Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Albemarle earns a D, 231st among North Carolina's 286 graded towns, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $47K, and 25% of residents live below the poverty line. Residents are less healthy than 76% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also has a long history, with 9 places on the National Register. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Albemarle, above both North Carolina’s towns (13%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Albemarle is home to Stanly Community College. On history, just 24 of North Carolina’s 451 towns do better.
Where Albemarle beats most towns.
Census counts: 248 in 1890, 16,432 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1915.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Albemarle is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Albemarle, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Albemarle.
Albemarle draws workers from Winston-Salem and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the North Carolina rate.
12,488 jobs are based in Albemarle, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
The median commute is under 26 miles. Jobs in Albemarle grew by 2,056 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 12,488. The share of working residents in Albemarle who work locally: 24%. The top destinations are Charlotte (16%), Concord (5%) and New London (4%).
| Albemarle | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.2% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Three of its 10 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The largest public high school is Albemarle High, with 414 students. The public schools here belong to the Stanly County Schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 525 | C− |
| Albemarle HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 414 | C |
| Stanly Early College HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 188 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Against the 4,618 U.S. towns with household incomes like Albemarle’s, it is healthier than 63%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
15% of adults report frequent physical distress in Albemarle. Two figures for adults locally: 41% have high blood pressure, 20% worry about having enough food.
| Albemarle | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Albemarle | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.2% | 13.9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11% | 8.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.5% | 7.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
On the market in Albemarle: a median 78 days to sell. Albemarle: 56% of households are owner-occupiers. The median rent here is $880 a month.
| Albemarle | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $880 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 31° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
111 violent crimes were reported in 2025. For Albemarle, the level of property crime is 24.8 per 1,000 residents. Albemarle's reported crime rate is above North Carolina's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Albemarle | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.3 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 24.8 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Trails run 2.3 miles in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is City Lake Park, at 70 acres. The concentration of trails for Albemarle comes to 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Albemarle | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.8% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chuck Morehead Memorial Park | 0.3 mi | 65 |
| 2. Rock Creek Park | 0.3 mi | 26 |
| 3. Don Montgomery Park | 0.3 mi | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in Albemarle than in 52% of U.S. communities. 47 flood insurance claims have been paid locally since 1979. One declared disaster, in 2024, has brought federal aid to Albemarle households.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Albemarle
About 6 of every 100 Albemarle residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
Where Albemarle’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
9 places in Albemarle on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Albemarle.
City in North Carolina, United States
Albemarle () is a city in and the county seat of Stanly County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 16,432 in the 2020 census. Albemarle is located in the easternmost part of the Charlotte metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Albemarle grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #231 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades C− for health and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.3 years of the area's median household income ($60,704 across the Albemarle, NC area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
9 notable people were born here, including Kellie Pickler and June Tyson.
