Light OakNC
A town of 277.
Is Light Oak a good place to live?
31% of residents live below the poverty line in Light Oak, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Among 291 North Carolina towns, just 2 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Light Oak. Light Oak has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
277 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Light Oak: who provides what
Light Oak is unincorporated, so Cleveland County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Light Oak.
A typical Light Oak home is worth about $125K
The typical Light Oak home is worth about $125,000, down 14.3% in a year, 62% below the North Carolina typical home. 89% of households own their home in Light Oak, above both the North Carolina town median (67%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%).
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Light Oak faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 79% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Light Oak has 0.1 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Light Oak for work: only 0% work in town. The top destinations are Shelby (22%), Gastonia (14%) and Charlotte (6%). Half commute less than 16 miles.
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Mild winters and hot summers in Light Oak
Light Oak has mild winters and warm summers. Light Oak’s July high is 90°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Light Oak stands out in North Carolina and nationally: a larger share of its adults have high blood pressure
50% of Light Oak adults have high blood pressure. Among 290 North Carolina towns, just 6 have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Light Oak. 18% of Light Oak adults have diabetes.
| Light Oak | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 36% | 35% |
| What stands out | Light Oak | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.9% | 14.7% |
| Fewer adults with depression | 20.7% | 24.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 26% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Light Oak
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Light Oak
About 0 of every 100 Light Oak residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
100% of working residents leave Light Oak for work
Where Light Oak’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Light Oak
Census-designated place in North Carolina, United States
Light Oak is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Cleveland County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Light Oak had a population of 697.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 837 ft
Questions about Light Oak
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Light Oak, NC a good place to live?
Light Oak has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.