Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,062.
Flat Rock’s best subject grades are an A− for cost of living and an A for history; its weakest is a D− for health. Only 11 of North Carolina’s 450 towns score lower on health. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 84% of U.S. towns. Among 291 North Carolina towns, just 5 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Flat Rock. On history, just 13 of North Carolina’s 451 towns do better. Flat Rock has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Flat Rock beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
North Carolina Granite Corporation Quarry Complex| Widest gap | Flat Rock | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 34.9% | 13.9% |
1,556 counted in 2010 and 1,326 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Flat Rock is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 3 maps from 1957 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Flat Rock. Close and well known come first.
9 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
13 mi MountainPilot Mountain
32 mi Stadium & arenaAllegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium
35 mi MuseumOld Salem
19 mi State parkHanging Rock State Park
31 mi MuseumReynolda House Museum of American ArtBlue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Pilot Mountain: Berean Hunter, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium: BobHWS, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Old Salem: David Bjorgen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hanging Rock State Park: Jacalyn Engler from Greensboro, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Reynolda House Museum of American Art: Zsrarticle, CC BY-SA 4.0
Flat Rock is unincorporated, so Surry 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 Flat Rock.
31% of Flat Rock adults say their health is fair or poor, above both North Carolina’s towns (19%) and U.S. towns (19%). 20% of adults report frequent mental distress in Flat Rock. Only 2 of the 290 North Carolina towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Flat Rock.
| Flat Rock | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Flat Rock | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 34.9% | 13.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 14% | 7.1% |
| More smokers | 22.7% | 13.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Surry County Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Rock ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 217 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Flat Rock for work: only 1% work in town. At 18 minutes, Flat Rock’s average trip to work is against 24 minutes in North Carolina’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Flat Rock’s median household income is $42,000.
| Flat Rock | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 13% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Flat Rock has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 27° and about 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 55% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Flat Rock Ruritan Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Flat Rock
About 1 of every 100 Flat Rock residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census-designated place in North Carolina, United States
Flat Rock is a census-designated place (CDP) in Surry County, North Carolina, United States. The name "Flat Rock" stems from the community's granite quarry. The granite quarry is the largest open-face granite quarry in the world, and has been mined continuously since 1889 by the North Carolina Granite Corporation.
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. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
