Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Murfreesboro’s best subject grade is an A− for history; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 40% of residents live below the poverty line in Murfreesboro, above both North Carolina’s towns (13%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 10 of North Carolina’s 448 towns score lower on incomes. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Its National Register listings include William Rea Store and Freeman House. Murfreesboro's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 95% of U.S. towns. Murfreesboro is home to Chowan University. Murfreesboro has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Murfreesboro beats most towns.
Census counts: 466 in 1860, a peak of 4,418 in 1970, 2,619 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 2002 and 2 maps from 1973 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Murfreesboro is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Murfreesboro, 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 Murfreesboro.
The typical Murfreesboro home is worth about $127,000, up 7.7% in a year, 62% below the North Carolina typical home. 54% of households own their home in Murfreesboro, below both the North Carolina town median (67%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%).
| Murfreesboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,079 a month | $1,085 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Hertford County Schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hertford County MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 489 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
The property crime rate in Murfreesboro is 23.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Murfreesboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 23.5 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.4 per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 35 to 64 are 24% of residents (38% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 32% of residents (23% statewide). Murfreesboro’s median age is 25.7 years. Murfreesboro has lost 14% of its people since 2020, down to 2,242 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Murfreesboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 25.7 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 28% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 29% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.7 points. Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Murfreesboro | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.7% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.6% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 20.3% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.3% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.5% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 4.7% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.5% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.4% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 17.8% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.3% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.2% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.7% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,200, single groups can be off by several points
39% of adults feel lonely in Murfreesboro. Murfreesboro beats the North Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 20% of adults report frequent mental distress in Murfreesboro.
| Murfreesboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Murfreesboro | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.2% | 7.9% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 14.1% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Murfreesboro has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 30° and about 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Murfreesboro for work: only 15% work in town. Jobs based in Murfreesboro grew to 967 in 2023, 101 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Ahoskie (9%), Greenville (4%) and Severn (4%).
| Murfreesboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $40,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. River Park | — | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Murfreesboro
College town 21 of every 100 Murfreesboro residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
11 places in Murfreesboro on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Murfreesboro.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Murfreesboro is a town in Hertford County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Murfreesboro had a population of 2,619. The town is home to Chowan University.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. That is 2.8 years of the area's median household income ($45,537 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
8 notable people were born here, including Dwight Stephenson and William Nathan Harrell Smith.
