Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
High Point is a city of 120,571, and it grades C− overall, ranked 206th of 286 in North Carolina. The trade-off: its crime rate is higher than 86% of U.S. towns, with 623 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Its National Register listings include Spring Hill Methodist Protestant Church Cemetery and John Haley House. 11% of the land in High Point is conserved, above both the North Carolina town median (3.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). High Point is home to High Point University.
Where High Point beats most towns.
Its founding year, 1750, comes before those of 97% of the North Carolina towns we grade with a known year. Its 35 National Register listings are more than in 96% of North Carolina towns with a listing.
Census counts: 991 in 1880, 114,059 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1902 and 5 maps from 1949 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far High Point is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around High Point. Close and well known come first.
18 mi Stadium & arenaAllegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium
16 mi MuseumOld Salem
28 mi Zoo & aquariumNorth Carolina Zoo700K visitors a year
36 mi MountainPilot Mountain
19 mi MuseumReynolda House Museum of American Art
32 mi State parkHanging Rock State ParkAllegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium: BobHWS, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Old Salem: David Bjorgen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · North Carolina Zoo: Diane Villa, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pilot Mountain: Berean Hunter, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Reynolda House Museum of American Art: Zsrarticle, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hanging Rock State Park: Jacalyn Engler from Greensboro, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in High Point, 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 High Point.
High Point is healthier than towns with similar incomes, trades workers with Greensboro and other neighbors and has seen reported crime fall beyond ordinary swings.
Reported crimes fell from 3,453 to 2,934 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
At 5.2 per 1,000 residents, High Point’s violent crime rate is against 3.1 in North Carolina’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. High Point reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 86% report less. The property crime rate in High Point is 19.3 per 1,000 residents.
| High Point | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.2 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 19.3 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Guilford County Schools. Three of its 37 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Guilford MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,032 | B− |
| Southwest Guilford HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,547 | B+ |
| Southwest ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 808 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
The typical High Point home is worth about $248,000, about the same as a year ago, 25% below the North Carolina typical home. 58% of High Point households own their home.
| High Point | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 67% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 46% | 49% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
14 miles of trail in 28 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Gibson Park, at 233 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Oak Hollow Park | 4.3 mi | 190 |
| 2. Gibson Park | 0.9 mi | 233 |
| 3. Allen Jay Park | 0.5 mi | 68 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
High Point has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 30° and about 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
High Point has about as many jobs (57,514) as working residents, but only 11,094 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of High Point’s working residents works in town. High Point’s average trip to work is 21 minutes. The top destinations are Greensboro (25%), Winston-Salem (10%) and Charlotte (5%).
| High Point | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 72 flood insurance claims have been paid out in High Point.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
High Point has grown 5.7% since 2020, to 120,571 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 16% of residents are 65 or older in High Point. 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across North Carolina.
| High Point | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.7 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 29% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.1 points). Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.4, men 36.5.
| High Point | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.6% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.4% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.2% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.5% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.9% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.5% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.9% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.7% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.1% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.6% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.6% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.5% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.6% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 9,844 U.S. towns with household incomes like High Point’s, it is healthier than 67%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
High Point beats the North Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6.
| High Point | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 33% | 33% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 10% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | High Point | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7% | 7.9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 10.7% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
12 within 15 miles of the center of High Point
About 9 of every 100 High Point residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
2 colleges in town.
35 places in High Point on the National Register of Historic Places.
49 notable people were born in High Point.
City in North Carolina, United States
High Point is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, located south and southwest of Greensboro, inside the Piedmont Triad region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Outskirts of High Point also extends into Randolph, Davidson, and Forsyth counties. The city was of a total population of 114,059 at the 2020 census. High Point is the ninth-most populous city in North Carolina, the third-largest city in the Piedmont Triad, and the 259th-most populous city in the U.S. Major industries in High Point include furniture, textiles, and bus manufacturing. The official slogan of the city is "North Carolina's International City" due to the semi-annual High Point Furniture Market that attracts 100,0…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with High Point.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Point | #206 | C− | C | D | B− | B− |
| Jamestown | #37 | B+ | C+ | — | B− | A |
| Greensboro | #215 | D | C− | D− | B− | B− |
| Archdale | #91 | B− | B− | B− | B− | C+ |
| Thomasville | #131 | C+ | B+ | — | B− | C− |
Jamestown and Thomasville report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare High Point with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
High Point grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #206 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades B− for health, D for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 41% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
49 notable people were born here, including Fantasia Barrino and Heather Richardson-Bergsma.
