Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Graham grades D overall, ranked 222nd of 286 in North Carolina. It also has a long history, with 6 places on the National Register. Graham is home to Alamance Community College. 53% of households own their home in Graham, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 67% and U.S. towns at 73%. Its National Register listings include Graham Historic District and Kerr Scott Farm.
Where Graham beats most towns.
Census counts: 502 in 1870, 17,157 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1917 and 2 maps from 1969 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 Graham is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Graham, 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 Graham.
Graham is healthier than towns with similar incomes, trades workers with Burlington and other neighbors and has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more.
4.3 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Graham Municipal Park, at 41 acres.
| Graham | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Graham Municipal Park | 0.7 mi | 41 |
| 2. South Graham Park | 0.2 mi | 34 |
| 3. Greenway Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Alamance-Burlington Schools. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Graham High, with 828 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alamance Community SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–7 | Grades K–7 | 736 | C− |
| Graham HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 828 | B |
| ABSS Early College at ACCTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 247 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 429 to 346 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Graham is 14.5 per 1,000 residents. Within North Carolina, it does better than 59% of towns.
| Graham | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.5 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Graham has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 30° and about 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Graham has about as many jobs (7,200) as working residents, but only 586 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Graham for work: only 8% work in town. 17% of Graham residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Graham has added 689 jobs, to 7,200 in 2023.
| Graham | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 10% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 7,803 U.S. towns with household incomes like Graham’s, it is healthier than 67%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Graham beats the North Carolina average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 14% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Graham.
| Graham | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 10% | 8.1% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 36% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Graham | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 13.6% | 10.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 19.6% | 15.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 10.3% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Graham home is worth about $291,000, up 1% in a year, 12% below the North Carolina typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1995, 27 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Graham.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Graham
About 5 of every 100 Graham residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
14,153 counted in 2010 and 17,157 in 2020; an estimated 20,131 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 17.3% since 2020, after 21.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
8 notable people were born in Graham.
City in North Carolina, United States
Graham is a city and the county seat of Alamance County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Burlington, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census the population was 17,153.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Graham.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graham | #222 | D | C+ | C | C | C+ |
| Burlington | #249 | D | B− | D | C | C |
| Haw River | — | — | B− | C− | C | D |
Haw River has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Graham with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Graham grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #222 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades C+ for health, C for safety and C for schools.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 59% of towns.
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($65,651 across the Burlington, NC metro 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 Jesse Branson and Tom Zachary.
