Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of contrasts. Its weakest subject is incomes — the median household income is $38K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line. It also trails on safety (C−): its crime rate is higher than 78% of U.S. towns, with 6 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Where it does best is walkability (A−): it is more walkable than just over four fifths of U.S. towns. Homes run about $211K for a typical one, 4.1 times the North Wilkesboro area’s $52K median household income. Schools are a strength too: its schools outperform 67% of the state's. The overall grade comes out at C−, 187th of 286 in North Carolina. Nationally, it does better than just over a fifth of U.S. towns.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FBI crime data, 2025 · home values, Zillow.
Where North Wilkesboro beats most towns.
18.3% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far North Wilkesboro is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 918 in 1900, 4,382 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1889 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in North Wilkesboro, 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 North Wilkesboro.
North Wilkesboro draws workers from Wilkesboro and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of North Carolina (mostly inland flooding).
4,560 jobs are based in North Wilkesboro, 2.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 14.7 minutes, against 25.1 across North Carolina.
North Wilkesboro: 15% of working residents work locally. In North Wilkesboro, 24% of residents live below the poverty line, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Among 290 North Carolina towns, just 2 have a lower typical journey to work than North Wilkesboro. Since 2013, North Wilkesboro has lost 614 jobs, to 4,560 in 2023.
| North Wilkesboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 24% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $38,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its one school is below. Public schools: the Wilkes County Schools. North Wilkesboro’s only public school teaches 329 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Wilkesboro Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 329 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 150 to 95 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
In North Wilkesboro, the violent offense rate is 1.4 per 1,000 residents, against 3.2 in North Carolina’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. The town’s level of property crime comes in at 20.2 per 1,000 residents. Within North Carolina, it does better than 54% of towns.
| North Wilkesboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.2 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
Zillow values the typical North Wilkesboro home at about $211,000, up 3.4% in a year, 36% below the North Carolina typical home. 51% of households live in a home they own in the town.
| North Wilkesboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $599 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 1,980 U.S. towns with household incomes like North Wilkesboro’s, it is healthier than 81%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
The share of adults in North Wilkesboro who worry about having enough food: 19%. Among adults in the town, 15% report frequent physical distress and 17% smoke cigarettes.
| North Wilkesboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 10% | 8.1% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | North Wilkesboro | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.6% | 7.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 13% | 10.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 19% | 15.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 78% of North Carolina towns, with expected losses of about $504 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Households in North Wilkesboro have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. For North Wilkesboro, the risk rating from FEMA is 77 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 83% come from inland flooding. The national flood insurance program has paid 4 claims here since 2020.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The biggest park or preserve is Town Park (Konehete Recreation Park), at 23 acres. Trails total 1.4 miles in 4 parks and preserves. The concentration of trails in North Wilkesboro is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Smoot Park | 0.3 mi | 8 |
| 2. Town Park (Konehete Recreation Park) | — | 23 |
| 3. North Wilkesboro Rotary Fairgrounds | — | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The N Wilkesboro weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 201 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 80% of North Carolina places with climate records. January nights average 27.7°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 88% of North Carolina places with climate records; July afternoons average 87.7°.
North Wilkesboro’s midsummer high is 88°F. About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| North Wilkesboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 28°F | 31°F | 22°F |
| July high | 88°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1 within 15 miles of the center of North Wilkesboro
About 6 of every 100 North Wilkesboro residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
Where North Wilkesboro’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in North Wilkesboro on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in North Carolina, United States
North Wilkesboro is a town in Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,382 at the 2020 United States census. North Wilkesboro is located along the Yadkin River in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The town is known as the birthplace and original home of Lowe's Home Improvement and as one of the early centers of stock-car racing. North Wilkesboro Speedway, one of NASCAR's original venues, has played a significant role in the history of the sport since 1947. The town has long used the nickname "Key to the Blue Ridge" due to its proximity to the Blue Ridge Mountains and western North Carolina tourism destinations.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with North Wilkesboro.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Wilkesboro | #187 | C− | B− | C− | B+ | C |
| Fairplains | — | — | A | — | B+ | D− |
| Cricket | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | D |
| Wilkesboro | #209 | C− | C | D | B+ | B− |
Fairplains and Cricket have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Fairplains and Cricket report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare North Wilkesboro with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
North Wilkesboro grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #187 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades C for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 54% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
