Pinetops, North Carolina, 2021
Pinetops’s story
126 years in pictures
Census counts: 211 in 1910, 1,200 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2021 and 3 maps from 1902 on.
- 1900Pinetops is settled
Photo: Pinetops1 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,198
2025 Census estimate · −1.1% since 2020
Typical home
$150K
+1.4% in a year
Household income
$60K
median
Median age
39.7
years
Jobs based here
284
A commuter town
Is Pinetops a good place to live?
The best of Pinetops’ subject grades is a B+ for cost of living; the weakest is a D for health. Only 37 of North Carolina’s 450 towns score lower on health. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. Pinetops's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 96% of U.S. towns. Pinetops has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Pinetops stand out
Where Pinetops beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Typical home value
Pinetops$150K
North Carolina$332K
Cost of livingB+
2.5 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 72% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
32 measures vs. North Carolina
3 better10 too close to call19 worse
| Widest gap | Pinetops | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 27.2% | 13.9% |
Worth knowing · HealthD
Less healthy than 93% of U.S. towns
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
Small town
1,198 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Pinetops grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Pinetops is from typical.
HealthVidant Edgecombe Hospital 10.2 miles awayDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6 of 20; 8.9% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →SchoolsC−Open →Cost of livingB+Open →Jobs & income$60K median household incomeCOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 47% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trail; 0% conserved landCOpen →History2 notable people born hereC−Open →Civic life2.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsD−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 39.7; 17% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Pinetops: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pinetops, and how to reach them.
PowerTown of PinetopsEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterTown of Pinetops water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpMondayTrash dayTown site
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 hereEdgecombe County Board of ElectionsEdgecombe County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2025
ZIP code2786427864 100%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 Pinetops.
HealthD
More of Pinetops’ adults have high blood pressure than in the typical North Carolina or U.S. town
51% of Pinetops adults have high blood pressure, above both North Carolina’s towns (38%) and U.S. towns (35%). 20% of adults have diabetes in Pinetops. Pinetops beats the North Carolina average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19.
7%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Pinetops | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 51% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 19% | 19% |
32 measures vs. North Carolina
3 better10 too close to call19 worse
| What stands out | Pinetops | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.6% | 14.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.5% | 76.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 27.2% | 13.9% |
Vidant Edgecombe Hospital
10.2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsC−
Public schools in Pinetops fall behind 85% of North Carolina districts
Its public schools are run by the Edgecombe County Public Schools. Its one school is below.
15%of NC districts it outscoresC−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| G W Carver ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 550 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade B+
Homes in Pinetops are worth about $150K, by Zillow’s estimate
Pinetops sits below both the North Carolina town median (67%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%) on this measure. The typical Pinetops home is worth about $150,000, up 1.4% in a year, 55% below the North Carolina typical home. The median rent in Pinetops is $815 a month.
$150KZillow home value
| Pinetops | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $815 a month | $1,085 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Pinetops$150K
North Carolina$332K
+1.4%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in April
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Most of Pinetops’ workers commute out: the town has 0.6 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Pinetops for work: only 5% work in town. Pinetops’ average trip to work is 20 minutes. Jobs based in Pinetops fell to 284 in 2023, 160 fewer than in 2013.
5%work in town
| Pinetops | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.1% | 6.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Pinetops5%
Tarboro11%
Rocky Mount11%
Greenville10%
Raleigh9%
19 mi
median commute distance
284
jobs based in Pinetops
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 14% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in Pinetops
Pinetops has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 32° and about 5 inches of snow falls in a winter.
5″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter33–55°
Spring48–72°
Summer68–88°
Fall51–73°
Nov 9
typical first frost
Mar 30
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Moderate risk in Pinetops, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1989, 32 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pinetops.
47risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesTornadoes
32
paid flood claims since 1989
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.2%conserved
| Pinetops | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
0.2%
conserved · 1 of 653 acres
0.5 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. J. Vines Cobb Jr. Park | 0.2 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Pinetops
19pages on Pinetops
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Pinetops
About 3 of every 100 Pinetops residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
A shrinking town
Pinetops has shrunk 14% since 2010
1,374 counted in 2010 and 1,200 in 2020; an estimated 1,198 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
About Pinetops
Town in North Carolina, United States
Pinetops is a town in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Rocky Mount, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Pinetops had a population of 1,200.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 102 ft
- ZIP code
- 27864
- Area code
- 252
Questions about Pinetops
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Pinetops, NC expensive?
Not for the 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+.
What is Pinetops, NC known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Joe P. Tolson and Herb Cobb.