Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lumberton grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of safety and health. Its crime rate is higher than 100% of U.S. towns, with 236 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country. It also has a long history, with 8 places on the National Register. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Lumberton, above both North Carolina’s towns (13%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). No town among the 153 in North Carolina we compare has a higher property crime rate than Lumberton. Lumberton is home to Robeson Community College.
Where Lumberton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Luther Henry Caldwell House
Census counts: 615 in 1870, 19,025 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1872 and 3 maps from 1972 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Lumberton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lumberton, 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 Lumberton.
Lumberton draws workers from Fayetteville and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at 4 times the North Carolina rate.
Violent crime runs at 12.5 per 1,000 residents, 4 times the North Carolina rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Property crime runs at 83.8 per 1,000 residents, 5 times the North Carolina rate, most of it theft.
The violent crime rate in Lumberton is 12.5 per 1,000 residents. Lumberton reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 100% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by Public Schools of Robeson County. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Lumberton Senior High, with 1,894 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lumberton JuniorLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 655 | D |
| Lumberton Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,894 | C |
| PSRC Early College at RCCTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 274 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Against the 3,308 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lumberton’s, it is less healthy than 81%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
48% of Lumberton adults have obesity. Lumberton beats the North Carolina average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 22. 18% of Lumberton adults have diabetes.
| Lumberton | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Lumberton | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.6% | 14.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.3% | 76.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 28.4% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
17,902 jobs are based in Lumberton, 2.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Lumberton’s working residents works in town. Lumberton’s median household income is $43,000. Since 2013, Lumberton has lost 2,006 jobs, to 17,902 in 2023.
| Lumberton | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 34% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Work from home | 4.1% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $43,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Lumberton home is worth about $151,000, up 2.7% in a year, 54% below the North Carolina typical home. 44% of households own their home in Lumberton.
| Lumberton | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 44% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $866 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
7.5 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Northeast Park, at 91 acres with 1.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Lumberton | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.7% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Luther Britt Park | 2.1 mi | 69 |
| 2. Northeast Park | 1.4 mi | 91 |
| 3. Lumber River State Park | — | 25 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
756 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 189 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 756 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lumberton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Lumberton has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Only 10 of the 290 North Carolina towns we compare have a higher July high than Lumberton.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
2 within 15 miles of the center of Lumberton
About 4 of every 100 Lumberton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
8 places in Lumberton on the National Register of Historic Places.
24 notable people were born in Lumberton.
City in North Carolina, United States
Lumberton is a city in and the county seat of Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. As of 2020, its population was 19,025. Located in southern North Carolina's Inner Banks region, Lumberton is located on the Lumber River. It was founded in 1787 by John Willis, an officer in the American Revolution. This was developed as a shipping point for lumber used by the Navy, and logs were guided downriver to Georgetown, South Carolina. Most of the town's growth took place after World War II. David Lynch's 1986 film Blue Velvet was set in Lumberton; however filming took place in Wilmington.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Lumberton.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumberton | #285 | D− | C− | D− | C− | D− |
| Barker Ten Mile | — | — | B | — | C− | C |
Barker Ten Mile has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Barker Ten Mile reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Lumberton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lumberton grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and C− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
24 notable people were born here, including Afeni Shakur and Lee McNeill.
