Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,360.
The best of Laurel Park’s subject grades is an A for health; the weakest is a C− for cost of living. 41% of residents are 65 or older in Laurel Park, against 18% in North Carolina’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 2 of North Carolina’s 451 towns do better. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 70% of U.S. towns. Laurel Park’s trail density is 2.4 miles per square mile, against 0.2 in North Carolina’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Singletary-Reese-Robinson House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Laurel Park has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Laurel Park beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Laurel Park | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 4.2% | 12.2% |
Where Laurel Park’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 Laurel Park is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1932.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Laurel Park. Close and well known come first.
12 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
Big draw34 mi MountainMount Mitchell
Big draw36 mi National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park11.5M visitors a year
17 mi National forestPisgah National Forest37 mi Theme parkGhost Town in the Sky
34 mi LakeLake JocasseeBlue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Mount Mitchell: Unknown, Public domain · Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Scott Basford, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pisgah National Forest: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Lake Jocassee: Clemson3564, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Laurel Park, 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 Laurel Park.
The typical Laurel Park home is worth about $513,000, about the same as a year ago, 54% above the North Carolina typical home. 87% of households own their home in Laurel Park.
| Laurel Park | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 87% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,418 a month | $1,085 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
11% of Laurel Park adults report frequent mental distress. Among 290 North Carolina towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Laurel Park. 15% of Laurel Park adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Laurel Park | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 15% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 33% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 87% | 80% | 79% |
| What stands out | Laurel Park | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 4.2% | 12.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 2.9% | 8.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 16% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 2009, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Laurel Park. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 89% of U.S. communities.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Laurel Park for work: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in Laurel Park fell to 407 in 2023, 76 fewer than in 2013. The median household income in Laurel Park is $90,000.
| Laurel Park | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5.5% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.8% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Laurel Park has mild winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Laurel Park’s July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
6.8 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rhododendron Lake Nature Park | 0.6 mi | 10 |
| 2. Laurel Green Park | 0.4 mi | 3 |
| 3. Jump Off Rock Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
3 within 15 miles of the center of Laurel Park
About 5 of every 100 Laurel Park residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Laurel Park is a town in Henderson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,250 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Laurel Park.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurel Park | — | — | C− | — | B+ | A |
| Valley Hill | #61 | B | C | — | B+ | B+ |
| Hendersonville | #182 | C− | C− | C− | B+ | B− |
Laurel Park has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Laurel Park and Valley Hill report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Laurel Park with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. That is 7.1 years of the area's median household income ($71,838 across the Asheville, NC metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
