The 10 Poorest Cities In North Carolina For 2024


The poorest places in North Carolina are Boone and Forest City for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Like all states, North Carolina has certain places that are going on hard times. These North Carolina places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.

Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in North Carolina.

To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 138 cities in North Carolina with more than 5,000 people.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Poorest Places In North Carolina For 2024:

  1. Boone
  2. Forest City
  3. Mount Airy
  4. Reidsville
  5. Laurinburg
  6. Selma
  7. Kinston
  8. Roxboro
  9. Williamston
  10. Smithfield

Poorest Places In North Carolina Map

What’s the poorest city in North Carolina? According to the facts, Boone is the poorest place in North Carolina for 2024.

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.

For more North Carolina reading, check out:

The 10 Poorest Cities In North Carolina For 2024

1. Boone

Boone, NC

Source: Wikipedia User Jeremy Mikkola from Boone, NC | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 19,368
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $28,242 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 55.9% (highest)
People In Poverty: 10,826
More on Boone: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Boone, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in North Carolina thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.

The city of 19,368 people averages the lowest median household income in North Carolina and the 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. Forest City

Forest City, NC

Source: Wikipedia User Upstateherd | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 7,357
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 2)
Median Income: $35,232 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 38.9% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 2,864
More on Forest City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The second poorest city in North Carolina is Forest City.

The city ranks as having the 2nd highest incidence of poverty and 7th lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 8th highest in the Tar Heel State.

3. Mount Airy

Mount Airy, NC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 10,621
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 4)
Median Income: $34,089 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 31.7% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,362
More on Mount Airy: Data | Cost Of Living

Placing as the third poorest city, Mount Airy’s median income ranks as the 4th 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 31.66% 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.

4. Reidsville

Reidsville, NC

Source: Wikipedia User Indy beetle | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 14,526
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 8)
Median Income: $35,061 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 29.8% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,324
More on Reidsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Reidsville ranks as the fourth poorest place in North Carolina.

The town ranks as having the 6th lowest median household income and the 7th 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. Laurinburg

Laurinburg, NC

Source: Wikipedia User Gerry Dincher from Hope Mills, NC | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 14,971
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Median Income: $38,015 (12th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 33.8% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 5,064
More on Laurinburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The fifth poorest city in North Carolina is Laurinburg.

The city ranks as having the 12th 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 3rd highest in North Carolina.

Still not the best news for Laurinburg.

6. Selma

Selma, NC

Source: Wikipedia User DanTD (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 6,449
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 3)
Median Income: $29,325 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 27.3% (14th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,759
More on Selma: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Selma ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Tar Heel State.

It ranks as having the 14th highest incidence of poverty and the 73rd highest unemployment rate.

7. Kinston

Kinston, NC

Source: Wikipedia User Tradewinds | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 19,704
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 3)
Median Income: $35,653 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 28.2% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 5,564
More on Kinston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Kinston places as the seventh poorest city in North Carolina.

The city of over 19,704 ranks as having the 10th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.

8. Roxboro

Roxboro, NC

Source: Wikipedia User FotoDawg | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 8,131
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 3)
Median Income: $39,787 (15th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 32.2% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,618
More on Roxboro: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Roxboro ranks as the eighth poorest city in North Carolina.

The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.

9. Williamston

Williamston, NC

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 5,224
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 5)
Median Income: $41,182 (16th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 32.8% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,713
More on Williamston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Williamston couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in North Carolina; it ranks number 9.

While the median income is the 16th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Williamston ranks as having the 4th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in North Carolina.

10. Smithfield

Smithfield, NC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 11,527
Rank Last Year: 9 (Down 1)
Median Income: $37,000 (10th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 27.8% (13th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,204
More on Smithfield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in North Carolina is Smithfield.

The city of 11,527 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Tar Heel State.

Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In North Carolina for 2024

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 used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey:

  • Poverty Level
  • Median Household Income

After we collected the data for all 138 places with more than 5,000 people in North Carolina, we ranked each place from 1 to 138 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, Boone, crowned the “Poorest Place In North Carolina For 2024”.

This report has been updated for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in North Carolina.

Summary: The Poorest Cities In North Carolina For 2024

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: Rolesville
    3rd Richest: Harrisburg

For more North Carolina reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In North Carolina

