Do you live in one of the most miserable places in North Carolina?
According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in North Carolina – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which North Carolina cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.
After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Tar Heel State:
- Selma (Photos)
- Roxboro (Photos)
- Wadesboro (Photos)
- Siler City (Photos)
- Lexington (Photos)
- Warsaw
- Benson (Photos)
- Elizabeth City (Photos)
- Edenton (Photos)
- Pineville (Photos)
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.
Oh, and by the way, Oak Ridge is the happiest place in North Carolina.
Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.
If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.
How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In North Carolina
In order to rank the unhappiest places in North Carolina, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.
So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Percentage of residents with a college degree
- Average commute times
- Unemployment rates
- Cost of living
- % of married couples
- % of home owners
- Poverty rate
After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in North Carolina with over 2,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 188 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).
Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In North Carolina’.
If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.
1. Selma
Population: 6,172People Who Own Their Home: 28.28%
Married Adults: 34.95%
2. Roxboro
Population: 8,330People Who Own Their Home: 29.88%
Married Adults: 28.42%
3. Wadesboro
Population: 5,711People Who Own Their Home: 47.64%
Married Adults: 33.14%
4. Siler City
Population: 8,109People Who Own Their Home: 45.74%
Married Adults: 38.96%
5. Lexington
Population: 19,029People Who Own Their Home: 35.69%
Married Adults: 41.09%
6. Warsaw
Population: 3,162 People Who Own Their Home: 32.04%
Married Adults: 28.36%
7. Benson
Population: 3,435People Who Own Their Home: 38.29%
Married Adults: 37.15%
8. Elizabeth City
Population: 18,343People Who Own Their Home: 35.07%
Married Adults: 32.57%
9. Edenton
Population: 4,979People Who Own Their Home: 32.56%
Married Adults: 37.71%
10. Pineville
Population: 7,855People Who Own Their Home: 30.7%
Married Adults: 30.37%
There You Have It
Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more North Carolina reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Most Boring Places To Live In North Carolina
- These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In North Carolina
- These Are The 10 Safest Cities in North Carolina
Detailed List Of Miserable Places In North Carolina
| City | Rank |
|---|---|
| Selma | 1 |
| Roxboro | 2 |
| Wadesboro | 3 |
| Siler City | 4 |
| Lexington | 5 |
| Warsaw | 6 |
| Benson | 7 |
| Elizabeth City | 8 |
| Edenton | 9 |
| Pineville | 10 |
| Fairmont | 11 |
| Henderson | 12 |
| Louisburg | 13 |
| Eden | 14 |
| Lincolnton | 15 |
| Ahoskie | 16 |
| Beaufort | 17 |
| Kinston | 18 |
| Murphy | 19 |
| Statesville | 20 |
| Forest City | 21 |
| Salisbury | 22 |
| Whiteville | 23 |
| Smithfield | 24 |
| Dunn | 25 |
| Laurinburg | 26 |
| Troy | 27 |
| Taylorsville | 28 |
| Marion | 29 |
| Plymouth | 30 |
| Murfreesboro | 31 |
| Oxford | 32 |
| Boone | 33 |
| Gastonia | 34 |
| Sparta | 35 |
| Greenville | 36 |
| Shelby | 37 |
| Monroe | 38 |
| Washington | 39 |
| Lumberton | 40 |
| Madison | 41 |
| Goldsboro | 42 |
| Bessemer City | 43 |
| Rocky Mount | 44 |
| Franklin | 45 |
| Carolina Beach | 46 |
| Albemarle | 47 |
| Asheboro | 48 |
| Woodfin | 49 |
| Sanford | 50 |
| Lowell | 51 |
| Hamlet | 52 |
| Windsor | 53 |
| Kings Mountain | 54 |
| Kannapolis | 55 |
| Thomasville | 56 |
| Hendersonville | 57 |
| Williamston | 58 |
| Newton | 59 |
| Wilmington | 60 |
| Wilson | 61 |
| Norwood | 62 |
| Dallas | 63 |
| Graham | 64 |
| Clinton | 65 |
| Morehead City | 66 |
| Winston-Salem | 67 |
| Oak Island | 68 |
| Elon | 69 |
| Greensboro | 70 |
| Charlotte | 71 |
| Morganton | 72 |
| La Grange | 73 |
| Lenoir | 74 |
| New Bern | 75 |
| High Point | 76 |
| Tarboro | 77 |
| Sawmills | 78 |
| Spencer | 79 |
| Spring Lake | 80 |
| Erwin | 81 |
| Silver Lake | 82 |
| Kill Devil Hills | 83 |
| Fayetteville | 84 |
| Mocksville | 85 |
