Drexel-Main-St-nc, 2021
Drexel’s story
128 years in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2021.
- 1898Drexel is settled
DrexelNC
A town of 1,764, settled in 1898.
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
Population
1,764
2025 Census estimate · +1% since 2020
Median home value
$214K
Census ACS
Household income
$62K
median
Median age
47.2
years
Jobs based here
285
A commuter town
Is Drexel a good place to live?
Drexel’s best subject grade is an A for cost of living; its weakest is a D for walkability. On cost of living, just 17 of North Carolina’s 450 towns do better. Drexel has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Drexel stand out
Where Drexel beats most towns.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Drexel for work
Where Drexel’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
285jobs based in Drexel
1%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Drexel grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Drexel is from typical.
Cost of livingTypical home $214K, 3.4 years of the Hickory metro’s $63K median household incomeAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6 of 20; 4.5% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 27% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →HealthBlue Ridge Healthcare Hospitals 3.6 miles awayCOpen →Jobs & incomeCOpen →SchoolsBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksC+Open →HistoryCOpen →Civic life4.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Drexel: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Drexel, and how to reach them.
PowerTown of DrexelEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterTown of Drexel water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNearest public drop-offConnelly Springs Convenience Site, 5 miOpenStreetMap
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 hereBurke County Board of ElectionsBurke County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, May 2019
ZIP codes28655, 2861928655 71% · 28619 29%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 Drexel.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Most of Drexel’s workers commute out: the town has 0.4 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Drexel for work: only 1% work in town. At 20 minutes, Drexel’s average trip to work is against 24 minutes in North Carolina’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Since 2013, Drexel has added 100 jobs, to 285 in 2023.
1%work in town
| Drexel | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 13% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Drexel1%
Morganton25%
Hickory8%
Charlotte6%
Valdese5%
14 mi
median commute distance
285
jobs based in Drexel
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 14% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsB
Public schools in Drexel beat 56% of North Carolina districts
Its public schools are run by the Burke County Schools. Its two schools are below.
56%of NC districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drexel ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 477 | B |
| Hallyburton AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 73 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
HealthC
Health in Drexel trails 72% of U.S. towns
Drexel beats the North Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 42% of adults have high blood pressure in Drexel, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 38% and U.S. towns at 35%. 27% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Drexel.
28%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Drexel | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 16% |
32 measures vs. North Carolina
1 better19 too close to call12 worse
| What stands out | Drexel | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.2% | 76.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.5% | 7.1% |
Blue Ridge Healthcare Hospitals
3.6 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 B+
Low risk in Drexel, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities.
27risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
In Drexel, expect mild winters and hot summers
Drexel has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 29° and about 5 inches of snow falls in a winter.
5″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter30–53°
Spring45–71°
Summer65–87°
Fall47–72°
Oct 28
typical first frost
Apr 7
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Safety
Compared with most of North Carolina and the rest of the country, property crime in Drexel is lower
The property crime rate in Drexel is 1.7 per 1,000 residents. Among 154 North Carolina towns, just 1 have a lower violent crime rate than Drexel. Drexel's reported crime rate is well below North Carolina's.
| Drexel | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 1.6 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Drexel0
North Carolina3.3
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Drexel1.7
North Carolina18.2
U.S.15.5
0
violent crimes reported in 2025
3
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
HousingCost of living grade A
Drexel stands out in North Carolina and nationally: the median rent there is lower
Drexel’s median rent is $590 a month.
$292Kmedian sale price
| Drexel | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $590 a month | $1,085 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 67% | 73% |
2
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 43 attractions →Mount Mitchell and 12 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Drexel. Close and well known come first.
Big draw37 mi MountainMount Mitchell
22 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
27 mi MountainGrandfather Mountain29 mi Theme parkTweetsie Railroad7 mi Ancient siteJoara
20 mi Park & preserveLinville Gorge WildernessSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Mount Mitchell: Unknown, Public domain · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Grandfather Mountain: Original uploader was KyleAndMelissa22 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Linville Gorge Wilderness: No machine-readable author provided. Amcbride~commonswiki assumed (based on copy, Public domain
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Drexel
18pages on Drexel
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Drexel
Western Piedmont Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Morganton5 mi$2,650 in-state tuitionCaldwell Community College and Technical InstituteCommunity college · Public · Hudson9.7 mi$2,526 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Drexel residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
About Drexel
Town in North Carolina, United States
Drexel is a town in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Drexel had a population of 1,760. It is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,194 ft
- ZIP code
- 28619
- Area code
- 828
Drexel’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Drexel.
ValdeseDrexel
How the neighbors grade
Drexel has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Drexel reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Drexel with a neighbor →
Questions about Drexel
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Drexel, NC expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $214,000, 35% below the North Carolina typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.