Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town of 1,115 people was settled in 1892. Public schools that outperform most of North Carolina.
The best of Camden’s subject grades is an A− for schools; the weakest is a D for walkability. Only 4 of the 291 North Carolina towns we compare have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Camden. Camden has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Milford and Twin Houses. Camden has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Camden beats most towns.
Coastal flooding makes up 10% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Camden is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1940 and 3 maps from 1948 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Camden is unincorporated, so Camden County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Camden.
Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Camden County High, with 457 students. The 2 public schools in Camden teach 581 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camden County HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 457 | A− |
| Camden Early College HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 124 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Half of commuters travel less than 26 miles. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Camden dropped by 83, to 142. Commuting out is the norm here: 2% of working residents work locally. The town’s mean commuting time is 34 minutes.
| Camden | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $94,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
For adults in Camden, the share who feel lonely is 31%. This North Carolina town does better than the North Carolina average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 2. 17% of Camden adults binge drink, against 15% in North Carolina’s towns and 16% across U.S. towns. In Camden, 12% of adults report frequent physical distress, and 21% get no exercise outside work.
| Camden | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 33% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 24% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Camden | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.8% | 15.2% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 6.4% | 8.4% |
| More binge drinkers | 16.5% | 14.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 44%, against 36% across North Carolina. People 65 and older are 6% of residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 33% of residents (22% statewide). Camden’s age of the median resident stands at 36.4 years, below both North Carolina’s towns (40.1 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years).
| Camden | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 44% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 36.4 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
Somewhere between 32% and 57% women
The Census survey reached too few of Camden’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±12.5 points. Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Camden | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.6% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 20.1% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.3% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 21.3% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 3.9% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.2% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.5% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.9% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.4% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.6% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.2% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.3% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Only 9 of the 291 North Carolina towns we compare have a lower owner-occupancy rate than Camden. Values rose 2.2% in the 12 months to September 2026. In Camden, the typical rent is $1,115 a month.
| Camden | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 39% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,115 a month | $1,085 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected losses in Camden break down as 36% from hurricanes and 28% from inland flooding. On expected storm and flood damage, Camden sits below 54% of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Camden households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2016.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
3 within 15 miles of the center of Camden
About 4 of every 100 Camden residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
2 places in Camden on the National Register of Historic Places.
Census-designated place in North Carolina, United States
Camden is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Camden County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Camden County, a consolidated city-county. At the 2020 census, the population was 620. Camden is located on the eastern banks of the Pasquotank River, across from which lies Elizabeth City. It currently has two traffic lights, and is centered at the intersection of U.S. Highway 158 and North Carolina Highway 343. It has five schools: Grandy Primary School, Camden Intermediate School, Camden Middle School, Camden County High, and Camtech Early College High School. Camden is part of the Elizabeth City, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area. The Camden County C…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Public schools that outperform most of North Carolina.
That is 4.7 years of the area's median household income ($82,330 across the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
