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. 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
30% of Nebo adults get no exercise outside work, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 24% and U.S. towns at 25%. The share of adults in Nebo who have high blood pressure: 43%. Two figures for adults locally: 17% report frequent physical distress, 26% say their health is fair or poor.
| 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
The public schools here belong to the McDowell County Schools. Its one school is below. Nebo’s only public school teaches 354 students.
| 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
Most of Nebo’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.2 jobs for each of them
1.9% of working residents work locally in Nebo. Since 2013, Nebo has added 20 jobs, to 168 in 2023. The income of the median household for Nebo comes to $50,000. The town’s mean commuting time is 27 minutes, above both North Carolina’s towns (24 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes).
| 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
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical home in Nebo: about $359K
Nebo: 75% of households are owner-occupiers. In Nebo, the typical rent is $1,087 a month.
| 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
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The biggest natural risk in Nebo is inland flooding, at a moderate overall level
Paid flood insurance claims in Nebo since 1994: 11. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Nebo after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · 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 →