Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pittsboro grades C+ overall, 127th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 82% of the country. On the other side, it reports more crime per resident than 76% of U.S. towns, including 10 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Its National Register listings include Alston-DeGraffenried House and Chatham County Courthouse. On civic life, just 29 of North Carolina’s 331 towns do better. Pittsboro’s mean commuting time is 31 minutes, above both the North Carolina town median (24 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes).
Where Pittsboro beats most towns.
Pittsboro Presbyterian Church
Census counts: 424 in 1900, 4,537 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 2 maps from 1970 on.
15 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Pittsboro is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pittsboro, 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 Pittsboro.
Pittsboro has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of North Carolina.
At 6.6 years of the Durham metro’s $84K median household income, the typical home (about $550K) costs more against local pay than in 90% of North Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $3,600, against $1,896 across North Carolina, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
On the market in Pittsboro: a median 70 days to sell. Sellers in Pittsboro got 99% of the asking price, typically. The town’s typical rent comes in at $1,211 a month.
| Pittsboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 70% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,211 a month | $1,084 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Two of its 4 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. The largest public high school is Northwood High, with 634 students. The Chatham County Schools runs its public schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsboro ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 503 | B+ |
| Northwood HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 634 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
The biggest park or preserve is Pittsboro Lake Park, at 36 acres. Across 3 parks and preserves: 4.0 miles of trail. Parks and preserves here: 3, covering 53 acres.
| Pittsboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park | 0.4 mi | 9 |
| 2. Pittsboro Lake Park | — | 36 |
| 3. Knight Farm Community Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The share of adults in Pittsboro who have obesity: 30%. The town beats the North Carolina average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 29% of adults in Pittsboro feel lonely; 15% report frequent mental distress.
| Pittsboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 35% |
| What stands out | Pittsboro | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.2% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11% | 15.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 131 to 104 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
In Pittsboro, the rate of thefts and burglaries is 18.4 per 1,000 residents. Within North Carolina, it does better than 56% of towns.
| Pittsboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18.4 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Pittsboro’s FEMA hazard score stands at 32 of 100. It has had 12 paid flood insurance claims since 2018. 58% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 15%. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2018.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The top destinations are Raleigh (14%), Chapel Hill (12%) and Durham (11%). Most working residents leave Pittsboro for work: only 9% work in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs here rose by 404, to 3,101. The median commute is under 21 miles.
| Pittsboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.1% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Pittsboro at 5,054 residents, up 11% since 2020. Children under 18 are 17% of residents (22% statewide). 41% of Pittsboro adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Pittsboro | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 43 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 18% | 18% |
59% women, 41% men
About 70 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4 points). Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Pittsboro | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.5% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.6% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 14.7% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.5% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.5% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.8% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.4% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.8% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.4% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.9% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.8% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pittsboro. Close and well known come first.
25 mi Stadium & arenaLenovo Center
14 mi Stadium & arenaKenan Memorial Stadium
25 mi Stadium & arenaCarter–Finley Stadium
14 mi Stadium & arenaDean Smith Center
35 mi Zoo & aquariumNorth Carolina Zoo700K visitors a year
23 mi Stadium & arenaWakeMed Soccer ParkLenovo Center: Edward T. Funkhouser, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kenan Memorial Stadium: Yeungb, CC BY 3.0 · Carter–Finley Stadium: SMaloney, CC BY 3.0 · Dean Smith Center: No machine-readable author provided. Snargle~commonswiki assumed (based on copyr, Public domain · North Carolina Zoo: Diane Villa, CC BY-SA 4.0 · WakeMed Soccer Park: Hameltion, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Pittsboro
About 7 of every 100 Pittsboro residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
3,743 counted in 2010 and 4,537 in 2020; an estimated 5,054 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 11.3% since 2020, after 21.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
15 places in Pittsboro on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Pittsboro.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Pittsboro is a town in and the county seat of Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,743 at the 2010 census and 4,537 at the 2020 census. The town was established in the late 18th century, shortly after the American Revolution, as the county seat for the newly formed Chatham County. In the years leading up to the American Civil War, the economy was dominated by small-scale farms that relied heavily on enslaved labor. In the aftermath of the civil war, racial tensions were high, and the town was noted for a number of lynchings and other racial violence in the late 19th century. Industrialization came to the community in the late 19th century, as a number of river…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pittsboro grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #127 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades A− for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 56% of towns.
Yes. That is 6.6 years of the area's median household income ($83,500 across the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
4 notable people were born here, including Charles Manly Stedman and James Iredell Waddell.
