NorthwestNC
A town of 1,096, settled in 1909.
Is Northwest a good place to live?
Northwest’s best subject grade is a B+ for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for walkability. On walkability, just 2 of North Carolina’s 450 towns do worse. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Northwest's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 87% of U.S. towns. Northwest has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
1,096 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Northwest grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Northwest is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Northwest: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Northwest, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Northwest.
Hurricanes leads a very high hazard risk in Northwest
One flood insurance claim has been paid in Northwest since 2018.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of Northwest’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Northwest for work: only 1% work in town. 19% of residents live below the poverty line in Northwest, above both North Carolina’s towns (13%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Since 2013, Northwest has lost 72 jobs, to 119 in 2023.
| Northwest | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.2% | 6.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Northwest stands out in North Carolina and nationally: a larger share of its adults sleep under 7 hours
43% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Northwest, above both the North Carolina town median (34%) and the median of U.S. towns (36%). 12% of Northwest adults binge drink. Northwest beats the North Carolina average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15.
| Northwest | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 34% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Northwest | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.6% | 14.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.3% | 76.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Fewer children than North Carolina overall
Children under 18 are 13% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 26% of residents (17% statewide). Northwest’s median age is 51.5 years. Northwest has grown 57% since 2020, to 1,096 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Northwest | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 51.5 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 29% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
63% women, 37% men
About 59 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±9.2 points). Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Northwest | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.1% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.3% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.7% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.4% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.2% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.7% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.6% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.9% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.3% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.7% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 31.7% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.5% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.1% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.7% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
Mild winters and hot summers in Northwest
Northwest has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Northwest is 90°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Crime reported in Northwest
Northwest's reported crime rate is below North Carolina's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 4 violent crimes were reported in 2023.
| Northwest | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.8 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 16.4 per 1,000 residents | 26 | 13.1 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
Homes in Northwest sell for about $325K
89% of households own their home in Northwest.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Fort Fisher and 10 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Northwest. Close and well known come first.
27 mi LandmarkFort Fisher
21 mi GardenOrton Plantation
10 mi National BattlefieldMoores Creek National Battlefield56K visitors a year
22 mi MuseumBrunswick Town19 mi GardenAirlie Gardens
13 mi TheatreThalian HallPhoto credits
Fort Fisher: Eric T. Gunther, CC BY 3.0 · Orton Plantation: AgnosticPreachersKid., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Moores Creek National Battlefield: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Brunswick Town: Brunswick1726, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Thalian Hall: Sanfranman59, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Everything we know about Northwest
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Northwest
About 2 of every 100 Northwest residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
99% of working residents leave Northwest for work
Where Northwest’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Northwest
City in North Carolina, United States
Northwest is a city in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Northwest had a population of 703. It is part of the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 7.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 52 ft
- Area code
- 910
Questions about Northwest
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Northwest, NC expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $226,000, 32% 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 B+.