Lake Royale Bridge, 2009
Lake Royale’s story
Lake Royale in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 2 maps from 1902 on.
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Lake RoyaleNC
3,168 people live in this town in North Carolina.
Andrews-Moore House · Photo: James McGlothlin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
3,168
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$280K
Census ACS
Household income
$108K
median
Median age
47.9
years
Jobs based here
91
A commuter town
TownGrade
B−
#98 of 286 in NC
Is Lake Royale a good place to live?
Some subjects shine; others lag. With a B− overall, Lake Royale is better than nearly half of U.S. towns and ranks 98th of 286 in North Carolina. Where it falls short is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. Its strongest is cost of living: a typical home costs about $280K, 2.8 years of the Raleigh metro’s $100K median household income. The town has 1 place on the National Register. Lake Royale’s mean commuting time is 37 minutes, above both North Carolina’s towns (24 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). 12% of residents are under 18 here, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 22%.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
A growing town
Lake Royale has grown 35% from 2010 to 2020
2,506 counted in 2010 and 3,392 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Lake Royale grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Lake Royale is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.7 of 20; 2.8% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Jobs & incomeGraded on incomes, poverty and employmentA−Open →Cost of livingHomes are easier to afford than in most townsA−Open →SchoolsBehind 62% of North Carolina districts on tests and graduationC+Open →HealthUNC Health Nash 18.8 miles awayC+Open →Hazard riskInland flooding tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Lake Royale: who provides what
Lake Royale is unincorporated, so Franklin County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerDuke Energy15.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterFranklin County Water & Sewer4 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesFranklin CountyFranklin County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn North Carolina you can register online until 25 days before Election Day, in person with same-day registration during the early voting period, or by mail (postmarked 25 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereFranklin County Board of ElectionsFranklin County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2024
ZIP codes27549, 2788227549 95% · 27882 5%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lake Royale.
Lake Royale trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is a second-home town and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of North Carolina.
OutdoorsD
0% of Lake Royale is conserved land
4.3 miles of trail. In Lake Royale, the density of trails is 0.6 miles per square mile.
#57for trails in NC
0%
conserved · 1 of 4,489 acres
4.3 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
Most people working in Lake Royale commute elsewhere
Lake Royale has 91 jobs for its 1,707 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 36.6 minutes, against 25.1 across North Carolina.
Employers in Lake Royale added 24 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 91. Only 1% of working residents stay in Lake Royale for work; the rest commute out. In Lake Royale, the median household income is $108,000. Also worth knowing: among 290 North Carolina towns, just 7 have a higher mean commuting time than Lake Royale.
1%work in town
| Lake Royale | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $108,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.3% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.3% | 6.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Lake Royale1%
Raleigh25%
Durham7%
Cary5%
Wake Forest4%
30 mi
median commute distance
91
jobs based in Lake Royale
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 12% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Lake Royale: mild winters and hot summers
The Louisburg weather station, 12 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 201 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 80% of North Carolina places with climate records.
Summer afternoons peak near 90° in July, and January nights bottom out around 30°; snowfall runs to about 2 inches a winter.
2″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter31–54°
Spring46–72°
Summer66–88°
Fall49–72°
Oct 29
typical first frost
Apr 11
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
Lake Royale is less healthy than 58% of U.S. towns
Against the 7,488 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lake Royale’s, it is less healthy than 87%, so it trails even them.
Among adults in Lake Royale, 13% binge drink and 82% had a checkup this year. The town does better than the North Carolina average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 9. In Lake Royale, just over two in five adults have high blood pressure.
42%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Lake Royale | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 80% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 12% |
32 measures vs. North Carolina
4 better19 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Lake Royale | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.3% | 12.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.9% | 8.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.2% | 13.9% |
UNC Health Nash
18.8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
39th
percentile among NC towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Lake Royale faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 51% of U.S. communities. 57% of Lake Royale’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 16%.
51risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade A−
Homes in Lake Royale sell for about $358K
Homes are within reach (A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 30 miles. At 2.8 years of the Raleigh metro’s $100K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 91% of North Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
A home in Lake Royale typically sold within 80 days of listing. For households in the town, the share who live in a home they own is 95%. The rent at the middle of the market for Lake Royale comes to $1,390 a month.
$358Kmedian sale price
| Lake Royale | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 95% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,390 a month | $1,084 a month | $1,185 a month |
Market temperature
80
days on market
97.5%
sale-to-list price
14
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lake Royale
17pages on Lake Royale
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Royale
About 2 of every 100 Lake Royale residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Lake Royale for work
Where Lake Royale’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
91jobs based in Lake Royale
1%of working residents work in town
30 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Lake Royale
Census-designated place in North Carolina, United States
Lake Royale is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Franklin County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,392 at the 2020 census. It is a gated resort community which surrounds a man-made lake with the same name. The main entrance to Lake Royale is off Sledge Road (SR 1611), 3 miles (5 km) east of Bunn.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 7.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 187 ft
Questions about Lake Royale
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lake Royale, NC a good place to live?
Lake Royale grades B− overall, better than 49% of U.S. towns and #98 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades C+ for health and C+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Lake Royale, NC expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $280,000, 16% below the North Carolina typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.