Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Norwood earns a D, 213th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns, mostly because of incomes. The median household income is $52K, and 8% of residents live below the poverty line. It also has a long history, with 1 places on the National Register. Of the 290 North Carolina towns we compare, none has a higher July high than Norwood. Norwood's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 93% of U.S. towns. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 81% of U.S. towns.
Where Norwood beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Norwood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 159 in 1890, 2,367 in 2020. The archive holds a map from 1985 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Norwood, 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 Norwood.
Norwood is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Charlotte and other neighbors.
Its public schools are run by the Stanly County Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norwood ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 354 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Norwood has mild winters and warm summers. Norwood’s January low is 31°F, near the North Carolina town median (31°F) and above the median of U.S. towns (22°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 6,339 U.S. towns with household incomes like Norwood’s, it is healthier than 71%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Norwood beats the North Carolina average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 41% of adults have high blood pressure in Norwood, above both North Carolina’s towns (38%) and U.S. towns (35%). 14% of adults have diabetes in Norwood.
| Norwood | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Norwood | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.5% | 13.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.1% | 7.1% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.4% | 3.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Norwood has about as many jobs (1,117) as working residents, but only 97 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 483 in 2013 to 1,117.
Most working residents leave Norwood for work: only 9% work in town. Jobs based in Norwood grew to 1,117 in 2023, 634 more than in 2013. Norwood’s average trip to work is 27 minutes.
| Norwood | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8.7% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.5% | 13% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Norwood home is worth about $283,000, up 3.6% in a year, 15% below the North Carolina typical home. 59% of Norwood households own their home.
| Norwood | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $919 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 2003, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Norwood.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Norwood | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Norwood Memorial Park | 0.1 mi | 17 |
| 2. Wrc Norwood Access Area | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Norwood
About 5 of every 100 Norwood residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
4 notable people were born in Norwood.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Norwood is a town in Stanly County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Norwood had a population of 2,367.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Norwood grades D overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #213 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades C+ for health and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.7 years of the area's median household income ($60,704 across the Albemarle, NC area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
4 notable people were born here, including Eleanor Ross Taylor and Buck Ross.
