Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Enfield’s subject grades is an A for history; the weakest is a D− for health. 32% of residents are under 18 in Enfield, above both North Carolina’s towns (22%) and U.S. towns (22%). Only 2 of North Carolina’s 450 towns score lower on health. Enfield's schools rank behind 91% of the state's. On history, just 7 of North Carolina’s 451 towns do better. Enfield's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 95% of U.S. towns. Enfield has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Enfield beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Shell Castle| Widest gap | Enfield | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 23.6% | 8.1% |
Census counts: 504 in 1880, a peak of 3,272 in 1970, 1,865 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 2 maps from 1961 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Enfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Enfield, 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 Enfield.
The typical Enfield home is worth about $89,000, down 3.7% in a year, 73% below the North Carolina typical home. 53% of Enfield households own their home, below both the North Carolina town median (67%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%).
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
38% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Enfield. Only 2 of the 290 North Carolina towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Enfield. 39% of adults feel lonely in Enfield.
| Enfield | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Enfield | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.2% | 14.7% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.5% | 7.9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 23.6% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Enfield’s median household income is $35,000. Since 2013, Enfield has lost 163 jobs, to 390 in 2023. 21% of Enfield residents live below the poverty line.
| Enfield | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $35,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Enfield has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Enfield is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 2006, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Enfield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Enfield
About 1 of every 100 Enfield residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
2,532 counted in 2010 and 1,865 in 2020; an estimated 1,777 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
6 places in Enfield on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Enfield.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Enfield is a town in Halifax County, North Carolina, United States, and was founded in 1740. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 1,864, which reflected a decrease of almost 27% from the population of 2,538 in 2010. It is the oldest town in Halifax County, and was once the world's largest raw peanut market. Enfield is part of the Roanoke Rapids micropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. That is 1.9 years of the area's median household income ($47,104 across the Roanoke Rapids, 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 B+.
4 notable people were born here, including Lawrence O'Bryan Branch and James P. Parker.
