Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,127, settled in 1875.
The best of Highlands’ subject grades are an A for walkability and an A− for the outdoors. Highlands’ typical home value is $1,078,000, above both North Carolina’s towns ($296,000) and U.S. towns ($332,000). Only 8 of North Carolina’s 450 towns score higher on walkability. Highlands has 12 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Playmore-Bowery Road Historic District and Thomas Grant Harbison House. Only 33 of North Carolina’s 451 towns score higher on the outdoors. The biggest park or preserve is Brushy Face Preserve, at 65 acres. Highlands has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Highlands beats most towns.
Census counts: 82 in 1880, 1,072 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 3 maps from 1935 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Highlands is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Highlands, 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 Highlands.
Typical home values rose 8.2% in the year to September 2026. The typical Highlands home is worth about $1,078,000, up 8.2% in a year, 3 times the North Carolina typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Macon County Schools. Its one school is below. The largest public high school is Highlands School, with 344 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 344 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
About one in 3 of Highlands’s working residents works in town. Highlands’ average trip to work is 15 minutes, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 24 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Jobs based in Highlands grew to 1,664 in 2023, 484 more than in 2013.
| Highlands | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.9% | 13% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
86% of Highlands adults had a checkup this year. Highlands beats the North Carolina average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 7.4% of Highlands adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance.
| Highlands | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Highlands | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6% | 12.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4% | 8.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 14.9% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Highlands’ July high is 76°F. Highlands has chilly winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Highlands's reported crime rate is below North Carolina's. The violent crime rate in Highlands is 0 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Highlands | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 16.9 per 1,000 residents | 24 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
| Highlands | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brushy Face Preserve | 0.6 mi | 65 |
| 2. Nantahala National Forest | — | 62 |
| 3. Highlands Recreation Park | — | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Highlands; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 Highlands residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
12 places in Highlands on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in North Carolina, United States
Highlands is an incorporated town in Macon County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located on a plateau in the southern Appalachian Mountains, within the Nantahala National Forest, it lies mostly in southeastern Macon County and slightly in southwestern Jackson County, in the Highlands and Cashiers Townships, respectively. The permanent population was 1,014 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
