Blandenboro Township, 2002
Bladenboro’s story
160 years in pictures
Census counts: 276 in 1910, 1,648 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2002 and 2 maps from 1957 on.
- 1866Bladenboro is settled
BladenboroNC
Photo: User:Dincher · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,656
2025 Census estimate · +0.7% since 2020
Typical home
$133K
−1.9% in a year
Household income
$52K
median
Median age
36.1
years
Jobs based here
427
A commuter town
Is Bladenboro a good place to live?
Bladenboro’s weakest subject grade is a D for hazard risk. Bladenboro's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 99% of U.S. towns. Bladenboro has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Bladenboro stand out
Where Bladenboro beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Bladenboro for work
Where Bladenboro’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
427jobs based in Bladenboro
6%of working residents work in town
30 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Bladenboro grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Bladenboro is from typical.
Hazard riskhurricanes tops the listDOpen →Jobs & income$52K median household income; 427 jobs based hereDOpen →HealthCape Fear Valley-Bladen County Hospital 12 miles awayDOpen →SchoolsCOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $133K, 3.1 years of the county’s $42K median household incomeB−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.9 of 20; 5.3% of households have no car; 3.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 4% conserved landCOpen →History1 notable person born hereC−Open →Civic life1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsD−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market$133K typical home, down 1.9% in a year–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 36.1; 14% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Bladenboro: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bladenboro, and how to reach them.
PowerFour County Elec Member15.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterTown of Bladenboro water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Bladenboro’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn North Carolina you can register online until 25 days before Election Day, in person with same-day registration during the early voting period, or by mail (postmarked 25 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereBladen County Board of ElectionsBladen County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, May 2019
ZIP code2832028320 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Bladenboro.
HousingCost of living grade B−
The median rent in Bladenboro is lower than in the typical North Carolina or U.S. town
For households in Bladenboro, the share who are owner-occupiers is 47%. Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home lost 1.9% of its value.
$133KZillow home value
| Bladenboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 47% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $655 a month | $1,085 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Bladenboro$133K
North Carolina$332K
−1.9%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsC
Public schools in Bladenboro fall behind 68% of North Carolina districts
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Public schools: the Bladen County Schools. 2 public schools serve Bladenboro, with 702 students in all.
32%of NC districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bladenboro PrimaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 448 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
HealthD
Bladenboro is less healthy than 86% of U.S. towns
In Bladenboro, 15% of adults have diabetes. CDC measures, 32 in all: Bladenboro beats North Carolina on 1 and trails on 16. 45% of adults have high blood pressure in the town, above both North Carolina’s towns (38%) and U.S. towns (35%).
14%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Bladenboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
32 measures vs. North Carolina
1 better15 too close to call16 worse
| What stands out | Bladenboro | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.7% | 76.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.7% | 7.1% |
Cape Fear Valley-Bladen County Hospital
12 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
The biggest natural risk in Bladenboro is hurricanes, at a very high overall level
Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 89% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, Bladenboro has seen 36 flood insurance claims paid out. Federal aid has come to Bladenboro households in 7 declared disasters; the latest was in 2018.
89risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HurricanesInland floodingTornadoes
36
paid flood claims since 1996
7
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
With only 0.6 jobs per working resident, most people in Bladenboro work out of town
Bladenboro’s typical journey to work stands at 22 minutes, below both the North Carolina town median (24 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Commuting out is the norm locally: 6% of working residents work locally. Among residents in the town, 27% live below the poverty line. Half commute less than 30 miles.
6%work in town
| Bladenboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 27% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Bladenboro6%
Lumberton12%
Fayetteville6%
Elizabethtown5%
Whiteville4%
30 mi
median commute distance
427
jobs based in Bladenboro
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 51% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers: that is Bladenboro’s year
In July, afternoons reach 91°; in January, nights fall to 34°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
1″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter35–58°
Spring50–75°
Summer69–89°
Fall52–75°
Nov 11
typical first frost
Mar 24
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC
Open space protected for good: 4.1% of Bladenboro
0.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The concentration of trails in Bladenboro is 0.1 miles per square mile. This North Carolina town has one park or preserve, 5 acres in all.
4.1%conserved
| Bladenboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.1% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
4.1%
conserved · 58 of 1,411 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wateree Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bladenboro
19pages on Bladenboro
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bladenboro
Bladen Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Dublin8 mi$2,618 in-state tuitionSoutheastern Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Whiteville14.5 mi$2,600 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Bladenboro residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
About Bladenboro
Town in North Carolina, United States
Bladenboro is a town in Bladen County, North Carolina, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,648.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 102 ft
- ZIP code
- 28320
- Area code
- 910
Questions about Bladenboro
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bladenboro, NC expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.