Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lincolnton grades C overall, ranked 157th of 286 in North Carolina, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. On the other side, its crime rate is higher than 81% of U.S. towns, with 29 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. It also does better than most on schools: its schools rank ahead of 66% of North Carolina towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $46K, and 23% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $296K, 3.6 years of the Charlotte metro’s $83K median household income. Its National Register listings include Shadow Lawn and Lincoln County Courthouse. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in Lincolnton, against 13% in North Carolina’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Betty G. Ross Park, at 44 acres.
Where Lincolnton beats most towns.
Census counts: 848 in 1860, 11,091 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 3 maps from 1973 on.
21 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Lincolnton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lincolnton, 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 Lincolnton.
Lincolnton draws workers from Charlotte 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.
8,249 jobs are based in Lincolnton, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Lincolnton for work: only 14% work in town. The top destinations are Charlotte (18%), Gastonia (7%) and Hickory (5%).
| Lincolnton | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $46,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Lincoln County Schools. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Lincolnton High, with 797 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincolnton MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 563 | C+ |
| Lincolnton HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 797 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 427 to 276 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Lincolnton reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 81% report less. Lincolnton’s property crime rate is 19.5 per 1,000 residents. Within North Carolina, it does better than 50% of towns.
| Lincolnton | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 19.5 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 4,447 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lincolnton’s, it is healthier than 72%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Lincolnton beats the North Carolina average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 17% of Lincolnton adults smoke cigarettes.
| Lincolnton | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 25% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Lincolnton | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 13.3% | 10.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 7.1% |
| More smokers | 16.7% | 13.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Lincolnton 4 W weather station, 5 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.
Lincolnton has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 30° and about 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
46% of households own their home in Lincolnton. The typical Lincolnton home is worth about $296,000, up 1.6% in a year, 11% below the North Carolina typical home. The median rent in Lincolnton is $965 a month.
| Lincolnton | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $965 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1.0 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Lincolnton | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Highland Drive Park | 1 mi | 26 |
| 2. Betty G. Ross Park | — | 44 |
| 3. City Park | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Lincolnton since 2013.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lincolnton
About 5 of every 100 Lincolnton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
Where Lincolnton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
21 places in Lincolnton on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Lincolnton.
City in North Carolina, United States
Lincolnton is a city in Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States within the Charlotte metropolitan area. The population was 11,091 at the 2020 census, with an estimated population of 12,128, as of 2023. Lincolnton is northwest of Charlotte, on the South Fork of the Catawba River. The city is the county seat of Lincoln County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lincolnton grades C overall, better than 29% of U.S. towns and #157 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades C for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 50% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
17 notable people were born here, including J. Pinckney Henderson and Jim Cleamons.
