Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
La Grange grades D− overall, ranked 261st of 286 in North Carolina, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 95% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $48K, and 32% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: homes are within reach, about $184K for a typical one, or 4.1 years of the Kinston area’s $45K median household income. 32% of residents live below the poverty line in La Grange, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 93% of U.S. towns. La Grange's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 96% of U.S. towns.
Where La Grange beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
LaGrange Presbyterian Church| Widest gap | La Grange | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 28.5% | 15.2% |
Where La Grange’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 La Grange is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 522 in 1880, 2,595 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1911 and 2 maps from 1957 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in La Grange, 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 La Grange.
La Grange has property taxes about half the North Carolina norm, but it has poverty well above the North Carolina rate and has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
37% of La Grange adults get no exercise outside work. Among 289 North Carolina towns, just 5 have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than La Grange. 11% of La Grange adults binge drink.
| La Grange | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 19% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | La Grange | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.8% | 14.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.9% | 76.7% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 28.5% | 15.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Lenoir County Public Schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Grange ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 547 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
The median property tax bill is $836, against $1,896 across North Carolina, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
46% of households own their home in La Grange. Typical home values rose 6.5% in the year to September 2026. La Grange’s median rent is $735 a month.
| La Grange | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $735 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Jobs based here fell from 815 in 2013 to 497.
Most working residents leave La Grange for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, La Grange has lost 318 jobs, to 497 in 2023. The average trip to work in La Grange is 21 minutes.
| La Grange | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.5% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 2016, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in La Grange.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
La Grange has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 33° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
2 within 15 miles of the center of La Grange
About 6 of every 100 La Grange residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
2 places in La Grange on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in North Carolina, United States
La Grange is a town in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,595 based on the 2020 census. La Grange is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
La Grange grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #261 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades D− for health and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
2 notable people were born here, including Sam Shepherd and Johnny Shepherd.
