Davis House, State Route 1300
New Hope’s story
New Hope in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers and 2 maps from 1957 on.
Explore the history →New HopeNC
A town of 1,487.
Population
1,487
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$163K
Census ACS
Household income
$59K
median
Median age
33.8
years
Jobs based here
161
A commuter town
Is New Hope a good place to live?
The best of New Hope’s subject grades is an A for cost of living; the weakest is a D for walkability. On cost of living, just 11 of North Carolina’s 450 towns do better. New Hope has 1 place on the National Register. Only 38 of North Carolina’s 451 towns score lower on the outdoors. New Hope has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Small town
1,487 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
GoldsboroNew Hope
How New Hope grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far New Hope is from typical.
Cost of livingTypical home $163K, 2.7 years of the Goldsboro metro’s $60K median household incomeAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.4 of 20; 0% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →SchoolsCOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listCOpen →Jobs & incomeC+Open →HealthUNC Health Care Wayne 3.9 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to New Hope: who provides what
New Hope is unincorporated, so Wayne County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerDuke Energy15.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWayne Water Districts1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesWayne CountyWayne County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn North Carolina you can register online until 25 days before Election Day, in person with same-day registration during the early voting period, or by mail (postmarked 25 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereWayne County Board of ElectionsWayne County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, May 2019
ZIP codes27534, 2855127534 93% · 28551 7%Census 2020
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 New Hope.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
New Hope stands out in North Carolina and nationally, with fewer of its working residents who work locally
0.5% of New Hope working residents work locally, below both North Carolina’s towns (6.8%) and U.S. towns (8%). Jobs based in New Hope fell to 161 in 2023, 237 fewer than in 2013. The average trip to work in New Hope is 16 minutes.
1%work in town
| New Hope | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.5% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.6% | 13% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In New Hope1%
Goldsboro30%
Raleigh6%
Wilson4%
Kinston3%
15 mi
median commute distance
161
jobs based in New Hope
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 10% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsC
On state tests, New Hope’s schools trail 74% of North Carolina districts
Its public schools are run by the Wayne County Public Schools. One of its 3 schools is below, with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Eastern Wayne High, with 781 students.
26%of NC districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Wayne HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 781 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Who lives here
More children than North Carolina overall
Children under 18 are 30% of residents (22% statewide). 41% of New Hope adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more, above both the North Carolina town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). 14% of residents are 65 or older in New Hope.
33.8median age · NC 39.1
| New Hope | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 18% | 18% |
New HopeNorth CarolinaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
16%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma10%
High school20%
Some college22%
Associate’s8%
Bachelor’s32%
Graduate9%
Women and men · all residents
58% women, 42% men
About 73 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.6 points). Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| New Hope | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.4% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.8% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 6.7% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.3% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.7% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.7% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.4% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.9% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19.8% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.7% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 32.1% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.5% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,500, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in New Hope
New Hope has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. New Hope’s July high is 90°F.
2″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter34–56°
Spring49–73°
Summer68–88°
Fall52–73°
Nov 18
typical first frost
Mar 15
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
New Hope faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 65% of U.S. communities.
65risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthB−
Residents of New Hope are healthier than 54% of U.S. towns
New Hope beats the North Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 37% of New Hope adults have obesity.
54%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| New Hope | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 36% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. North Carolina
1 better30 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | New Hope | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.9% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 58.8% | 63.6% |
UNC Health Care Wayne
3.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade A
The median home in New Hope sells for about $227K
$227Kmedian sale price
2
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about New Hope
16pages on New Hope
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of New Hope
About 3 of every 100 New Hope residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave New Hope for work
Where New Hope’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
161jobs based in New Hope
1%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About New Hope
Census-designated place in North Carolina, United States
New Hope is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Wayne County, North Carolina, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 1,588. The CDP is in eastern Wayne County, bordered to the west by the city of Goldsboro, the county seat. It is bordered to the north by Old Mill Branch and West Bear Creek, which flows east to Bear Creek and then south to the Neuse River. It is bordered to the south by the EC Line of the North Carolina Railroad. The main road through the community is East New Hope Road, which leads west 2 miles (3 km) to U.S. Route 13 in Goldsboro and southeast 3 miles (5 km) to Best. The Goldsboro Bypass (Interstate 42) p…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 131 ft
Questions about New Hope
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is New Hope, NC expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $163,000, 51% below the North Carolina typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.