Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Nashville earns a D, 236th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns, mostly because of incomes and schools. The median household income is $61K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line. Its schools rank behind 77% of the state's. It also has a long history, with 4 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Nash County Courthouse and Bissette-Cooley House. 52% of households own their home in Nashville, below both North Carolina’s towns (67%) and U.S. towns (73%).
Where Nashville beats most towns.
Census counts: 212 in 1880, 5,632 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1999 and 2 maps from 1902 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Nashville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Nashville, 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 Nashville.
Its public schools are run by the Nash County Public Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 593 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 42 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Nashville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Nashville home is worth about $256,000, up 1.3% in a year, 23% below the North Carolina typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nashville has mild winters and warm summers. The July high in Nashville is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Nashville for work: only 9% work in town. The top destinations are Rocky Mount (25%), Raleigh (8%) and Wilson (7%). Half commute less than 16 miles.
| Nashville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $61,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 9% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 9,186 U.S. towns with household incomes like Nashville’s, it is healthier than 67%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Nashville beats the North Carolina average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 42% of adults have high blood pressure in Nashville.
| Nashville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 80% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Nashville | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 10.4% | 8.1% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 15.1% | 12.2% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.4% | 3.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.9 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Nashville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.4% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Stoney Creek Environmental Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Nashville
About 3 of every 100 Nashville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
4 places in Nashville on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Nashville.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Nashville is a town in and the county seat of Nash County, North Carolina, United States. The town was founded in 1780 and features Victorian and Queen Anne–style homes. It is part of the Rocky Mount metropolitan area. The population of Nashville was 5,632 in 2020.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Nashville grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #236 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades C+ for health and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.3 years of the area's median household income ($59,636 across the Rocky Mount, NC metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
5 notable people were born here, including Roy Cooper and Harold Dunbar Cooley.
