Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Eden grades D overall, 240th of 286 graded towns in North Carolina, mostly because of incomes and safety. The median household income is $47K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. It reports more crime per resident than 86% of U.S. towns, including 70 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. One bright spot: a typical home costs about $147K, 2.2 years of the Greensboro metro’s $66K median household income. Its National Register listings include Cascade Plantation and Spray Industrial Historic District. Eden's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 87% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Freedom Park, at 37 acres.
Where Eden beats most towns.
Census counts: 3,382 in 1960, 15,421 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1886 and 3 maps from 1971 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Eden is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Eden, 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 Eden.
Eden trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Greensboro and other neighbors.
Homes are within reach (about $147K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 27 miles. At 2.2 years of the Greensboro metro’s $66K median household income, the typical home (about $147K) costs less against local pay than in 98% of North Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
55% of Eden households own their home, below both the North Carolina town median (67%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). Eden’s median rent is $799 a month. The typical Eden home is worth about $147,000, down 1.3% in a year, 56% below the North Carolina typical home.
| Eden | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $799 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Rockingham County Schools. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is John M Morehead High, with 771 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| J E Holmes MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 612 | C |
| John M Morehead HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 771 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 500 to 399 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Eden’s violent crime rate is 4.5 per 1,000 residents, against 3.1 in North Carolina’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. Eden reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 86% report less. The property crime rate in Eden is 21.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Eden | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.5 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 21.4 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 4,748 U.S. towns with household incomes like Eden’s, it is less healthy than 58%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
Eden beats the North Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 18.
| Eden | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Eden | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.8% | 76.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.2% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Eden | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Freedom Park | 0.2 mi | 37 |
| 2. John E. Grogan Park | — | 8 |
| 3. Spray Recreation Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 41 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Eden.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Eden weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 201 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 80% of North Carolina places with climate records. January nights average 28.1°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 85% of North Carolina places with climate records; July afternoons average 88.8°.
Eden has mild winters and warm summers. About 5 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Eden | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 28°F | 31°F | 22°F |
| July high | 89°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Eden has about as many jobs (5,710) as working residents, but only 1,154 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 7,330 in 2013 to 5,710.
Since 2013, Eden has lost 1,620 jobs, to 5,710 in 2023. 4.2% of Eden workers work from home. The top destinations are Greensboro (13%), Reidsville (5%) and Raleigh (4%).
| Eden | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 4.2% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1 within 15 miles of the center of Eden
About 5 of every 100 Eden residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
12 places in Eden on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Eden.
City in North Carolina, United States
Eden is a city in Rockingham County in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is part of the Greensboro-High Point Metropolitan Statistical Area of the Piedmont Triad region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,405. From the late nineteenth century through much of the 20th, the city was a center of textile mills and manufacturing. The city was incorporated in 1967 through the consolidation of three towns: Leaksville, Spray, and Draper.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Eden grades D overall, better than 9% of U.S. towns and #240 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades D for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 41% of towns.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
10 notable people were born here, including Ben Cook and Jennifer King.
