North Carolina brings to mind images of Raleigh, beautiful landscapes, and some of the best people you’ll find in the good ole US of A.
However, like all states, North Carolina has certain places that are going on hard times. These places have an above average percent of people that are living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
With all the talk about income inequality going on around the country, we thought it prudent to take a look at the places in each state that are struggling to make it even as the economy continues to improve. So we set our sites on bringing attention to the places in North Carolina that could use a helping hand.
To do so, we analyzed the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 134 places in North Carolina with more than 5,000 people.
We were left with this set of the ten poorest places in the Tar Heel State for 2018:
- Roxboro (Photos)
- Boone (Photos)
- Henderson (Photos)
- Ayden
- Lexington (Photos)
- Laurinburg (Photos)
- Forest City (Photos)
- Kinston (Photos)
- Eden (Photos)
- Selma (Photos)
Again, this isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.
And according to the facts, Roxboro is the poorest place in North Carolina for 2018.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out the richest places in North Carolina or the most dangerous.
For more on how we calculated the top ten, and for more information about these places, read on.
How We Determined The Poorest Places In North Carolina For 2018
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the ‘poorest places’. So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2012-2016 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income adjusted for the cost of living
- Unemployment Rate
The ‘median household income adjusted for the cost of living’ attempts to gauge how expensive it is to live in a place and how that impacts the quality of life. For example, a town might have fewer people living below the official poverty line, but the cost of living is so high they’d still feel poor.
The unemployment rate tries to capture the prospects for improvement in the city or town. If more people are employed, the brighter the future looks and vice versa.
After we collected the data for all 134 places with more than 5,000 people in North Carolina, we ranked each place from 1 to 134 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a ‘Poor Score’ with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Roxboro, crowned the ‘Poorest Place In North Carolina For 2018’.
You can learn more about the top ten below or skip to the end to see the rankings for all 134 places.
1. Roxboro
Population: 8,329Median Income: $21,516
Unemployment Rate: 23.9%
Poverty Rate: 35.3%
More on Roxboro: Add A Comment | Data | Jobs
Roxboro, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in North Carolina thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 8,329 people averages the 2nd lowest median household income in North Carolina and the 5th highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
2. Boone
Population: 18,241Median Income: $14,725
Unemployment Rate: 17.1%
Poverty Rate: 62.2%
More on Boone: Add A Comment | Data | Jobs
The second poorest city in North Carolina is Boone.
The city ranks as having the 1st highest incidence of poverty and 1st lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 6th highest in the Tar Heel State.
3. Henderson
Population: 15,258Median Income: $22,297
Unemployment Rate: 16.8%
Poverty Rate: 35.0%
More on Henderson: Add A Comment | Data | Jobs
Placing as the third poorest city, Henderson’s median income ranks as the 3rd lowest.
And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 35.0% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Tar Heel State.
User comment that mentions Henderson: You for got to discuss Henderson NC.||30 minutes North of Durham on I85.||It is known as Little Iraq.||The place is a real crap hole.||Even the local Ford dealer is involved with the drug distribution. ||This town is the distribution center for all the drugs and wepons from NYC.||Check it out.
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4. Ayden
Population: 5,167 Median Income: $29,139
Unemployment Rate: 19.6%
Poverty Rate: 31.2%
More on Ayden: Add A Comment | Data | Jobs
Ayden ranks as the fourth poorest place in North Carolina.
The town ranks as having the 9th lowest median household income and the 10th highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
5. Lexington
Population: 19,089Median Income: $27,437
Unemployment Rate: 18.2%
Poverty Rate: 30.8%
More on Lexington: Add A Comment | Data | Jobs
The fifth poorest city in North Carolina is Lexington.
The city ranks as having the 6th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 12th highest in North Carolina.
Still not the best news for Lexington.
6. Laurinburg
Population: 15,601Median Income: $26,216
Unemployment Rate: 14.0%
Poverty Rate: 36.6%
More on Laurinburg: Add A Comment | Data | Jobs
Laurinburg ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Tar Heel State.
It ranks as having the 4th highest incidence of poverty and the 16th highest unemployment rate.
User comment that mentions Laurinburg: I moved to Laurinburg,NC a few years ago. I grew up around, & in the Washington,D.C area. It is absolutley chilling how F’stupid people are here in southern NC compared to the rest of the country. I have traveled to all the 48 states, & I don’t make this statement lightly. To give specifics, I would have to have a reason worth while. It’s exhausting enough just trying to coexist w/these people.
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7. Forest City
Population: 7,356Median Income: $25,689
Unemployment Rate: 13.8%
Poverty Rate: 34.8%
More on Forest City: Add A Comment | Data | Jobs
Forest City places as the seventh poorest city in North Carolina.
The city of over 7,356 ranks as having the 8th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
User comment that mentions Forest City: I moved from the west coast to live in Forest City 20 yrs ago. I chose Forest City because of the lack of density of population. Great people, great little town
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8. Kinston
Population: 21,393Median Income: $31,030
Unemployment Rate: 15.4%
Poverty Rate: 30.3%
More on Kinston: Add A Comment | Data | Jobs
Kinston ranks as the eighth poorest city in North Carolina.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as the 9th highest in the state.
9. Eden
Population: 15,434Median Income: $28,908
Unemployment Rate: 13.8%
Poverty Rate: 31.0%
More on Eden: Add A Comment | Data | Jobs
Eden couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in North Carolina; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 8th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Eden ranks as having the 11th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in North Carolina.
User comment that mentions Eden: I’ve lived in Eden most of my life. I did move to Rock Hill,SC for 10+ years & it was a shock to me when I moved back in 2005 at how many of my highschool friends that were going places are addicted to crack cocaine and narcotic pain medications. Really pitiful situations. But my immediate family all live in Eden & I’ve always felt safe. U just have to stay out of certain neighborhoods and/or areas.
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10. Selma
Population: 6,325Median Income: $27,982
Unemployment Rate: 12.1%
Poverty Rate: 37.2%
More on Selma: Add A Comment | Data | Jobs
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in North Carolina is Selma.
The city of 6,325 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Tar Heel State.
There You Have It – The Poorest Places In North Carolina For 2018
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in North Carolina, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in North Carolina.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in North Carolina, according to data:
Richest: Weddington
2nd Richest: Oak Ridge
3rd Richest: Marvin
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