Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Plymouth grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $35K, and 30% of residents live below the poverty line. On CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally. It also has a long history, with 5 places on the National Register. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Plymouth, against 13% in North Carolina’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On safety, just 10 of North Carolina’s 190 towns do worse. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top.
Where Plymouth beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Latham House| Widest gap | Plymouth | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 19.7% | 8.1% |
Census counts: 951 in 1850, a low of 836 in 1880, 3,320 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1864 and 3 maps from 1943 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Plymouth is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Plymouth, 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 Plymouth.
Plymouth has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of North Carolina (mostly hurricanes) and reports violent crime at about twice the North Carolina rate.
At 2.5 years of the county’s $42K median household income, the typical home (about $105K) costs less against local pay than in 95% of North Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living. 63.5% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.9% across North Carolina.
The share of households in Plymouth who own their home: 56%. The town’s median rent is $728 a month.
| Plymouth | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $728 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The largest public high school is Washington County High, with 450 students. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County HighLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 450 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Only 4 of the 289 North Carolina towns we compare have a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Plymouth. For adults locally, the share who have obesity is 48%. Of 32 CDC measures, Plymouth beats the North Carolina average on 3 and trails it on 22.
| Plymouth | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Plymouth | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.3% | 14.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83.2% | 76.7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 19.7% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime runs at 6.6 per 1,000 residents, about twice the North Carolina rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Reported crimes fell from 135 to 110 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Plymouth’s rate of reported violence comes in at 6.6 per 1,000 residents. Its property offense rate is 28.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Plymouth | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.6 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 28.2 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 85% of North Carolina towns; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on.
Paid flood insurance claims in Plymouth since 1999: 38. FEMA puts nearly three quarters of the town’s expected hazard losses down to hurricanes, and 14% to inland flooding. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2019.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Trails run 1.3 miles in 3 parks and preserves. In Plymouth, the density of trails is 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Plymouth | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.1% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Williams R. Flowers Riverfront Park | 0.1 mi | 3 |
| 2. Plumblee Park | — | 2 |
| 3. A. Lloyd Owens, Sr Memorial Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Summers in Plymouth are warm, and winters mild, with plenty of rain. Summer afternoons peak near 89° in July, and January nights bottom out around 33°; snowfall runs to about 1 inches a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Plymouth has about as many jobs (1,254) as working residents, but only 219 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 1,807 in 2013 to 1,254.
In Plymouth, about one in five working residents works in town. Employers in Plymouth shed 553 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,254. Its mean commuting time stands at 22 minutes. Half the trips to work are shorter than 27 miles.
| Plymouth | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $35,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Plymouth; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Plymouth residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
3,878 counted in 2010 and 3,320 in 2020; an estimated 3,170 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 4.4% since 2020, after 14.4% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
4 places in Plymouth on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Plymouth.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Established in 1787, Plymouth is the most populous town in Washington County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,320 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Washington County. Plymouth is located on the Roanoke River about seven miles (11 km) upriver from its mouth into the Albemarle Sound in North Carolina's Inner Banks region.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Plymouth grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and D for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.5 years of the area's median household income ($41,813 across the county).
7 notable people were born here, including J. B. Smoove and Augustin Daly.
