NeboNC
A town of 1,670, settled in 1868.
Is Nebo a good place to live?
The best of Nebo’s subject grades is an A for cost of living; the weakest is a D for incomes. On cost of living, just 33 of North Carolina’s 450 towns do better. Residents are less healthy than 86% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Only 2 of the 291 North Carolina towns we compare have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Nebo. Only 17 of North Carolina’s 451 towns score lower on the outdoors. Nebo has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Nebo stand out
Where Nebo beats most towns.
98% of working residents leave Nebo for work
Where Nebo’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Nebo grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Nebo is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Nebo: who provides what
Nebo is unincorporated, so McDowell County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Nebo.
Nebo stands out in North Carolina and nationally, with more of its adults who have been diagnosed with depression
28% of Nebo adults have been diagnosed with depression, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 25% and U.S. towns at 23%. 43% of adults have high blood pressure in Nebo. Nebo beats the North Carolina average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15.
| Nebo | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 19% | 19% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 25% | 23% |
| What stands out | Nebo | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 12.3% | 7.1% |
| More smokers | 20.8% | 13.5% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.5% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
On state tests, Nebo’s schools trail 53% of North Carolina districts
Its public schools are run by the McDowell County Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebo Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 354 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Nebo’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Nebo for work: only 2% work in town. 17% of Nebo residents live below the poverty line, above both North Carolina’s towns (13%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). The median household income in Nebo is $50,000.
| Nebo | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Nebo has mild winters and hot summers
Nebo has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 28° and about 5 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
A typical Nebo home is worth about $359K
The typical Nebo home is worth about $359,000, about the same as a year ago, 8% above the North Carolina typical home.
| Nebo | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 75% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,087 a month | $1,085 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nebo faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1994, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Nebo.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Mount Mitchell and 19 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Nebo. Close and well known come first.
Big draw20 mi MountainMount Mitchell
12 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
28 mi MountainGrandfather Mountain35 mi Theme parkTweetsie Railroad
13 mi Park & preserveLinville Gorge Wilderness13 mi Ancient siteJoaraPhoto credits
Mount Mitchell: Unknown, Public domain · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Grandfather Mountain: Original uploader was KyleAndMelissa22 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Linville Gorge Wilderness: No machine-readable author provided. Amcbride~commonswiki assumed (based on copy, Public domain
Everything we know about Nebo
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Nebo
About 9 of every 100 Nebo residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Nebo’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Nebo.
Nebo has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Nebo reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Nebo with a neighbor →
Questions about Nebo
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Nebo, NC expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.