Rank City Population Poverty Rate Median Income People In Poverty
1 Boone 19,368 55.9% $28,242 10,826
2 Forest City 7,357 38.9% $35,232 2,864
3 Mount Airy 10,621 31.7% $34,089 3,362
4 Reidsville 14,526 29.8% $35,061 4,324
5 Laurinburg 14,971 33.8% $38,015 5,064
6 Selma 6,449 27.3% $29,325 1,759
7 Kinston 19,704 28.2% $35,653 5,564
8 Roxboro 8,131 32.2% $39,787 2,618
9 Williamston 5,224 32.8% $41,182 1,713
10 Smithfield 11,527 27.8% $37,000 3,204
11 Rockingham 9,174 28.2% $38,750 2,585
12 Lumberton 19,099 29.4% $41,314 5,611
13 Hamlet 6,043 25.1% $34,798 1,517
14 Wadesboro 5,004 24.2% $32,022 1,209
15 Henderson 14,997 26.6% $37,670 3,983
16 Clinton 8,362 25.5% $38,880 2,129
17 Oxford 8,685 25.6% $42,016 2,221
18 Lexington 19,595 21.0% $36,868 4,116
19 Tarboro 10,696 24.0% $43,523 2,563
20 Washington 9,759 23.0% $42,821 2,245
21 Siler City 7,847 28.9% $48,374 2,264
22 Kings Mountain 11,246 26.1% $45,301 2,938
23 Morganton 17,457 28.0% $47,715 4,887
24 Dunn 8,549 21.6% $41,843 1,846
25 Eden 15,349 22.2% $43,607 3,402
26 Greenville 87,894 25.2% $47,485 22,184
27 Asheboro 27,117 21.6% $44,405 5,865
28 Mocksville 5,908 23.7% $46,553 1,399
29 Wilson 47,767 23.9% $46,891 11,440
30 Lincolnton 11,225 19.3% $41,614 2,169
31 Spring Lake 11,710 21.4% $44,447 2,504
32 Goldsboro 33,566 20.9% $44,196 7,028
33 Salisbury 35,437 23.3% $48,888 8,263
34 Marion 7,652 21.8% $48,520 1,665
35 Roanoke Rapids 15,143 20.4% $45,732 3,087
36 Thomasville 27,130 20.6% $48,457 5,602
37 Brevard 7,777 15.5% $42,843 1,205
38 Waynesville 10,307 18.1% $44,920 1,864
39 Albemarle 16,444 21.6% $51,673 3,550
40 Shelby 21,712 18.3% $46,176 3,968
41 Rocky Mount 54,260 19.6% $50,092 10,651
42 Sanford 30,373 21.5% $52,951 6,533
43 Lenoir 18,301 16.0% $44,802 2,928
44 Elizabeth City 18,570 18.9% $50,155 3,519
45 Ayden 5,002 20.9% $53,000 1,047
46 Graham 17,136 19.1% $51,482 3,281
47 Bessemer City 5,472 14.2% $44,440 779
48 Statesville 28,576 18.5% $51,784 5,283
49 Burlington 56,951 18.7% $52,963 10,655
50 Fayetteville 208,697 18.8% $53,424 39,130
51 Hendersonville 15,102 16.6% $50,198 2,503
52 Long View 5,029 13.1% $44,740 657
53 Nashville 5,624 21.9% $61,513 1,229
54 Jacksonville 71,908 15.4% $50,185 11,109
55 Winston-Salem 249,571 18.4% $54,416 45,946
56 Elon 11,161 25.0% $73,597 2,794
57 Greensboro 297,202 18.1% $55,051 53,644
58 Morehead City 9,632 15.4% $51,716 1,479
59 New Bern 31,373 16.5% $55,673 5,189
60 Hope Mills 17,671 16.2% $57,864 2,869
61 Hickory 43,352 16.6% $58,251 7,192
62 Conover 8,457 10.8% $49,978 915
63 Wilmington 116,933 17.8% $58,908 20,802
64 Pineville 10,532 14.0% $55,450 1,475
65 Zebulon 7,421 11.7% $50,934 864
66 Havelock 16,759 13.8% $56,492 2,317
67 High Point 114,120 15.4% $58,582 17,563
68 Gastonia 80,615 14.7% $58,047 11,882
69 Cherryville 6,113 13.7% $57,137 836
70 Newton 13,173 13.3% $57,918 1,752
71 Woodfin 7,901 14.4% $59,144 1,140
72 Sawmills 5,026 14.7% $63,388 737
73 Butner 8,374 15.4% $68,604 1,292
74 Angier 5,348 9.3% $54,936 495
75 Asheville 93,695 13.3% $63,810 12,480
76 Chapel Hill 58,919 18.6% $85,940 10,941
77 Kernersville 27,177 12.2% $66,151 3,307
78 Dallas 5,889 9.0% $55,979 528
79 Monroe 34,897 11.7% $63,982 4,082
80 Kannapolis 53,314 11.7% $66,487 6,227
81 Walke 5,706 9.0% $58,900 515
82 Durham 284,094 12.6% $74,710 35,824
83 Boiling Spring Lakes 6,032 8.1% $57,969 486
84 Charlotte 875,045 11.7% $74,070 102,380
85 Trinity 7,012 10.4% $70,368 732
86 Carrboro 21,242 11.7% $76,933 2,493
87 Raleigh 465,517 11.8% $78,631 54,977
88 Aberdeen 8,674 8.1% $69,758 704
89 Archdale 11,873 7.4% $63,627 880
90 Mount Holly 17,644 8.3% $73,923 1,462
91 Southern Pines 15,701 9.8% $81,867 1,530
92 Mebane 17,899 9.1% $78,419 1,634
93 Clayton 26,837 7.8% $71,698 2,104
94 Belmont 14,842 10.3% $84,274 1,530
95 King 7,210 5.0% $59,770 357
96 Lewisville 13,509 9.4% $86,641 1,271
97 Kill Devil Hills 7,658 6.6% $73,036 506
98 Fletcher 8,000 7.3% $74,483 584
99 Oak Island 8,564 9.1% $85,513 779
100 Fuquay-Varina 35,428 10.6% $94,142 3,755
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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