| Durham | 86 |
| Butner | 87 |
| Burlington | 88 |
| Rockingham | 89 |
| Liberty | 90 |
| Raleigh | 91 |
| Half Moon | 92 |
| Cherokee | 93 |
| Chapel Hill | 94 |
| Asheville | 95 |
| Carrboro | 96 |
| Brevard | 97 |
| Piney Green | 98 |
| Boiling Spring Lakes | 99 |
| Concord | 100 |
| Reidsville | 101 |
| Hickory | 102 |
| Waynesville | 103 |
| Mount Holly | 104 |
| Garner | 105 |
| Jacksonville | 106 |
| Fruitland | 107 |
| Aberdeen | 108 |
| Havelock | 109 |
| Black Mountain | 110 |
| Southern Pines | 111 |
| Nashville | 112 |
| Mount Airy | 113 |
| Hope Mills | 114 |
| Roanoke Rapids | 115 |
| Canton | 116 |
| Southport | 117 |
| Fuquay-Varina | 118 |
| Cherryville | 119 |
| Carthage | 120 |
| Mooresville | 121 |
| Salem | 122 |
| Boiling Springs | 123 |
| Bethlehem | 124 |
| Richlands | 125 |
| Belmont | 126 |
| Clayton | 127 |
| Hillsborough | 128 |
| Kings Grant | 129 |
| Etowah | 130 |
| Mebane | 131 |
| Newport | 132 |
| Knightdale | 133 |
| Conover | 134 |
| Wendell | 135 |
| Cornelius | 136 |
| Wrightsboro | 137 |
| Welcome | 138 |
| Midland | 139 |
| Kernersville | 140 |
| Indian Trail | 141 |
| Stokesdale | 142 |
| Leland | 143 |
| James City | 144 |
| Archdale | 145 |
| Mountain Home | 146 |
| Hampstead | 147 |
| Waxhaw | 148 |
| Mint Hill | 149 |
| Ogden | 150 |
| Fairview | 151 |
| Lake Norman Of Catawba | 152 |
| Matthews | 153 |
| Wake Forest | 154 |
| Stanley | 155 |
| Hudson | 156 |
| Huntersville | 157 |
| Davidson | 158 |
| Winterville | 159 |
| Stallings | 160 |
| Fairview | 161 |
| Gibsonville | 162 |
| Mountain View | 163 |
| Wesley Chapel | 164 |
| Morrisville | 165 |
| Trinity | 166 |
| King | 167 |
| Weddington | 168 |
| Murraysville | 169 |
| Unionville | 170 |
| Harrisburg | 171 |
| Apex | 172 |
| Lewisville | 173 |
| Cary | 174 |
| Westport | 175 |
| Flat Rock | 176 |
| Porters Neck | 177 |
| Fletcher | 178 |
| Myrtle Grove | 179 |
| Marvin | 180 |
| Mills River | 181 |
| Clemmons | 182 |
| Summerfield | 183 |
| Holly Springs | 184 |
| Seven Lakes | 185 |
| Red Oak | 186 |
| Pinehurst | 187 |
| Oak Ridge | 188 |
Oak Ridge is both the 1st and 3rd happiest town in NC?
The results we compiled incorrectly. There is no way Carolina Beach is a miserable place, it’s the BEACH!
I agree. I live in Carolina Beach. Been in the Wilmington area about a year. I love it. The number crunching doesn’t physically reflect people’s displeasure. It’s a deduction based on what percentage of people own homes, are married, average commute times and cost of living in that area.
Haha! I knew Moyock was too small to be considered a city. If it is listed, I miss it or it was in the very small print. However, those of you living in Elizabeth City, yes it is somewhat expensive, but you are living larger than you would be in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake or Norfolk. Their close proximity is what caused the higher cost of living in EC.
and your comment is nothing but the truth! i live in virginia beach, after coming from harnett county (dunn which was #25 on the list, which is pretty miserable but not that bad, and coats near dunn thats not even on the list!) and YES! the only reason anything near the VA line in close proximity to VB is so costly is because ts near this piece of garbage place! you wanna find the most miserable place to live? its not selma! its virginia beach! theyll rob you of every dime and force you to live in a tiny closet they call “luxury” only because scattered about are a few million dollar homes and this junky “tourist” suburb thinks ita worth a penny to someone! give me carolina beach any day over virginia beach! actually i prefer topsail but ill take anything carolina over va!
This is purest silly snobbery. Wealth and higher education don’t necessarily equal delirious happiness.i would hazard a guess: this has a lot to do with racial makeup, and willingness of the.down-and-outs to participate in town opportunities.. My pretty little town has so much to offer in addition to its ideal location, its (free) parks, cultural, recreational, volunteer and educational opportunities, There is no excuse for anyone to be miserable here except through laziness and lack of imagination and drive. Anybody who is bored or unhappy here needs to get off his or her duff and DO something.
So why are you afraid to name your town?