United States › North Carolina
Rutherford County, North Carolina
Population 64,930 · Forest City, Spindale, Rutherfordton
- Overall cost of living: −11.6% vs the US average, lower than 50% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- Life expectancy: 71.6 yrs, lower than 87% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−11.6% | lower than 50% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of North Carolina outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $201,800 | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Median rent | $783 | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $164/mo | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $5,860/yr | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.58% | lower than 74% 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 | $1,178 | lower than 70% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $51,410 | lower than 86% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -5.1% | lower than 84% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 260 | lower than 52% 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 | 89°F | higher than 58% of US counties |
| January low | 29°F | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 4 in | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 45 days | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 99 days | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 15.6% of weeks | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈62.5°F | lower 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 | 52.2 in | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $125/yr | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $102/yr | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $2/yr | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $5.7/yr | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $7.6/yr | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.45/yr | lower than 53% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 8 µg/m³ | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 211 mi | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈1,828.3 ft | higher than 83% 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 | 87.2% | lower than 69% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 21.5% | lower than 53% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 8.2% | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 13 | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 13.3:1 | lower than 57% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 88.6% | lower than 54% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.02 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.78 | lower than 51% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.44 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 0.7 | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 52/100k | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 6 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2.8★ | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 71.6 yrs | lower than 87% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 13% | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 217/100k | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 27/100k | lower than 73% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 33.8% | lower than 88% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 52 min | lower than 57% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 57 min | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 26 min | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 82.9% | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.1% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 8.6% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 88 min | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 17 per sq mi | lower than 58% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 2 per 1k | higher than 49% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 15.2 per 1k | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Population | 64,930 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Median age | 45.3 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +10.6 per 1k/yr | higher than 80% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 25.8% Dem | lower than 57% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 73.6% Rep | higher than 59% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 0.7% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| % White | 80.8% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 5.7% | higher than 54% of US counties |
| % Black | 7.7% | higher than 72% 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 | 4.4% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.7% | higher than 84% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 143 parks | higher than 70% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 13.6 | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 2.5 | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 113 min | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.3% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 34 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 18 | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 939 km | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 25 km | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 65 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 35 | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 7 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 57 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 15 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 69 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 25 km | higher than 63% 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