The 10 Worst Small Towns In North Carolina For 2023


We used Saturday Night Science to determine the worst small towns in North Carolina.

By: Nick Johnson | About HomeSnacks
Last Updated: October 14, 2023

Most Americans have never been to small town North Carolina. However, as the North Carolinian who live there know, small town North Carolina is an awesome place to call home.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, North Carolina has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Tar Heel State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.

After analyzing more than 291 of North Carolina’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in North Carolina where you’d never want to live:

These are the worst small towns in North Carolina for 2023:

  1. South Henderson
  2. Chadbourn
  3. South Rosemary
  4. Fairplains
  5. Robbins
  6. Weldon
  7. Yanceyville
  8. Garland
  9. Red Springs
  10. Andrews

So what is the worst small town to call home in North Carolina for 2023? According to the most recent census data, South Henderson is the worst small town to live in North Carolina.

While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like South Henderson home. Everyone

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in North Carolina or the worst places to live in North Carolina.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

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

The 10 Worst Small Towns In North Carolina For 2023

1. South Henderson

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,056
Median Home Value: $1,000 (1000th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 18.3% (7th worst)

2. Chadbourn

Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 1,602
Median Home Value: $59,000 (2nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 15.5% (11th worst)

3. South Rosemary

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,557
Median Home Value: $90,400 (36th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 15.2% (13th worst)

4. Fairplains

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,591
Median Home Value: $116,500 (80th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 16.1% (9th worst)

5. Robbins

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,579
Median Home Value: $91,900 (39th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.9% (28th worst)

6. Weldon

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,524
Median Home Value: $79,400 (16th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 14.9% (14th worst)

7. Yanceyville

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,848
Median Home Value: $125,000 (93rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.3% (33rd worst)

8. Garland

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,134
Median Home Value: $95,700 (45th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 5.4% (125th worst)

9. Red Springs

Red Springs, NC

Source: Wikipedia User User:Dincher | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 3,139
Median Home Value: $74,100 (8th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.6% (73rd worst)

10. Andrews

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,937
Median Home Value: $86,900 (30th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 15.3% (12th worst)

Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in North Carolina is lousy or not?

To rank the worst small towns to live in North Carolina, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.

We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.

Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2017-2021 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (The lower, the worse)
  • Highest Unemployment Rates
  • Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
  • Education (Number of high school dropouts)
  • High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 291 to be exact.

We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2023, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in North Carolina.

There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In North Carolina

If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Tar Heel State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in North Carolina, according to science:

  1. Trent Woods (Pop. 4,052)
  2. Kure Beach (Pop. 2,474)
  3. Fearrington Village (Pop. 2,642)

For more North Carolina reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In North Carolina

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 South Henderson 1,056 18.3% $1,000
2 Chadbourn 1,602 15.5% $59,000
3 South Rosemary 2,557 15.2% $90,400
4 Fairplains 1,591 16.1% $116,500
5 Robbins 1,579 11.9% $91,900
6 Weldon 1,524 14.9% $79,400
7 Yanceyville 2,848 11.3% $125,000
8 Garland 1,134 5.4% $95,700
9 Red Springs 3,139 7.6% $74,100
10 Andrews 1,937 15.3% $86,900
11 Laurel Hill 1,125 21.3% $80,700
12 Alliance 1,014 5.7% $93,800
13 East Rockingham 3,538 13.5% $73,700
14 St. Pauls 2,077 11.0% $87,400
15 Enfield 2,047 13.2% $67,200
16 Maury 1,351 21.0% $77,900
17 Chocowinity 1,226 31.4% $72,200
18 Mayodan 2,428 14.5% $86,100
19 Plymouth 3,315 7.3% $84,800
20 Maxton 2,224 14.5% $78,400
21 Faison 1,024 8.0% $76,400
22 Brogden 2,430 6.7% $83,400
23 Scotland Neck 2,033 8.0% $63,300
24 Magnolia 1,059 4.3% $53,600
25 Belhaven 1,398 5.2% $85,500
26 Liberty 2,660 9.8% $121,000
27 Gorman 1,051 2.8% $147,600
28 Sylva 2,611 14.8% $155,700
29 Tabor City 3,736 4.3% $86,200
30 Rose Hill 1,811 9.7% $92,600
31 Cricket 2,519 6.0% $126,800
32 Cordova 1,242 26.7% $96,300
33 Spring Hope 1,484 9.4% $106,300
34 Fairmont 2,399 7.3% $90,600
35 Ahoskie 4,972 11.5% $94,000
36 Marshville 2,533 13.6% $110,000
37 Rocky Point 1,220 5.9% $191,700
38 Flat Rock 1,135 4.6% $97,000
39 Badin 1,919 9.0% $98,100
40 Rowland 1,084 11.7% $78,700
41 Kenly 2,301 7.1% $128,600
42 Pembroke 2,865 7.3% $108,700
43 Murphy 1,659 10.0% $146,500
44 Millers Creek 1,360 5.7% $145,600
45 Bonnetsville 1,081 0.7% $76,100
46 River Road 3,244 10.6% $156,700
47 Sparta 1,924 4.3% $155,800
48 Spindale 4,153 8.3% $81,600
49 Franklinville 1,375 4.1% $96,100
50 Candor 1,132 0.8% $108,300
51 China Grove 4,395 10.2% $130,100
52 Wilson’s Mills 2,506 10.2% $182,000
53 Enochville 3,563 7.0% $143,200
54 Mount Gilead 1,085 8.6% $121,600
55 Elm City 1,300 13.3% $87,400
56 Gamewell 3,735 7.9% $104,600
57 Jonesville 2,549 2.5% $95,100
58 Grifton 2,764 12.1% $86,300
59 Hertford 2,050 9.7% $152,200
60 La Grange 2,641 10.9% $77,500
61 Biscoe 3,188 0.6% $112,100
62 Elizabet 3,187 0.0% $115,800
63 Louisburg 2,952 29.5% $185,400
64 West Jefferson 1,446 17.5% $164,400
65 Brunswick 1,071 1.2% $115,800
66 Beulaville 1,482 3.1% $90,800
67 Denton 1,322 6.7% $96,900
68 Bladenboro 1,880 9.1% $73,500
69 East Spencer 1,243 9.2% $84,400
70 Calabash 2,117 8.1% $141,400
71 Star 1,351 4.4% $116,800
72 Bayboro 1,158 3.0% $106,300
73 Burgaw 3,116 18.9% $183,700
74 Jefferson 1,630 3.7% $157,400
75 Pilot Mountain 1,747 5.0% $139,900
76 Troy 2,973 4.9% $117,000
77 Snow Hill 2,054 2.8% $101,100
78 Dana 3,755 4.9% $179,100
79 Fremont 1,114 2.5% $89,200
80 Salem 1,573 6.2% $123,700
81 Fruitland 2,374 1.3% $112,500
82 Sharpsburg 1,543 6.2% $89,200
83 Franklin 4,131 4.0% $154,100
84 Coats 2,109 5.4% $105,500
85 Belwood 1,143 4.1% $152,100
86 Cherokee 2,059 2.7% $155,500
87 Toast 1,271 2.9% $83,100
88 Spencer 3,296 10.0% $119,800
89 Mount Olive 4,155 3.3% $93,300
90 Raeford 4,743 5.5% $139,300
91 Haw River 2,579 4.1% $101,200
92 Icard 1,740 7.9% $110,200
93 Green Level 3,015 1.3% $103,100
94 Saxapahaw 1,214 8.1% $130,900
95 Connelly Springs 2,252 8.7% $116,400
96 Middlesex 1,141 2.3% $137,800
97 Princeville 1,648 12.9% $83,300
98 Yadkinville 2,801 6.6% $123,500
99 Princeton 1,472 4.2% $100,600
100 Vanceboro 1,112 1.9% $95,800
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.

