Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,977, settled in 1888.
King is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, 109th of 286 graded towns in North Carolina, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is incomes: the median household earns $58K. A typical home there costs about $275K, 4.2 years of the Winston metro’s $66K median household income. On civic life, just 30 of North Carolina’s 331 towns do better. King Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 77% of U.S. towns.
Where King beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far King is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,059 in 1990, 7,197 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 4 maps from 1964 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in King, 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 King.
King is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Winston-Salem and other neighbors, but it has seen reported crime rise by a fifth or more.
In King, the FEMA hazard score is 18 of 100, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 47 of 100 and U.S. towns at 44 of 100. Flood insurance has paid out on 2 claims in the town since 2018. FEMA puts just over two thirds of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 7% to tornadoes. Federal disaster aid has reached households in King after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2018.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Stokes County Schools. Enrollment at King’s public school: 383 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 383 | B− |
| Calvary Christian School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 268 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
King Recreation Area, at 51 acres with 1.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. In 2 parks and preserves, walkers have 1.9 miles of trail. Its trail network density stands at 0.3 miles per square mile.
| King | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 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. King Recreation Area | 1.3 mi | 51 |
| 2. Central Park | 0.2 mi | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
January nights average 28.4°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 82% of North Carolina places with climate records; July afternoons average 86.9°.
About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter. In King, the January low is 28°F, close to North Carolina’s towns (31°F) and above U.S. towns (22°F). The July high here is 87°F.
| King | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 28°F | 31°F | 22°F |
| July high | 87°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
72.4% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.9% across North Carolina.
The typical King home is worth about $275,000, up 3% in a year, 17% below the North Carolina typical home. The town’s typical rent stands at $895 a month. On the market locally: a median 52 days to sell.
| King | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $895 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 67% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
King has about as many jobs (2,938) as working residents, but only 225 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 3,674 in 2013 to 2,938.
Most working residents leave King for work: only 7% work in town. This North Carolina town had 2,938 jobs in 2023, down 736 from 2013. Half of commuters travel less than 16 miles. The top destinations are Winston-Salem (35%), Greensboro (6%) and Charlotte (5%).
| King | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 7% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes rose from 127 to 170 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 78% of towns. In King, the rate of thefts and burglaries is 20.5 per 1,000 residents.
| King | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.5 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 8,265 U.S. towns with household incomes like King’s, it is healthier than 80%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
King: 31% of adults sleep under 7 hours. Two figures for adults in the town: 40% have high blood pressure, 14% binge drink.
| King | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 25% | 23% |
| What stands out | King | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.1% | 12.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.1% | 8.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.8% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around King. Close and well known come first.
27 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
8 mi MountainPilot Mountain
12 mi Stadium & arenaAllegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium
14 mi MuseumOld Salem
10 mi State parkHanging Rock State Park
11 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
6 within 15 miles of the center of King
About 3 of every 100 King residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
4 notable people were born in King.
City in North Carolina, United States
King is a city in Stokes and Forsyth counties, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,096 at the 2020 census. King is part of the Piedmont Triad metropolitan area, located 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Winston-Salem.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with King.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King | #109 | B− | C+ | B− | B | B− |
| Tobaccoville | #71 | B | B+ | — | C+ | B+ |
Tobaccoville reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare King with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
King grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #109 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades B− for health, B− for safety and B for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 78% 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+.
4 notable people were born here, including Rex Levi Baker and Billy J. Boles.
