Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lexington earns a D, ranked 221st of 286 in North Carolina, mostly because of health and safety. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 92% of the country. It reports more crime per resident than 90% of U.S. towns, including 94 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 83% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 21 places on the National Register. 28% of residents live below the poverty line in Lexington, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Its National Register listings include Old Davidson County Courthouse and Beck's Reformed Church Cemetery.
Where Lexington beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 475 in 1870, 19,632 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1912 and 4 maps from 1950 on.
17 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Lexington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lexington, 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 Lexington.
Lexington draws workers from Winston-Salem and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of North Carolina.
12,118 jobs are based in Lexington, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Lexington for work: only 17% work in town. The median household income in Lexington is $43,000. The top destinations are Winston-Salem (10%), Charlotte (6%) and Greensboro (6%).
| Lexington | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $43,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Work from home | 7.3% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Lexington City Schools. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Lexington Senior High School, with 889 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 595 | C+ |
| Lexington Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 889 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Against the 3,372 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lexington’s, it is less healthy than 68%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
27% of Lexington adults worry about having enough food. Lexington beats the North Carolina average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 34% of Lexington adults get no exercise outside work.
| Lexington | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 24% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Lexington | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 27.1% | 15.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13.8% | 8.1% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 13.7% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Lexington’s property crime rate is 28 per 1,000 residents. Lexington reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less. Lexington’s violent crime rate is 4.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Lexington | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 28 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.7 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Lexington weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 199 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 83% of North Carolina places with climate records. January nights average 28.9°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 76% of North Carolina places with climate records; July afternoons average 88.6°.
Lexington has mild winters and warm summers. About 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Lexington | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 29°F | 31°F | 22°F |
| July high | 89°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 66% of U.S. communities. Since 1999, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lexington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Lexington home is worth about $272,000, up 3.8% in a year, 18% below the North Carolina typical home. 42% of households own their home in Lexington.
| Lexington | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 42% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $893 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2.9 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Finch Community Park, at 126 acres.
| Lexington | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.3% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Finch Park | 0.8 mi | 58 |
| 2. Washington Park | 0.5 mi | 5 |
| 3. Grimes Park | 0.4 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lexington. Close and well known come first.
23 mi Stadium & arenaAllegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium
20 mi MuseumOld Salem
31 mi Zoo & aquariumNorth Carolina Zoo700K visitors a year
39 mi MountainPilot Mountain
12 mi MuseumNorth Carolina Transportation Museum
23 mi MuseumReynolda House Museum of American ArtAllegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium: BobHWS, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Old Salem: David Bjorgen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · North Carolina Zoo: Diane Villa, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pilot Mountain: Berean Hunter, CC BY-SA 2.5 · North Carolina Transportation Museum: Unknown, Public domain · Reynolda House Museum of American Art: Zsrarticle, CC BY-SA 4.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Lexington
About 4 of every 100 Lexington residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Where Lexington’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
17 places in Lexington on the National Register of Historic Places.
27 notable people were born in Lexington.
City in North Carolina, United States
Lexington is a city in and the county seat of Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 19,632. It is located in central North Carolina, 20 miles (32 km) south of Winston-Salem. Lexington is part of the Piedmont Triad region of the state. Lexington has been noted as one of America's top four best cities for barbecue by U.S. News & World Report. The City calls itself the "Barbecue Capital of the World", and it hosts the annual Lexington Barbecue Festival. Lexington, Thomasville, and the rural areas surrounding them are slowly developing as residential bedroom communities for nearby cities such as Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lexington grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #221 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades D for health, D for safety and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 33% of towns.
That is 4.1 years of the area's median household income ($65,975 across the Winston-Salem, 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 B.
27 notable people were born here, including Robert Sink and Rick Harrison.