 Worst

10 thoughts on “The 10 Worst Small Towns In North Carolina For 2023”

  1. As a resident outsider to Casar (from Miami, FL) I have to say that whomever (Bud Tapman) wrote this is an idiot and knows nothing about our town. First, our population is 298, not 410. Second, despite the fact that our average median income is under $20,000, there is not one single resident that would ever allow a neighbor to go to bed hungry. We pull together as a community to help one another in one way or another. This town is built on generations of kindness, humility, and hard working people. The folks her have strong roots in faith, love, and compassion. So when you say that we are number three on the your uninformed list of places to live, stay out if you don’t like the type of people I have described.

    Reply

  2. My husband and I have lived here our entire marriage(43) yrs. In 2005 our home burned to the ground. Neither of is we’re home that day. He is a minister, was in Gastonia that day. I worked for a dermatologist, was off that day at a Dr’s appt. picked my granddaughter up. When I pulled in the fire department was trying to save our hpme. The fire men worked so hard to some actually passed out. Strangers showed up with clothes for us. My sister in law Carol fixed us a meal that night, stayed the night with my mother. Came the next morning to our burnt home and fireman had came back to check on us. Neighbors, strangers brought us money, food and clothes to wear. We lost everything, even a car sitting on the carport. This little town you describe as third came in first that day. It might be small and poor in your estimation but when it comes to a tragedy or needing a helping hand, its number one. Faith, living right, and being a good neighbor is all around us. Rethinking your status of #3 might be in order. No, we are not perfect. Come check is put in person.

    Reply

  3. This must be another Gay rights Activist writing these articles, who is supported by our Attorney General, Roy Cooper!

    Reply

  4. Lewiston is not a poor town with a lot of dropouts. There’s 36 teachers, doctors, parents of am NBA star, nurses, and prominent business owners within a 4 mile radius of my childhood home. It’s quiet and most people are related or friends. People need not write about things they truly don’t know.

    Reply

    1. It very much is a poor town. I could not believe how bad it looks now compared to when I was a teenager. It’s gone downhill.

      Reply

  5. I love living in Stonewall. Unlike these demographics, I have a job (often more than 3-4!) a college eduation (plus a grad degree!) and am not a criminal. Yes, we have some uneployment here.. but there are MANY retirees who chose to stay in Stonewall.
    SHEESH!

    Reply

  6. THANK You For all the Great Info, and the Great replies too. Does anyone here happen to know the area or areas of Mt. Airy, NC.? From what im hearing about the drug scene, Andy has left the building. Have considered moving there for the good home prices, but there’s always a minus for a plus, understood, but druggies and violence in my face, ain’t worth it. I may have to redneck it on over to Robbinsville, Lol.

    Reply

  7. In my view, I feel the article is directed, perhaps unconsciously, but it doesn’t feel unconscious frankly – is directed at predominately white people to warn them of towns that are predominately black. Yes, I do find it frankly offensive and under the banner of white privilege – and I wonder too how many of the towns listed as the “worst” have sizable minority populations.

    I don’t feel we can necessarily take a purely statistical approach and also say in a pejorative sense, that e.g. “Yanceyville” is one of the “worst” towns or the “pits” – and then have links to data that show it has a black majority in terms of residents.

    Maybe the fact there is higher unemployment has also something to do with the reinforcement of negativity in terms of the language chosen to use when describing the statistics? Potential businesses ostensibly review such info – and I find Bud Tapman to be essentially aiding and abetting social and economic racial injustice.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *