Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mebane grades C− overall, 195th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $348K, 5.3 years of the Burlington metro’s $66K median household income. Mebane has 9 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Hawfields Presbyterian Church and White Furniture Company. Mebane’s property crime rate is 26 per 1,000 residents, above both North Carolina’s towns (21.8) and U.S. towns (9.9). Lake Michael, at 254 acres with 2.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Mebane beats most towns.
11,393 counted in 2010 and 17,797 in 2020; an estimated 21,952 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 23.7% since 2020, after 56.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Mebane is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 218 in 1900, 17,797 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mebane. Close and well known come first.
37 mi Stadium & arenaLenovo Center
18 mi Stadium & arenaKenan Memorial Stadium
37 mi Stadium & arenaCarter–Finley Stadium
18 mi Stadium & arenaDean Smith Center
17 mi LandmarkBennett Place State Historic Site
36 mi Stadium & arenaWakeMed Soccer ParkLenovo Center: Edward T. Funkhouser, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kenan Memorial Stadium: Yeungb, CC BY 3.0 · Carter–Finley Stadium: SMaloney, CC BY 3.0 · Dean Smith Center: No machine-readable author provided. Snargle~commonswiki assumed (based on copyr, Public domain · Bennett Place State Historic Site: Ildar Sagdejev (Specious), CC BY-SA 4.0 · WakeMed Soccer Park: Hameltion, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mebane, 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 Mebane.
7.4 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. Mebane’s trail density is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Mebane | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.9% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Michael | 2.1 mi | 254 |
| 2. Mebane Community Park | — | 27 |
| 3. Mebane Soccer Complex | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Alamance-Burlington Schools. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawfields MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 864 | B |
| Bradford Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 262 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
The violent crime rate in Mebane is 3.7 per 1,000 residents. Within North Carolina, it does better than 41% of towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 2003, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mebane.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Mebane beats the North Carolina average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 12% of adults report frequent physical distress in Mebane.
| Mebane | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Mebane | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.3% | 6.6% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 5.9% | 7.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Mebane has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 29° and about 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 5,766 in 2013 to 10,201.
Most working residents leave Mebane for work: only 11% work in town. 20% of Mebane workers work from home. Since 2013, Mebane has added 4,435 jobs, to 10,201 in 2023.
| Mebane | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.2% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the North Carolina average. Mebane has grown 24% since 2020, to 21,952 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 40% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across North Carolina.
| Mebane | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 38.5 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
56% women, 44% men
About 79 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.4 points). Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Mebane | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.5% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.1% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.3% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.1% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.1% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.5% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.8% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.6% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.3% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.4% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 22% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.8% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.7% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.7% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Mebane home is worth about $348,000, down 1.1% in a year, close to the North Carolina typical home.
| Mebane | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,283 a month | $1,084 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Mebane
About 6 of every 100 Mebane residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
7 notable people were born in Mebane.
City in North Carolina, United States
Mebane ( MEB-ən) is a city located mostly in Alamance County, North Carolina, United States, and partly in Orange County. The town was named for Alexander Mebane, an American Revolutionary War general and member of the U.S. Congress. It was incorporated as "Mebanesville" in 1881, and in 1883 the name was changed to "Mebane". It was incorporated as a city in 1987. The population as of the 2020 census was 17,797. Mebane is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in North Carolina. Mebane straddles the Research Triangle and Piedmont Triad Regions of North Carolina. The bulk of the city is in Alamance County, which comprises the Burlington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, itself a component…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Mebane.
Woodlawn has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Woodlawn reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Mebane with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mebane grades C− overall, better than 19% of U.S. towns and #195 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades B+ for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 41% of towns.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
7 notable people were born here, including Ricardo Marsh and Woody Durham.
