Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Forest City grades D− overall, 259th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns, mostly because of safety and health. It reports more crime per resident than 97% of U.S. towns, including 23 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 74% of U.S. towns. 32% of residents live below the poverty line in Forest City, against 13% in North Carolina’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 35 of North Carolina’s 448 towns score lower on incomes. Forest City has 9 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them James Dexter Ledbetter House and Forest City Baptist Church.
Where Forest City beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Forest City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Forest City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 110 in 1880, 7,377 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1966 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Forest City, 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 Forest City.
Forest City draws workers from Spindale and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the North Carolina rate.
Property crime runs at 48.1 per 1,000 residents, about twice the North Carolina rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 528 to 379 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Forest City is 48.1 per 1,000 residents. Forest City reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 97% report less.
| Forest City | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 48.1 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Rutherford County Schools. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forrest W. Hunt Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 460 | B |
| Rutherford Opportunity CenterLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 82 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Against the 1,340 U.S. towns with household incomes like Forest City’s, it is less healthy than 65%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
29% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Forest City. Forest City beats the North Carolina average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 21% of adults smoke cigarettes in Forest City.
| Forest City | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Forest City | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 27% | 15.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 14.3% | 8.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.1% | 7.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
5,761 jobs are based in Forest City, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Forest City’s median household income is $36,000. Jobs based in Forest City fell to 5,761 in 2023, 718 fewer than in 2013. 15% of Forest City working residents work locally.
| Forest City | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $36,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Forest City home is worth about $189,000, up 3.8% in a year, 43% below the North Carolina typical home.
| Forest City | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 45% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $813 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Forest City has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 29° and about 5 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0.9 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Charles R. Summey Park, at 59 acres.
| Forest City | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.4% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Charles R. Summey Park | 0.7 mi | 59 |
| 2. James F. Crowe Memorial Park | — | 59 |
| 3. Legacy Soccer Park | — | 38 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 2019, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Forest City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Forest City
About 4 of every 100 Forest City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
9 places in Forest City on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Forest City.
Town in the United States
Forest City, formerly known as "Burnt Chimney", is a town in Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,377 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous municipality in the county.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Forest City.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest City | #259 | D− | C+ | D− | B | D− |
| Spindale | #218 | D | B− | — | B | D |
Spindale reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Forest City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Forest City grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #259 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and B for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.7 years of the area's median household income ($51,410 across the Forest City, 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 C+.
8 notable people were born here, including Venson Hamilton and Rob Gray.
