 64 min | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.6% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 28 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 18 | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 1,038 km | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 33 km | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 34 | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 24 | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 4 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 70 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 14 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 71 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 165 km | higher than 90% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data